Turning, I closed the door without inviting her in. It was rude but necessary. If our daughters wanted to be friends that was fine, but I couldn’t allow myself to soften too much when it came to Milly. That was a slippery slope to getting attached and developing feelings for her, which hadn’t panned out very well for me the last time. At least if I acted like a dick on the surface, it would keep her at a distance and save me from getting too close at a time when I still trying to fix what was going on in my own head.

  “Gigi,” I said, knocking on her bedroom door again. “Deirdre’s mother is here to collect her.”

  Both girls made almost identical groans of disappointment that their evening had come to an end. A moment later, the door sprung open, and Gigi emerged with Deirdre, a tall, fair-haired girl with green eyes. She didn’t look much like her mother at all, which was a relief in a way. If she were going to be spending time over here with Gigi, then at least I didn’t have to look at a carbon copy of Milly day in and day out.

  “Hello,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Deirdre.”

  Ah, hell, so she might not have looked like Milly, but there was definitely something in the way she spoke, the intelligent aspect to her eyes that was so like her mam.

  You’ll just have to deal with it, I told myself. For Gigi.

  “Deirdre,” I replied. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  She smiled at me then turned back to Gigi and pulled her into a hug, making arrangements for Gigi to come have dinner at their house the following evening. Bloody hell, it was already getting out of hand. Were they going to want to spend time together every day after school? I walked Deirdre to the door, opening it and finding Milly still waiting there, an unhappy spark in her eyes to have been left standing in the hallway.

  “Hey, Dee,” she said, handing her daughter her car keys. “Go on down and wait for me. I just want to have a quick chat with Gigi’s dad.”

  “Sure,” Deirdre replied, taking the keys and heading downstairs. Once she was gone, Milly cast me an uncomfortable expression, running a hand through her long hair as she sighed, “Look, I understand this isn’t ideal.”

  I emitted a joyless laugh. “You could say that again.”

  She frowned, eyeing me speculatively before continuing, “You clearly want nothing to do with me, and I have every intention of staying out of your way, but I’d really appreciate it if you’d let our daughters continue to be friends.” There was something vaguely pleading in her tone that had a measure of my hostility fading.

  “Deirdre’s had to upend her life to come here with me, and she was having trouble making friends the first few days of school. Now she’s met Gigi, and she seems so much happier. They like a lot of the same things, and I’d really hate for anything to upset their friendship.”

  I stared at her, a thick lump forming in my throat. She had no clue the lengths I would go to make Gigi happy, especially with how things had been for her the last few months. Swallowing down the lump, I forced myself to put my own personal feelings about Milly aside as I revealed, “Gigi’s actually been going through a hard time lately, too. Tonight was the first time I heard her laugh in months.”

  Milly’s expression flickered before empathy filtered through, her pretty lips forming a surprised ‘O’ shape. She obviously hadn’t expected me to reveal anything so personal. “Well, I’m glad the friendship with Deirdre has cheered her up some.”

  A short, awkward silence ensued before I said, “I won’t get in the way of their friendship.”

  “Okay, thank you. I won’t either.”

  I cleared my throat and rubbed at the tension in my jaw. “I heard them arranging to have dinner at your house after school tomorrow.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, Deirdre hasn’t mentioned it to me yet, but I’ll be happy to have Gigi over.”

  “Good,” I said gruffly. It was about as much cordiality as I could manage.

  “All right, well, goodnight, Derek.”

  “Good—” Before I could finish, Milly turned and walked away.

  Well, I guess I deserved that. I’d certainly been doing it to her an awful lot lately. The barest hint of amusement tugged at my lips as I stood in the doorway, watching her petite frame and graceful gait as she disappeared around the corner at the end of the hall. I remained in place, listening for the recognisable ping of the lift, the doors opening and closing, signalling her departure. Then I turned and went back inside my apartment.

  12.

  Milly

  I was still bristling the following day as I replayed the encounter with Derek in my head while cooking chicken parmesan for dinner. It confounded me that the one girl Deirdre had found a connection with at school just so happened to be his daughter. A higher power was surely trying to mess with me. Still, I was immensely relieved she’d found a friend—even if it meant I now had to contend with her grump of a father.

  As Deirdre told it, she and Gigi were in the same geography class when she noticed Gigi had a Purple Beatrice badge pinned to her bag. They were an all-girl pop band from Korea that my daughter was fanatical over. I’d brought her to see them in concert twice when they came to London and had to admit their songs were incredibly catchy.

  Deirdre struck up a conversation with Gigi about the band, and that was that; they were fast friends. I’d been so relieved because, after nearly a week, she hadn’t made any inroads with her other classmates. Then I’d turned up to collect her from Gigi’s place only to discover who her father was. The look of pure irritation he’d levelled at me had my hackles rising, and when he’d commented on me still being college age when I’d had Deirdre, I was ready to commit murder.

  Thankfully, I was able to rein in my temper for my daughter’s sake. If Derek wanted to act like I was a piece of gum that kept sticking to his shoe, fine, but I wasn’t going to stop Deirdre and Gigi from hanging out. My daughter’s happiness would always come first.

  The food was just about ready when I climbed the stairs to get the girls. They were sitting in Deirdre’s room listening to a Purple Beatrice album and doing their homework. The music must’ve prevented them from hearing my approach, and the door was open, allowing me to pick up some of their conversation.

  “I just never thought she’d do something like this to me,” Gigi said, a hitch in her voice.

  “Hey, I get it. I don’t know what I’d do without my mum,” Deirdre replied soothingly. “But at least you have your dad.”

  “Yeah,” Gigi allowed. “My dad would never do what she did. He’s always there for me and Pablo.”

  My heart clenched a little hearing that because, despite his attitude towards me, I could definitely see Derek being a present and reliable father. Always there for his kids. It was just how he was. When we were teenagers, I could rely on him to show up whenever I needed him, no matter what. A faint pain pinched at me. Our friendship had been short-lived in the grand scheme of things, but I still mourned the loss of it in certain ways. I’d been in a handful of relationships, but I’d never felt that sort of soul deep connection with any of my past boyfriends. Perhaps it was a teenage thing, and we all just felt like everything was so much more vital and intense at that age.

  “You shouldn’t take it personally,” Deirdre said to Gigi, pulling me back to their exchange. “My dad works a lot, and even when we lived in London, I didn’t see him all the time because he was constantly on call. He’s very committed to his career, but I know he still loves me more than anything. The same probably goes for your mum. Just because she needs to focus on her music right now doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”

  God, Deirdre’s maturity continued to amaze me. I didn’t know where she got her wisdom from sometimes. I mean, I was smart at her age, too, but not nearly as emotionally mature.

  “I guess so,” Gigi agreed, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced.

  Not wanting to eavesdrop any longer, I knocked on the door before stepping inside. “Hey girls, dinner’s ready if you want to come down.”

  “Yes, I’m starving,” Deirdre declared. “It smells amazing.” She glanced at Gigi. “You haven’t lived until you’ve tried Mum’s chicken parmesan. It’s sooo good!”

  Gigi giggled shyly, but there was a certain sadness that lingered in her expression. I motioned them from the room, and as we descended the stairs, I studied Derek’s daughter, worried about how down she’d sounded when they were talking before I came in.

  Was it something I should mention to Derek? Then again, he told me yesterday she’d been going through a hard time recently, so he was clearly already aware.

  We sat at the table to eat, and after spending only a few minutes with Gigi, I decided she was just lovely. Shy and sensitive but clearly very clever. She looked a lot like Derek, but there was also something of her mother there, too. Or at least what I imagined to be her mother since I’d never met the woman.

  I served the girls store-bought apple crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert, and not long after we finished eating, there was a honk from outside. Something about the sound sent me right back into the past, the memory of a handsome boy garnering my attention with the beeping of a car horn.

  Approaching the living room window, I took a discreet glance outside and saw Derek sitting in the driver’s seat waiting. It bothered me that he didn’t even have the manners to come and knock on the front door. Then again, maybe this was for the best. Keeping our distance. The next time I had to collect Deirdre from his place, I’d simply text her to let her know I was outside instead of going in. I certainly wasn’t about to let him shut his door in my face again instead of inviting me in like a normal human being.

  “That’s my dad,” Gigi said. “Thank you for dinner, Mrs Morgan-O’Shea.”

  “It’s just O’Shea,” I corrected her fondly. “Morgan is Deirdre’s father’s surname. But you can call me Milly.”

  She flushed “Okay, goodbye, Milly. Bye Deirdre.”

  “Bye, Gigi. See you tomorrow.”

  The girl left, and I found myself peering out at Derek once again, still irritated by his behaviour. He might’ve been a good dad, but he had terrible manners, or at least where it concerned me, he did.

  “I’ll do those,” I said to Deirdre when I returned to the kitchen and found her making a start on the dishes. “You go up and finish your homework.”

  “It’s fine. I already finished it,” Deirdre replied before shooting me a smile. “You can dry.”

  Smiling back at her, I went to grab a dishcloth, and we quietly worked together before she remarked, “Did you know that Gigi’s mum is a violinist? She’s on tour right now with Rosanna Dove.”

  My eyebrows shot up. Rosanna Dove was a world-famous singer, and her fanbase was enormous. I imagined playing in her band was a big deal for any musician. “Really? That’s impressive.”

  “It’s amazing, right? The only problem is she’s going to be gone for almost an entire year while on tour. That’s why Gigi’s living full-time with her dad right now. She’s pretty down about it.”

  Sadness filled me for the girl. Was that what Derek had been talking about when he’d said she’d been going through a difficult time? She missed her mother?

  “That’s horrible for Gigi, but I’m sure her mam misses her. Sometimes parents have to make choices we don’t want to in order to earn a living.”

  “Right. I tried telling her something along those lines, but I’m not sure I was very convincing.”

  Putting down the plate I’d just been drying, I threw my arm around Deirdre’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m sure it helps for Gigi to have someone to talk to, especially someone who can relate since you’re living away from your father now.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think it’s the same. I mean, I love Dad, but I don’t need him to be there for me every day like Gigi seems to need her mum. I think she feels abandoned.”

  “The poor girl.”

  Deirdre cast me a glance. “Spending time with you tonight helped, I think. She seemed to brighten up a lot when you two were talking at dinner.” She shot me a cheeky grin. “It must be all your soothing mother energy.”

  I chuckled at that. “My what?”

  She shrugged. “You know how maternal you are. There could be a six-foot-five, grizzled, muscle-bound wrestler sitting at your dinner table, and you’d find some way to mother him and make him feel like a little kid again.”

  I laughed some more, shaking my head. “If you say so.”

  “I do,” she replied, shutting off the tap after rinsing the final dish and leaning down to give me a peck on the cheek. “I’m going upstairs to watch that new comedy show on Netflix. Feel free to join me.”

  I smiled at her departing figure, once again struck by how blessed I was to have such an emotionally mature, wise young woman for a daughter.

  ***

  The following weekend, I received a call from Nuala inviting me out to dinner with her and all the old gang. I suspected this would include Derek, which made me hesitant to accept the invite. I’d managed to avoid any more run-ins with him, and we’d developed a routine of avoidance when it came to picking up and dropping off our daughters at one another’s homes. Still, I’d love to go and catch up with everyone else and didn’t want to stay home just because I might have to deal with Derek Balfe glowering at my very existence.

  In the end, I told her I’d be there. We were meeting at Aidan Finnegan’s restaurant, which was aptly named Finnegan’s. Nuala told me he was a restauranteur now and had several successful establishments around the country. I managed to find a parking spot just down the street, and I smoothed my hands over my black dress before adjusting the straps of my handbag as I approached the building. After a deep breath in for confidence, I opened the door and entered the restaurant. It was a stylish, modern interior with lots of dark wood, exposed red brick and brass fixtures. There was also a buzzy vibe, seeming to attract the mid-thirties to early forties crowd.

  The maître d’ escorted me to a table in the back, where it looked like most everyone had already arrived. To my relief, there was no Derek, and some part of me hoped he wasn’t coming while another—very annoying part of me—wished for a glimpse of him. I suspected that part was my teenage self who still held a sliver of affection for him. I wasn’t sure it would ever go away, no matter how rudely he behaved towards me.

  Nuala was the first to spot me as she stood and pulled me into a hug, followed by Charli and Rhys. Next, I exchanged greetings with Aidan, Tristan and Theo, all of whom seemed delighted to see me. I was touched by their warm welcome, especially since a certain someone had been so frosty, but I decided to focus on the positive. I was spending an evening with old friends, and a server had just brought out a selection of amuse-bouche from the chef.

  I devoured some kind of parcel filled with chicken, mushrooms and teriyaki sauce when my phone vibrated. Checking the screen, I saw it was Deirdre and stepped outside to take the call.

  “Dee, is everything okay?”

  “Hi, Mum. Everything’s fine. Gigi came over to watch a movie, and we want to rent out Mystic Pizza. Is it okay to charge it to your account?”

  I smiled at her request, mainly because the movie was so old I was surprised either of them knew about it. “Sure. Where did you hear about Mystic Pizza?”

  “There’s a woman on TikTok who reviews old movies from the eighties and nineties. Actually, can we get Practical Magic, too? She highly recommended both.”

  I chuckled. “Knock yourselves out. There are some leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry.”

  “Thanks, Mum. Enjoy your dinner.”

  “I’ll be home by eleven,” I said then hung up just in time for a shadow to appear before me. I lifted my eyes and found Derek’s disgruntled gaze levelled on me. We stared each other down, and I didn’t want to be the one to break first. Nonetheless, I found myself blurting, “No Kayla tonight?”

  He frowned, like my mentioning her was odd, which it was. “She’s gone back to Australia.”

  “Ah, I see. You must be looking forward to when she moves over here permanently.”

  What was wrong with me? I’d been struck with a case of verbal diarrhoea. Derek frowned faintly. “Why would I …” he trailed off, some kind of realisation dawning before the faintest flicker of satisfaction crossed his features. “Yes, actually. Can’t wait.”

  Something in his tone had me pressing my lips together and grinding my teeth. He moved to walk by me, and I took the opportunity to slip my phone back into my pocket. I waited for him to go inside so as not to inconvenience him with my presence, but then he reached the door and pulled it open, looking back at me, “Are you coming in or what?”

  I sighed. “Fine.” Stepping by him, I re-entered the restaurant. The bustle of servers and chatter of patrons distracted me, and I made the mistake of turning to look at Derek, who stood directly behind me. He was staring at the back of my head with such unbridled frustration it made me want to shout, “Bloody hell! Surely being around me isn’t that bad!” But as soon as he saw me looking, he wiped his face clean, returning to blank disinterest.

  “Gigi’s at my house with Deirdre, by the way. They’re watching movies.”

  “I know where my daughter is,” he shot back, like my informing him was some kind of insult.

  “Well, I was just letting you know. No need to bite my head off,” I muttered under my breath. I turned back around when suddenly a large, warm hand clamped around my upper arm. Derek’s grip managed to be both gentle and firm at the same time.

  “What was that?”

  My eyes narrowed into a glare. “Nothing.”

  “No, it wasn’t. I heard you grumbling about me. What did you say?”

  His persistence had me snapping. “I said there was no need for you to bite my head off since I was just letting you know where your daughter is. But clearly anything I say to you is offensive these days, so I think I’ll just keep my mouth shut.”

  Something about my response seemed to surprise him. I wasn’t sure if it was my attitude or the defiant way I lifted my chin, but a hint of what looked like amusement passed over his features. Oh, he’d better not be finding this funny.