Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
She turned him down and left to build a career and a future that didn’t include him. Derek had no idea that it wasn’t purely Milly’s decision to decline but rather the influence of a meddling relative.
Now thirty-eight, Derek is a successful hotelier, divorced and parenting two teenagers. His father is retiring soon and has asked Derek to take over the family business. He has a lot going on and to add to it Milly has moved back into town, more distractingly beautiful, shy and delicate than ever—and with a teenage daughter of her own in tow. Milly is close friends with Derek’s sister so he can’t avoid running into her—but he is determined to ice her out.
That is until their daughters meet at school and become inseparable. Derek has to deal with seeing Milly every week, sometimes daily. The more he’s around her the more he realises that deep down she’s still the same girl he fell for all those years ago, and he begins to suspect that there was more to her rejecting his proposal than he’d always believed.
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“She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.”
Jane Austen, Persuasion
1.
Milly
~18 years ago~
Derek Balfe came to my rescue when the cherry blossoms were in bloom.
It was my favourite part of spring, the pale pink petals brightening up the road I walked along to school, the weather mild. Unfortunately, that day, midway through my walk home, it started pouring. Not merely rain, but hailstones, too. It was sunny when I left my house in the morning, so I’d forgone my coat, only to be punished with what felt like shards of ice pummelling down on me.
Removing my bag, I held it above my head to shield myself from the onslaught and broke into a run. Not that running would make me any less wet, but it would get me out of the downpour sooner.
I was in the middle of my mad dash when I heard a car horn beep behind me. I ignored it and continued running. When the beeping persisted, I finally slowed down and turned, spotting a black Audi idling by the footpath.
I squinted amid the rain and hail, trying to see who was behind the wheel. It could’ve been my aunt, Nell. She currently drove a BMW, but she was rich and often traded in her cars for newer models. The Audi didn’t seem her style, though. Then the driver’s side window rolled down, and a dark-haired boy with a serious expression stuck his head out. Well, not a boy, really. He was more of a young man, and it took me a moment to place him.
Derek Balfe had been a year above me in primary school. I couldn’t remember ever really speaking to him. His sister, Nuala Balfe, attended my all-girls secondary school, St. Colmcille’s. Derek was also one of the most popular boys in town, and lots of girls had crushes on him. The fact he was even acknowledging my existence felt surreal.
“Need a lift?” he called out, and my heart raced. Why on earth was he offering me a lift? Sure, it was raining but we didn’t know each other. Nerves seized me. Since I went to an all-girls school and grew up with only sisters, I wasn’t used to interacting with boys at all. My cheeks heated despite my chilly, rain-soaked clothes, and my hands felt clammy as they gripped my backpack.
My pulse fluttered against my neck, and I scurried closer to his car. “That’s very kind, but I’m already drenched. I’ll ruin your seats.”
He leaned across and threw open the passenger side door. “Ah, don’t worry about that. Sure, it’s all leather anyway. Get in.”
I chewed my lip, uncertain, then blurted, “I don’t know you.”
His serious look was replaced with an unfairly handsome smile.
“Course, you do. I’m Derek Balfe, and you’re Milly O’Shea. We went to primary school together. My sister, Nuala, is in your year.”
“Right, but still,” I went on, unable to come up with a proper excuse. “That doesn’t mean we actually know one another.”
His face softened at my hesitation, the smile fading a little as his eyes trailed up my body, from my soggy shoes to my drenched uniform and wet hair, his expression turning thoughtful. “I get it, but listen, I’m just going to drop you off at your house. I see you walking this way every day, and I can’t in good conscience leave you out in this weather. You’ll catch your death.”
My lips twitched faintly at his statement. Catch your death. It sounded like something my grandma would say. “This is very kind of you.” I stepped closer. His warm, inviting brown eyes had me throwing caution to the wind as I approached the car and impulsively slid into the passenger seat.