Prudence, p.17
Prudence, page 17
“It didn’t look like you needed rescuing. It looked like you were having a wonderful time talking to all those lovely ladies.”
“I was having a terrible time, and you know it.”
Milly chuckled. “So, about this suite at the hotel. We really need to—”
“Mr Balfe,” the teacher called, indicating he was ready for me next.
“Sorry, got to go,” I told Milly happily, and her amusement swiftly turned to annoyance. She was cute when she scowled, and I enjoyed riling her. If she wasn’t going to rescue me from the vipers when I needed her, then I was going to do everything I could to avoid discussing the hotel suite with her.
When I was done speaking with Mr Flynn, I left the room before Milly could pull me aside. I could practically feel her silent irritation. It went that way over the next few meetings. I managed to dodge her at every turn, and it was rather amusing. Most of Gigi’s teachers noted a marked improvement in her participation in class over the last few weeks, and I knew it was all down to her friendship with Deirdre. Gigi had never been particularly studious, but she’d always managed to pass her classes. When her mother had left to go on tour, her grades had dropped dramatically, and she’d often been late with her homework or hadn’t bothered completing it at all. To hear that she was improving was an incredible relief, and it caused a niggle of guilt to seep in.
I’d been avoiding Milly all evening just to mess with her, but it was her and Deirdre’s arrival in town that had brought some happiness back into my daughter’s life. When I finished meeting with the last of Gigi’s teachers, I decided I’d go find Milly and allow her the opportunity to express her dissatisfaction about the hotel suite. I was wandering down a corridor in search of her when suddenly an adorably gentle shove came at me from behind. I knew instantly it was Milly as I let her push me into an empty storage room.
“What the—” I turned and found her slamming the door shut behind her before flicking on the light switch to illuminate the small space. Pure amusement had my lips curving into a rare smile.
“Did you just manhandle me into this room?” I asked, and her dark eyebrows narrowed as she frowned up at me, hands on hips.
“You left me no choice,” Milly griped, blowing a wayward strand of hair out of her pretty face as she folded her arms in agitation. “We need to talk about the suite, and you’ve been running away from me all evening.”
I studied her, for some reason unable to stop from drinking in her pink lips, pert nose and flushed cheeks. I’d pissed her off, and there was something irresistible about her when she was irate. It made me want to push her buttons even further. Without thinking, I stepped into her personal space before gazing down at her hotly. “Talk, then.”
“Wha—” she began, her words cutting off at my husky tone. Then I moved even closer, so close that my chest was an inch from her chin. I was aware of her smaller stature, her light, flowery perfume and the way a whoosh of air left her pretty lips as she held her chin high to meet my gaze. I’d always been impossibly attracted to this woman, and despite my best efforts to resist her draw, I found myself in her orbit anyway.
I placed my hands flat against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in and not dropping her eyes for a second, when I murmured, “Cat got your tongue, Camille?”
A visible tremble went through her when I said her name, and I fought the base instinct that was roaring at me to kiss her, hitch up her long skirt and ravish her against the wall. I didn’t care how inappropriate it was; all I knew in that moment was that I wanted her fiercely.
I hadn’t had sex in a more than a year, and it was showing.
“Derek,” she said at last, her breaths uneven.
“Yes, Camille?” I responded, using her name again like a weapon. It affected her, and though I wasn’t sure exactly what the effect was, I knew we both liked it.
“You’re not playing fair,” she whispered, her blue eyes lowering from mine and focusing somewhere near my jaw.
“Oh?”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, the delicate movement drawing my attention and making me want to lick her neck, kiss my way up to her seductive mouth. Her hand came to press against my chest, and on instinct, my hand closed over it. I hadn’t realised just how much I’d been craving her touch until exactly this moment.
I felt her trembling through her fingers, and something in me softened. She might’ve been the one to push me in here, but I had to admit to myself that I’d let her do it. If I hadn’t wanted to be manhandled into this room by a woman almost half my size, I wouldn’t have been. No, a part of me was entirely too curious to see what she had planned.
“I know someone else booked the suite,” she said then, distracting me from my thoughts. “I overheard the couple complaining to the receptionist about it.”
Her challenging look almost did me in. I was a sucker for when she called me on my bullshit. “Don’t waste your concern for the Longs. The last time they stayed at the hotel, they made one of our serving staff cry because she forgot to bring Mrs Long an extra portion of sauce with her fillet steak. They’re notoriously difficult guests, and my hope is that this might encourage them to bring their business elsewhere. Also, I wanted you and Deirdre to be comfortable. The standard rooms are too small.”
“Well, that’s a kind sentiment, and the Longs sound horrible, but it’s still not right to change their booking just for me. You’re in the hospitality business. Dealing with difficult guests is part and parcel of that.”
“They were well compensated for the inconvenience.”
“Derek,” she said, and I enjoyed the sound of my name on her lips even if it was uttered in an exasperated tone. “Will you please just arrange for us to be moved to a different room? If there’s no space, we can go somewhere else—”
“Don’t go. Let me do this favour for you. I behaved terribly towards you for weeks, and it’s the least I can do to make up for it. Besides, the Longs will be checking out in the morning, so their stay is basically over now.”
“Aren’t there others who’ve booked the suite?” she questioned. In her eyes, I saw that she was starting to relent.
“Not for another two weeks. I’ll even show you the hotel booking system if you need proof.”
She was quiet for a long moment before she said, “Okay, well, in that case, I guess it couldn’t hurt to stay. Deirdre and Gigi have loved hanging out together in the suite.”
“Good. I’m glad they’re enjoying themselves.” With my hand still atop hers, I gave her fingers a light squeeze before letting go. If we stayed in this room any longer, I didn’t trust what I might do. Like discover if her lips still tasted as sweet as I remembered.
I moved away, and Milly cleared her throat. “Right, well, I better be going. Sorry for pushing you in here.”
Grinning at her, I opened the door, a hint of flirtation in my tone. “If I hadn’t wanted to be pushed, I could’ve easily prevented it.”
“Oh, sure, keeping telling yourself that.”
Her level stare and folded arms were adorable. I took my time surveying her before changing the subject. Bending down so my mouth was almost at her ear, I said, “Can I ask for a favour?” I could’ve sworn the tiniest shiver trickled over her before she lifted her eyebrows and nodded. “Would you mind walking with me to my car and pretending to be deep in a very important conversation?”
“Why?”
“To avoid being accosted by my fan club again,” I replied dourly, and she laughed.
“Your fan club, eh? Lots of people would be delighted to receive such attention.”
“Yeah, try it sometime and get back to me.”
Milly shook her head. “Go on, then. Since it appears I owe you one, I’ll help you escape the building without being accosted.”
In the end, I was the one who walked Milly to her car, but luckily, mine was parked only a few spots over, so I managed to get out of the place without running into Iona or any of the other mothers.
When I got back to my apartment, I found my son on the living room couch with a girl I’d never seen before. The two of them sat close together, his arm around her shoulders as some reality show played on the TV. I paused, taking in the scene. My son hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend, nor had he said he was having anyone over. Neither of them noticed my presence until I cleared my throat, and immediately, Pablo’s eyes rounded as he and the girl shifted away from one another. Well, at least they’d only been watching TV.
“Dad, I didn’t think you’d be home yet.”
“I managed to get done with Gigi’s parent teacher evening a little early,” I replied then arched an eyebrow while trying my best not to smile at my son’s embarrassment. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”
Pablo flushed, rubbing the back of his neck while sharing a glance with the brunette at his side. “This is Tabatha,” he said. “A friend from school.”
“Hello, Tabitha. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” she responded meekly, and I internally grimaced. Pablo and I had spoken about girls and being responsible in the past, but now that he was actually hanging out with one, I felt I was going to have to revisit that conversation. Reiterate a few things.
“Is your sister in her room?” I asked, glancing down the hallway.
“No, she’s with Deirdre, I think.”
“Are they at the hotel?”
“Don’t know.”
“Well, you’re a great help.” It was a school night, and Gigi knew she should be home by now. I lifted my phone to my ear, hitting Call on her number, but it rang out with no answer. I left her a voicemail as well as a text, then decided to call Milly to see why she wasn’t answering. If Gigi was watching a movie with Deirdre, then she might’ve had her phone on silent.
“Hello?” Milly answered after a few rings.
“Hey, sorry for bothering you, but could you let Gigi know she needs to come home now. I’ll send a taxi over. It’s a school night—”
“Gigi’s not here. I thought she and Deirdre were at your apartment,” Milly responded, a note of worry in her voice. “I was actually just trying to get through to Deirdre, but her phone keeps going to her voicemail.”
Just like that, my gut twisted with unease. This wasn’t like Gigi. Even when she was in the worst of her depression, she normally just hid in her room. She never went missing without letting me know where she was.
“Maybe they went to the beach,” Milly suggested. “Do teenagers still throw parties on the beach?”
“Not on a Monday night, no,” I responded gruffly.
“We need to go find them, then.”
“I’ll be there in five minutes. Be ready.”
With that, I hung up and grabbed my car keys. “Gigi’s gone AWOL,” I said to Pablo. “Stay here and let me know if she turns up. I’m going out to look for her.”
“Oh, shit,” my son exclaimed, but I was too busy worrying about Gigi to reprimand him for his foul language.
No, I needed to locate my daughter because this certainly wasn’t like her. And if it wasn’t like her, then that meant someone else had influenced her, likely Milly’s daughter.
17.
Milly
I paced frantically at the entrance to the hotel until Derek’s car pulled up, and he threw open the door, “Get in.”
Sensing he was just as tense as I was, I climbed into the passenger seat and just about managed to get the door closed and my seatbelt on before he sped off.
“I’ve checked with my parents, but they haven’t heard from Deirdre all day. Does Gigi have any other friends whose houses they might’ve gone to?”
“I’ve already called everyone she could possibly be with,” Derek responded flatly. “I’m starting to regret not insisting she install one of those tracking apps on her phone.”
Feeling my stomach twist with unease, and also from the angry vibes simmering off him, I suggested, “Perhaps we should check the beach, just in case.”
He nodded gruffly, and we drove in silence for a few minutes before reaching the beach. Derek parked, and we both hopped out to check along the strand. It was completely deserted, and my twisting unease intensified. I searched my brain for anything I might’ve overheard the girls discussing, perhaps some plans to go somewhere, but drew a blank.
“They’re not here. Let’s get back to the car,” Derek said curtly.
“I’m worried, too, you know. You’re acting like this is my fault somehow.”
“Maybe it’s not your fault, but your daughter’s done this before,” he clipped.
“What are you talking about?”
“You told me how she and her friend snuck off without telling you when you lived in London. This seems like a very similar situation. Deirdre’s convinced Gigi to go off somewhere, and they could be stranded right now. What if they were mugged and don’t have their phones?”
“First of all, that was years ago, and Deirdre’s gotten a lot more responsible since then. And second, I can’t believe you’d throw something like that in my face. The only reason I told you was to console you when Gigi lied to you about the concert.”
His only response was a wordless grunt that incensed me further. Earlier tonight when we’d stood close in that storage room at the school, I’d felt a connection simmer. There’d been a warmth between us and a teasing flirtation from him, but now all that was gone. We were too worried about our daughters, and endless terrifying scenarios wouldn’t stop running through my head.
“Can you try both their numbers again?” Derek requested when we got back to the car. “I’m going to drive us through town and see if we can spot them.”
“Sure,” I replied, still sullen over how he’d spoken to me on the beach. Pulling out my phone, I tried Deirdre’s number again, but it went straight to voicemail just like it had earlier. I left another worried message for her to contact me as soon as possible before hanging up and trying Gigi’s phone. It rang several times, and when someone answered, “Hello?” my heart leapt. Immediately putting it on speaker, I replied, “Hello, Gigi?”
Derek glanced my way, looking just as hopeful as I felt.
“Sorry, this is Mina. I have Gigi’s phone,” a girl responded. “We met earlier tonight, but she left her mobile behind. I’ve been trying to call Deirdre to let her know, but I think her battery died.”
“Who is this, and how do you know my daughter?” Derek demanded.
The girl on the other end of the call—Mina—sounded nervous when she said, “Me and my friends met Gigi and Deirdre at the Purple Beatrice concert a couple nights ago. We arranged to meet up today at my house in Sutton, but they left over an hour ago.”
“Sutton?” I said, looking to Derek. “They should’ve been home by now if they got the train.”
“They did get the train. Are they not home yet?” Mina asked. “Maybe it was delayed.”
“Yes, maybe. We’ll check the station. Thank you, Mina. We’ll have Gigi contact you to collect her phone.”
Derek looked like he wanted to say more, but I hung up before he had the chance. Mina sounded around the same age as the girls, and I was certain Derek’s low, grumpy dad voice had her half terrified. I watched as he made a sharp U-turn then headed back in the direction of the train station. The drive was silent, and when we got there, the display told us the next train would be arriving in ten minutes.
“If they’re on this train, let’s just be glad they’re okay and not be too hard on them, yeah?” I ventured while Derek stood next to me on the platform, a flat scowl on his face as he quietly fumed.
“I’ll parent my daughter how I see fit,” he replied all surly, and even though I was mad at Deirdre for going off to Sutton without telling me, I didn’t appreciate how testy he was being. Maybe getting close to him the last few days was a mistake. I certainly didn’t need to be navigating his unpredictable moods.
We stood in silence until the train arrived, and when I spotted the girls emerge from a carriage, I felt such intense relief I could barely even be mad anymore.
“What the hell were the two of you thinking?” Derek demanded as he stomped forward.
Gigi blinked at her dad’s harsh tone, while Deirdre shot me a questioning look. “We left a note on the dresser in the hotel suite,” she said. “Didn’t you see it?”
Just like that, Derek’s dark, accusing gaze flashed to me. I swallowed thickly. “No, I didn’t see any note.”
“I used the hotel stationary. I thought you’d see it. We just went to hang out with some girls we met at the concert the other night. We were supposed to be back earlier than this, but there was a problem with the train signal, and we were stuck between stations for over an hour. I was going to call you, but my battery died, and Gigi left her phone—”
“We know about the phone. We spoke to your friend, Mina, when we called Gigi’s number. She explained the situation.”
“It’s my fault,” Gigi put in. “Deirdre didn’t want to go because it’s a school night, but I convinced her.”
“It’s okay. You left a note. I should’ve seen it,” I said, silently reprimanding myself. I got the feeling Derek wanted to reprimand me, too, from the hard look he sent my way. Still, it was an honest mistake, and I didn’t deserve his attitude. I mean, surely, he’d made some silly parenting mistakes over the years. It happened to the best of us, and if he thought he could just act like a dick to me over a simple error, then he had another thing coming. I’d allow him some grace since the relief of the girls being okay probably hadn’t fully sunk in yet, but it still got my back up, not to mention frustrated me, since there’d been a closeness between us earlier at the school.
“Let’s get home. It’s already late,” he said, ushering Gigi toward his car. “We can discuss this in the morning.”
“You’re not going to cancel my birthday party at Granny and Granddad’s house, are you?” Gigi begged. “Because I’ve been so looking forward to it, and I really didn’t mean to—”
“Relax, no one’s cancelling anyone’s birthday party,” Derek told her, his tone softening a touch.
