Prudence (Balfe Family #1) Read Online L.H. Cosway

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Tags Authors: Series: Balfe Family Series by L.H. Cosway
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Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
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“Hey, are you okay?” Nuala asked gently.

I mustered a smile. “Of course.”

“You just seem a little subdued since Derek showed up,” she went on. “I saw he arrived while you were outside on the phone. Did he say something to upset you?”

“No, not at all. Well, I mean, he hasn’t exactly been a ray of sunshine. I think he just doesn’t want to interact with me, but we seem to keep running into each other unfortunately.”

Nuala seemed surprised by this. “You do?”

“Deirdre and Derek’s daughter, Gigi, have become friends at school. They’ve been hanging out a lot, and I think Derek’s annoyed that he has to see me all the time because of their friendship.”

Nuala shook her head. “God, he’s such a grouch. I’m sorry. Would you like me to talk to him? Get him to ease up? Like I said, he’s been an arse to everyone these last few months, but that’s so amazing Deirdre and Gigi have hit it off. Gigi has been very down since her mam went on tour, so having a new friend could be good for her.”

“Deirdre mentioned that. I actually heard them talking about it, and Gigi sounded upset.”

Nuala’s expression suddenly became overwrought, a sheen of emotion in her eyes as she rubbed at her neck. “It’s been an awful few months. Ever since Paloma announced she was going away, Gigi’s been practically catatonic. She even …” Her words trailed off as she waved away whatever she’d been about to say before continuing, “I know Derek’s been hugely stressed about her. It’s one of the reasons he’s been such a dick to everyone. I think he’s just feeling very lost and doesn’t know how to help her, so he’s taking it out on the rest of us.”

Empathy thickened my throat, and my gaze flickered across the table to where Derek still sat talking with Theo, completely unaware that he was the topic of conversation between his sister and me. I felt for him, even if he did seem to hate me now. I couldn’t imagine how I’d be if Deirdre were suffering from depression.

“Has he tried sending her to talk to a professional?”

Nuala nodded. “She’s seeing a therapist, and it’s helped a little, but not as much as we’d all hoped for.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, taking a sip of wine. “She’s at my house tonight with Deirdre. They’re watching Mystic Pizza followed by Practical Magic.”

This got a little smile out of her. “I’m jealous. Those are movies I wish I could watch for the first time again.”

A server appeared with our main courses, and I was happy to distract myself with food, though my empathy for Derek and Gigi persisted. I had no idea of the full story with her mother, but it just seemed like a tough situation for everyone involved. Also, Nuala said Derek was an arsehole to everyone lately, but I had a feeling he was particularly disgruntled by me because of our history. It was evident he’d never told his sister about proposing to me. He’d declared his love for me that day on the beach, and though he’d only been twenty with little experience of the world, I had a suspicion the hurt he’d felt that day had stuck with him. I knew being the one to reject him had stayed with me, especially since, if things were different and I didn’t feel such a loyalty to my aunt, I certainly would’ve said yes. He’d captured my teenage heart, and there was very little I wouldn’t have agreed to at the time when it came to him.

The lemon and garlic risotto I’d ordered was delicious, but I couldn’t enjoy it fully because I was too caught up in past regret. It was a frustrating feeling because I wouldn’t want to change the present, but I also mourned for something that might’ve been.

Throughout the rest of the meal, I stayed true to my word and didn’t address Derek once even though our gazes clashed several times. Each time, my throat tightened with words I wished to say but probably never would.

When the meal ended, it was late, and the street outside was dark, lit only by dim streetlamps. It was a short walk to my car, but I felt a presence, and as I approached my bright red Suzuki, I turned and spotted a tall figure standing outside the restaurant. Derek watched as I climbed into my car and hit the locks, only walking away when I pulled out onto the road to drive home. The idea of him standing there and making sure I made it to my car safely had more conflicting emotions warring within me. He didn’t get to ignore me and then display concern for my safety at the same time. It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t he just be a complete dick and then I could simply hate him, and that would be that?


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