Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
“I made some virgin margaritas. Do you want one?” Jo asked, her brown eyes soft and caring as she gazed at me.
“Sure,” I replied, and she set a glass down in front of me. I took a sip, barely tasting it, when Tristan came in.
“Rhys! What are you doing out here chatting up my mother? Get inside. We need your opinion on whether to watch 30 Days of Night or Knocked Up.”
“I vote for whichever is the least depressing,” I replied, taking another gulp of margarita and wishing there was some alcohol in it.
Tristan turned and called out to the living room, “That’s another vote for Knocked Up. I think we have a winner.”
He was met with disgruntled protests from Derek and Aidan, both of whom clearly wanted to watch the horror movie, which I definitely wasn’t in the mood for.
“Mam, are the nachos ready yet?”
“Almost,” she replied. “Go on in and start the movie. I’ll bring them in a few minutes.”
Tristan went, glancing at me curiously as he did. I stayed in the kitchen for a little longer then helped Jo carry the giant platter of nachos into the living room where everyone was camped out after their day at the beach. A part of me was jealous of them. Aside from Charli, no one here had to work a summer job. They were free to enjoy these weeks before going back to school or college.
I probably wouldn’t be going to college. I was saving every penny I earned working at the hotel in the hopes of being able to hire a good divorce lawyer for Mam. I had no idea what they charged, but it was probably going to be steep. I wondered if maybe Padraig might hire me full-time, and that way, I could put all my earnings towards the lawyer. It would mean giving up on the French Foreign Legion, but there was no guarantee they’d accept me anyway. Maybe I didn’t need to become a soldier to make Dad fear me. Maybe I just needed enough money to pay for the legal fees that would cut him from mine and Mam’s lives for good.
I was deep in these thoughts when I felt someone’s attention and noticed Charli’s eyes on me. She sat on the loveseat next to Nuala, her attention distracted from the movie.
“I’m not so sure about this one,” Jo said. “It might be a little lewd.”
“We’re grown boys, Mam,” Tristan told her. “Old enough for a bit of lewdness.”
Jo made an unhappy noise, but the movie was already on, so she threw her hands up in defeat and left the room. I was self-conscious about the bruise on my jaw so I kept my hood up and sat on the last free seat, an armchair in the corner. Charli was no longer looking at me, but then Derek glanced at me from where he sat next to Aidan.
“Dad said you’re staying with us for the summer,” he whispered, leaning towards me.
I nodded and whispered back, “Yeah, if that’s okay?”
“Course it’s okay. You know you’re welcome here anytime.”
“Thanks,” I said, emotion thickening my throat. There was something in Derek’s gaze that made me feel like he saw more than I’d like, but he didn’t pry, didn’t try to make me talk about the real reason I was staying with him, and I was grateful for that.
Nuala and Charli went to bed once the movie was over, and I was a little disappointed when Charli didn’t look my way again. I was conflicted when it came to her. I wanted her to look at me, but I also wanted to be invisible at the same time. At least until my bruise healed.
Every time something funny happened on screen, I focused on her silky, feminine laughter. It made something low in my gut tighten.
Soon, Theo and Aidan headed home, Tristan went to his room, and it was just Derek and me setting up a fold-out bed for me to sleep on. We had to haul it from storage, but like everything the Balfes owned, it was high quality and almost as comfortable as an actual bed. I’d be fine sleeping on this for the next few weeks, especially if it meant not sharing with Derek and his nudist sleeping habits.
I, like a normal person, typically slept in boxer shorts and T-shirts. I was fairly sure I’d never slept naked in my life, not even when I was drunk. I was always sober enough to find something to sleep in.
Derek was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, whereas I laid on the floor staring at the ceiling. My mind raced too fast to rest, my brain trying to figure out the best and most of efficient course of action with Dad. Even though the house was in Mam’s name, I worried it was going to be difficult to get him to move out. It had been hard enough the first time when a friend of his let him rent a flat he owned. Other people were living in that flat now, which meant Dad would need money for a place of his own. For that to happen, we’d have to sell our current house and maybe buy two smaller apartments in more affordable areas.