Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Drunk or not, I remembered every single word JJ said to me after we left Ina’s apartment. He gave me a bollocking that echoed in my ears long after he left my side.
“Bingo.” JJ clamped his hand on my shoulder. “Look, you’re a good man … but how you’re behavin’ over Ina these past couple of days is foul. You’re hell-bent on gettin’ in her knickers even though Da made it clear to you and her that it couldn’t happen. We all think it’s a bad idea if ye approach her for just sex, and ye don’t like that. Gettin’ plastered after work last night caused more trouble for Ina after treatin’ her like rubbish yesterday.”
I looked down as JJ spoke. I was too embarrassed, too ashamed.
“You’re right,” I said with a nod. “You’re dead right.”
“So what are ye gonna do about it?”
“Man up,” I straightened. “I want her somethin’ fierce, but I’ll do what everyone has suggested, and I’ll back off. Maybe being friends with her like Aideen suggested in the first place is a good idea … I like her.”
I didn’t know in what way I liked Ina, though. Maybe it was just sexual attraction, but when I had dinner with her in her apartment and we talked, it was the most fun I had ever had with a woman without getting naked. She made me laugh, she intrigued me, and being in her company made me feel good. She calmed me. No one had ever calmed me before.
“I know ye like her.” JJ gave my arm a whack. “Ye wouldn’t be this bent outta shape after five days of knowin’ a woman if fuckin’ her was all ye wanted.”
“That’s the thing, man. How can I want somethin’ more when I’ve known her for five days total?”
“Instant connection, maybe?” JJ shrugged. “Da met Ma on a Monday, the day he turned eighteen, and married her the followin’ Sunday. She was pregnant with me three weeks later, and they were together and in love up until she passed.”
“Christ, JJ.” I shifted my stance. “Don’t be comparin’ me interest in Ina to Ma and Da’s relationship. We both know their love was everythin’ that’s good in this miserable world.”
“All I’m sayin’ is that ye like Ina, and there’s no harm in that, but ye have to change your mindset. Switch if from just wantin’ to ride her to wantin’ to befriend her. Ye can sense just as much as me that she’s closed off for a reason. I think havin’ someone like you lookin’ out for her is somethin’ she’s never had.”
I said nothing further, and neither did JJ when Ina suddenly walked out of the reception. She was wearing her trademark pencil skirt suit, only today’s was light grey paired with a light-pink blouse. It was hot out, so she left her blazer off, and Christ, her body was what a lot of women would die for, and she had no clue. She had on dark heels, and her dark hair was tied back into a perfect, not a hair out of place, tight bun. Her thick-framed glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose, and she pushed them up with her pinkie finger as she walked towards me.
She was beautiful, so fucking beautiful.
My da, JJ, and everyone else were right. She deserved more than being lusted after like she was nothing more than a hole for my sexual pleasure. She was a person, a lady. It pissed me off that it took those closest to me to make me realise that.
“Mornin’, lads,” she said as she came to a stop in front of my brother and me. Her cheeks were pink. “How’re ye feelin’, Dante?”
Like fucking hell.
“Better than I deserve,” I said. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Me aid is still broken. I spoke to your da about it, and he was so lovely. He told me to transfer any phone calls to his office until I get me new aids. I was so worried he’d be angry, but he’s been wonderful to me.”
Her big green eyes filled with sudden tears, and before I knew it, I stepped forward and gathered her in my arms. “Don’t cry, baby.” I kissed the crown of her head. “It’ll be okay.”
“She can’t hear ye, Date.”
JJ’s reminder that Ina had no working hearing aids made me wince as I pulled back and tipped her chin up until she looked at me. “Did ye make an appointment at Specsavers?”
She sniffled as she bobbed her head and wiped under her eyes.
“The one in The Square had a last-minute cancellation at the same time as me break. I’m goin’ to go and have a hearin’ test then. I haven’t had one in a long time so I could be due a new prescription.”
“D’ye want me to go with ye?” I quizzed. “’Cause I will.”