Page 32 of Be My Baby
She’d checked her phone just before Max had taken her into his office. No texts, no missed calls.
Mandy looked up right at that moment and frowned at her, her face turning to stone with the realisation that Millie was sitting with the Jamesons. Millie sent her what she hoped was a friendly, relaxed smile, her heart twisting a little with sadness, then looked to Darby.
“I doubt it. Unless you have a time machine to go back about ten minutes, or a memory wiper.”
“For you?”
Millie let out a pained grimace. “No. For Simon.”
Amy leaned in, her avid interest leaking all over her face. “What did he do?”
Millie leaned back and slapped a hand over her face. Her face had erupted in scalding, fiery red again.
“Hey, honey? Can you go grab me an ice water? I’m feeling a little warm in here,” Darby said.
“Sure. Anyone else?” Ryan asked, trying to hide his grin by turning his head.
Emma and Amy murmured something. Darby replied, “Grab Millie an ice water too, would you?”
“Will do. Back soon.”
Ryan climbed onto the seat and stepped over the narrow table onto the opposite seat, his long legs making the task look easy, then hurried off to the bar.
“Now that we’ve gotten rid of male ears—what happened?”
The curiosity behind the wariness in Darby’s voice was unmistakeable. Millie dropped her hand and sighed. They’d find out anyway. Simon wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut, not to his brothers anyway. The whole family would know by dawn. He wasn’t known as the Mouth of the South for nothing.
She leaned forward and gave them a semi-sanitised version, sans the reasonwhyshe’d been caught doing what she’d done.
Darby’s peel of laughter echoed off the walls beside them, despite the noise in the bar. Emma had her hand over her mouth, silent tears of laughter gathering in her eyes, and Amy snort-laughed in the corner.
“I’m sorry, but that’s freaking hilarious!” Darby chortled.
“I’m so sorry, Millie. That rotten husband of mineknewyou were in there with Max. He could have at least knocked,” Amy commiserated around her chuckles. “I bet he was hoping to catch you both in a compromising situation.” She pointed at Darby. “Yourbrother.Yours.”
Darby snickered and shrugged. “Nothing to do with me. But it begs the question—why were you feeling up my brother on a busy Friday night in his office?”
Millie opened her mouth to tell her to mind her own business but was mortified that she actuallywantedto tell them.
She wanted to be part of this family. Wanted to have someone like Darby, or Emma, or even Amy, to confide in. To have her back. Someone whocared, not just listened for juicy gossip.
Maybe even three someones.
Emma held up her hand. “Youdon’thave to answer that. Darby’s just being a snoop. Don’t give her the satisfaction.”
Darby sent Emma a haughty look down her nose. “I’ll have you know—”
Amy put a finger over Darby’s lips. “Shush. Let the woman speak.”
They all quietened and looked at Millie. Suddenly she felt an inch tall.
“I, uh…” She bit her lip and stared at her hands that she’d twisted into a tight lump on the table. “Um…”
“Just so you know?” Darby said quietly, “If you’re interested in him, it’s between you and Max. We’re not going to interfere.”
Millie glanced at Emma and Amy, and her skin prickled with goosebumps as she realised they’d discussed this, probably in some depth.
“God knows he needs a bit of balance in his life. If you two are just out for a bit of fun, well and good, it’s really none of our business. And if it’s more than that? Well, we’ll deal with that if it happens. We just want to see him happy. All I ask is that you don’t lead him on or deliberately hurt him. Be clear with your intentions and what you want. Don’t let him think it’s something it’s not.”