Chapter 11
Theadora
Thingswerelookingup. A career I’d desired for a long time was now within my grasp. I’d passed the entrance exam with flying colours, and now I was enrolled in a music teaching degree. Only a bike ride away, the college was just outside of Bridesmere.
To celebrate, I went to my favourite café in the village, ordered a cupcake and coffee, and called Lucy.
“Hey, girlfriend.” I giggled.
“Hey, sweetie. How’s life in billionaire heaven?”
“It’s my day off. But guess what?” My voice bubbled over with joy. “I got into a course.”
“That’s great. You mean a teaching degree?”
“Yep. I sat for the music exam, and I knew all the pieces from boarding school. My written exam went well too.”
“You went to boarding school?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Your mother must be loaded,” she said.
“Yep. Rich and snobby. Not a nice person.” Despite knowing Lucy now for three years, I’d never discussed my mother with her.
“At least you’ve got one.”
“I’m sorry about your mother.” A note of sympathy touched my words.
“That’s okay, love. So how long’s the course?”
“It’s three years part-time. Mainly online but there’s class time and piano lessons, and the college is close enough for me to ride my bike.”
“You’ve got a bike?”
I laughed at her surprise. I wasn’t exactly consistent when it came to exercise. “It belongs to the hall.”
“The hall?”
“Merivale Hall, the house where I work. Everyone calls it the hall. Anyway, it’s like a community bike. When I asked if I could borrow it, the caretaker virtually gave it to me. It’s a buzz riding along the leafy paths.”
“That’s awesome, sweetie. So tell me, how’s your hot billionaire?”
“He’s not my anything.” I fiddled with my cup. “I haven’t seen him for a couple of days, which is good in a way, because I find it hard to concentrate when he’s around.”
She chuckled. “When are you coming to town?”
“Mm… not for a long time if I can help it.”
“Your mother’s not asking after you?”
“No.” I plucked at the pilling on my cardigan. “I don’t care.”
To avoid falling into a rabbit hole of depression, I tried not to think about my mother’s lack of interest. I went out of my way to avoid those movies about families that hugged excessively and screamed with joy over the silliest things. Their only drama being curtain choice or something equally trivial that had them speed-dialling their therapists.
Seated outside where I could get a view of the pier, I stretched out my legs onto a bench, when I saw Declan walking my way.
His eyes landed on mine, and I nearly dropped my phone.