He held the door open for her instead. ‘Can I give you a lift?’ He wasn’t that much of a bastard to let her find her way home alone.
‘My car is up the street.’
‘I’ll walk you to it.’
‘There’s no need.’
‘Indulge me.’
She gave a sigh of resignation. ‘Okay.’
They walked along the street until they came to her car. Drake opened her driver’s door for her and waited until she had clipped on her seat belt before closing it. He stepped back on the pavement and walked back to his house without even waving goodbye.
Aerin was in a final meeting with Ruby and Harper before the wedding in Kent that weekend, so told them of her decision to end things with Drake.
‘Oh, hon,’ Harper said, giving her a hug. ‘I know how hurt and miserable you must be feeling. I wish I could say it will all work out in the end but that’s not how life pans out sometimes.’
‘It’s so heartbreaking for you,’ Ruby said, also enveloping her in a hug. ‘But you’ve only been in a fling with him for a short time. Maybe he’s not sure of his feelings yet.’
Aerin stepped out of Ruby’s embrace and painted on a brave smile. ‘Thanks for your support. It’s hard but I’m determined to get through it. The hardest thing will be watching him go back to his playboy lifestyle. It’s going to really sting to see him out and about with someone else.’
‘Yes, of course that’s going to be tough to face,’ Harper said. ‘But hopefully, you’ll soon find your Mr Perfect and your time with Drake will be just a distant memory.’
Aerin had a feeling she would not forget about her time with Drake in a hurry. And she had an even bigger feeling that her notion of a Mr Perfect waiting out there for her might be a fantasy she needed to let go of and fast.
Drake called in to see Mr McPhee a few days later at the rehabilitation centre. He had planned to bring Mutley in with him for a visit but when he rang the centre, they said it was against their policy to allow pets in. He had only been in Mr McPhee’s room a few minutes when he realised the centre was not the place he would send any of his relatives to—if he had any. The old man was clearly miserable, and the meal that was congealing on a tray was not fit for a stray dog, let alone an elderly person who needed good nutrition to get back on his feet.
‘How are you doing?’ Drake asked.
‘Not so bad.’ Mr McPhee tried to smile but couldn’t quite pull it off. ‘How’s my wee laddie, eh? Aerin told me you’re doing a grand job of taking care of him for me.’
‘It’s no bother at all,’ Drake said, realising with a jolt it was true. He enjoyed the old mutt’s company, especially now that Aerin had ended their fling. And the walks morning and evening, stop-start as they were, did take his mind off things...a bit. ‘But he misses you. And I bet you’re missing him.’
‘I am...’ Mr McPhee sighed and looked away.
‘Has your son been in yet?’ Drake had managed to track down Mr McPhee’s son, but he got the sense the son was not all that interested in visiting his old and frail father.
‘Yes, but he can’t get here for a wee bit. He’s a busy man. Runs his own company in Spain.’
In his work as a lawyer, Drake had met too many relatives like Mr McPhee’s son. People who were too busy to take any interest in their elderly relatives’ welfare while they were still alive but who were the first to phone to ask when the estate was being finalised once they had passed away.
‘Have you seen Aerin?’ He was annoyed at himself for asking but he was so desperate for news of her. He was acting like a lovesick fool but he couldn’t seem to help it.
‘She came in yesterday on her way to a wedding in Kent, bless her.’
Drake licked his suddenly dry lips. What had Aerin told the old man about their relationship?
Mr McPhee must have sensed his discomfiture and said, ‘She put me straight on your relationship, that you’re just friends.’
Drake was worried they might not even be that now. ‘I’m not what she’s looking for.’
Mr McPhee eyeballed him. ‘Why do you think that?’
‘Has she talked about her checklist?’
‘Och, aye, it’s not a bad idea in today’s world to know what you want and then go and look for it. My Maisie was the same, so organised and always knew what she wanted.’ He gave a soft chuckle and then his gaze became wistful. ‘I wasn’t in with a chance at the beginning, to tell you the truth. I had a lot to learn but I worked hard and won her over in the end. I learned that you don’t find your soulmate, you become one.’
You don’t find your soulmate, you become one.