Comprehension dawned, and Mairi sighed. “I get it.”
“You do?” Pippi was rather skeptical.
“You didn’t want to tell him about the loan.”
Pippi nodded. “He would’ve insisted on settling the loan, and I didn’t want that.”
“Because it would make you seem like a gold-digger,” the older woman concluded.
“Exactly.” Pippi was relieved that Mairi readily understood her sentiments. “We had a huge row over it, too.”
“Have you told him the truth since then?”
“Well, that’s the thing…” Pippi looked down and started stirring her juice again. “When things became weird between us, I thought I should clear the air – get rid of all the lies and be open about our feelings.”
“That’s a good plan,” Mairi murmured.
“You would think so, right?” The girl’s smile was pained. “But when I tried to tell him the truth, he said it didn’t matter.” Blue eyes filled with innocent entreaty turned to Mairi. “What do you think he meant by that?”
Mairi’s lips parted, but no sound came out. Pippi’s question might seemed simple and straightforward to anyone hearing it, but they both knew that what the girl was asking for without the words was something entirely.
Help me believe there’s still hope.
Please.
Please.
The silence stretched between them, ruthless and unbroken, and Pippi could feel herself cracking under its weight.
It seemed anything could break her these days.
She felt her hands start to tremble and quickly hid them under the table. She tried to smile but stopped when she felt her face start to crack as well. In the end, all she could do was look at Mairi.
Please say something. Please. Please. Please.
Mairi’s eyes started to sting, and when she saw Pippi’s own eyes begin to shine, it became harder to hold back her own tears.
Her silence was her answer, and Pippi heard it loud and clear.
“I’m sorry,” Mairi whispered.
Pippi shook her head. “It’s not your fault.”
It was no one’s fault.
Not even Acheron’s.
Because all he promised was that he would keep her from taking any risks.
And he had kept his word.
But he never promised not to hurt her.
She was calling him.
The world had turned upside down in recent days, and things were no longer how they used to be. These days, it was Pippi calling him first now, Pippi seeking his company, Pippi saying that she missed him.
And he missed her, too, goddammit, but how could he be with her, knowing that its inevitable end was to see her ruined?
His phone had gone silent, but only a few moments had passed before it started ringing again.
It was Pippi, not giving up on him when she should never even have given him the time of the day.
It seemed he knew, and now that she heard his words, she realized what it was she had been asking.
Please love me.
And he might as well have said he couldn’t.
Chapter 24
She had been working like she was on auto-pilot for several days now, Gareth mused. And while as an employer, he had no cause for complaint – her work remained as flawless as always – he couldn’t help feeling slightly concerned at the way she seemed to be pushing herself a little too hard.