Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
My jaw drops. “What?”
“Look, I get it. You need space. You need a minute. But stay here. Talk to Rhett. As for the job, get back to me when you’re ready. Here’s my card.”
I don’t even think about it. I take the card he holds out and nod. “Ok,” I say, and then I say it again with a little bit more conviction. “Ok. I’ll stay, and I’ll call you about the job.”
“Do you want me to wait with you?” Max asks.
I shake my head, a small smile tugging at my lips. “No. I’m fine. Really. You go back to the wedding. I need to be alone for a bit. Too many thoughts flying around in my tiny brain.”
He nods, clearly still concerned, but he trusts my decision, and I like that. “Alright. But remember what I said. He’s in love with you. Don’t forget that. And he’s not subtle about it.”
I watch him walk away, disappearing back in the direction of the wedding venue. His words echo inside my head, bouncing against the walls of my mind. Rhett is in love with me. Holy shit. Can it be real? Rhett is in love with me. And Max wants to hire me to be the face of a fizzy drink. And he’s willing to pay me 1.2 million. Whoa! What a shocking turn of events.
I take a deep breath, trying to ground myself. I have decisions to make. I told Max I would stay, but if I go, well, I’m sure Rhett would get over me, and Max will find someone else to be the face of RIP. I could leave, retreat to the airport, and return to the safety of what I know. Or I could stay, wait, and talk to Rhett, finally, properly, without any pretense.
The truth is, it’s not a hard decision. I want to stay. I want to stay more than I want to do anything else in the world. But I meant it about tonight. I don’t want to go back to the wedding and see all those people. I need to see him on my own terms, to find my own courage.
I go around to the driver’s side of the car and tap lightly on the window, and the driver hops out. He starts to take my suitcase.
“To the airport now?” he says, and I shake my head.
“No, thank you. I’m going to stay here, actually. I’m sorry I asked you to wait.”
“No worries, ma’am,” he says. “Good night.”
“Good night. And thank you.”
He gets back in the car and drives away. I watch him until he turns off the driveway, and I lose sight of him. Slowly, I turn and start walking back toward the house. The soft glow of the evening lights surrounds me, but I feel the warmth of hope threading its way through the fear. What if Max is right? Rhett is in love with me.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time for me to let myself believe it too.
Chapter Forty-One
Pippa
The time stretches on like an endless tide, and each minute feels longer and heavier than the last one. I pace the beach house, my suitcase now tucked neatly in a corner, the hum of the air conditioner filling the quiet that the absence of celebration has left behind. The distant music from the wedding drifts faintly through the trees, a reminder of the world I’ve retreated from. And with every faint note, a pang of doubt tugs at my chest. Maybe leaving was a mistake. Maybe I should have stayed, confronted the humiliation, let the night unfold, and faced whatever came next with Rhett.
I stop by the window, looking out over the dark waves lapping at the shore. The moonlight glitters on the water, a silver path stretching into the horizon, and I find myself staring but seeing nothing. My thoughts spin, and the ache in my chest is palpable. I think about Rhett, and a sick feeling settles in my stomach. If he’s still at the wedding, laughing, enjoying the night as if I don’t exist, maybe not leaving was the wrong choice. Maybe I’ve let Max turn my head with his promises that Rhett loves me and his shocking offer of a job.
I pace again, wringing my hands, trying to decide if I should call Rhett, text him, or simply wait. But the truth is, the longer I wait, the more I realize that I don’t have control over his feelings. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing. Maybe he’s worried, maybe he isn’t. The thought is unbearable.
Finally, when more than two hours have passed, I make up my mind. I can’t sit here any longer. I need to do something, move, act, decide. I believed Max when he said Rhett is in love with me because I want it to be true. I genuinely think Max believes it too, but he could be wrong. It looks like we’re both wrong, because if Rhett has stayed partying at the wedding, then he obviously isn’t in a hurry to make up with me.