“I wish you’d realised that before you decided to leave,” she whispered.
Alex exhaled tearily, managing a bashful smile despite his emotion. “You and me both.” He stood. “Look, I think I’d best leave you to your day, but can I call you later, set up a lunch or something? There’s so much more I want to say.”
“I don’t know.” Pippa didn’t see the point in lunches or prolonged conversations. Her mind was made up. “Thing is, I don’t get a lot of free time. Between the house and the Summer Fair organisation… I’m pretty busy. It’s not fair on you to suggest otherwise.”
Alex gulped. Nodded. “Wow. Okay.” He turned as if to leave but then stopped. “By the way, I’ve been hearing lots about the Summer Fair. Sounds great. If you need any help, please let me. At least let me do that.”
“Thanks.” Despite the agony of seeing him again, Pippa had to admit that they could do with an extra pair of hands. “If you really are hanging around, I’m sure we can find something for you to do.” She walked him to the door and opened it.
“Bye, Pip,” Alex said. Too choked to reply, Pippa simply offered a wan smile. Alex turned to leave then stopped and squeezed her hand. His solemn eyes met hers. “Pip. I need you to know… If I had my time with you all over again, I’d never let you go.”
* * *
A little later, once Alex had left and after a shower, Pippa was relieved to answer the door to Mae, who brandished a good bottle of red and a stormy expression.
“The NERVE!” Mae barrelled into the house, a whirl of righteous fury. “The total fucking AUDACITY of that man.”
“I see you got my text.” Pippa led her to the kitchen.
Mae waggled the wine bottle. “Why do you think I have this?”
“It’s 11am,” Pippa said, scandalised.
“Well, we won’t drink all of it then.” Mae wielded the corkscrew attached to her keychain.
Pippa rubbed a palm over her eyes. “Fuck it. After what I’ve been through, I think morning wine is a good idea.”
“I’m full of them.” Mae giggled. The cork popped out and she grinned gleefully. “Glasses?”
Pippa found tumblers and accepted one full to the brim, filling Mae in on the conversation with Alex. “I don’t know what to make of it,” she said, as they settled at the kitchen table. “It was as if I was talking to a stranger. I loved him once. There was a time I wanted to marry that man and yet … every time he touched me all I wanted to do was push him away and scrub my skin clean.”
“Yikes,” Mae said, swallowing a particularly big mouthful.
“Massive yikes,” Pippa groaned. “He just kept talking, demanding forgiveness, begging me for a chance. But the more he talked the angrier I got, you know? Like, we used to love each other, know everything about each other, but nothing he said made me think he truly understands what he did. And then, he got all weird around Wolfie.”
Mae squinted. “Weird?”
“Like, possessive. Hovering over me as if I was still his girlfriend.”
“Ah.” Mae waggled her eyebrows. “Alex may be a colossal twat but he’s a twat with functioning eyes.”
“What do you mean?” Pippa gulped, because she already knew what Mae was insinuating.
Mae took a sip of wine and smacked her lips. “Well, he obviously picked up on the raging pheromones that start flying around when you and Wolfie Squires exist in the same space.”
Pippa straightened her shoulders. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” More than anything, she wasn’t ready to admit to the emotions Wolfie was arousing in her. It was all too much to process, especially after Alex’s unexpected arrival.
“Only saying what I see!” Mae cackled. “Wolfie has a thing for you.”
“Shut up!” But Pippa was curious. “What do you mean byathing?”
Mae hiccupped. “I refer you to our earlier conversation about new penis.”
“Oh God,” Pippa said. “You have to stop that.”
“He’s into you,” Mae said bluntly.
“You don’t know that.” Pippa didn’t dare to breathe, as if Mae naming the mysterious emotions Wolfie inspired might jinx them.
