“I don’t believe that,” Pippa said.
Wolfie shook his head. “Well, I do. I owe them everything. And that stubborn old coot won’t let me help him.”
“Let you help him how?” Something about the total frustration on Wolfie’s face made things click into place for Pippa. “Wolfie, you aren’t just selling Squires to pay off Carmichael’s debts, are you?”
His eyes reddened. “No.”
“You’re selling for…”
“Joan,” he said softly. “She needs very specialised care. And it’s, well…”
“It’s expensive,” Pippa finished.
“Extremely.” He grimaced. “I told Grantham I would use whatever profit remained from the sale of Squires to fund it. I did the maths and there’d be a sizeable sum left once Dad’s debts are paid off that could cover at least a couple of years of care. But he won’t let me. I’ve been hoping I could convince him as the sale goes through, but he won’t take a penny off me.” He scuffed the ground with his feet.
Pippa could barely catch her breath at this revelation. This man, whom she’d once dismissed as grumpy and uncaring, had been willing to give up everything to ensure the wellbeing of a person he loved. Despite the harshness of his childhood and the trauma he’d had to work through, love had won out. With Wolfie, it always would. Pippa knew that here was a man she would do anything and go anywhere for.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said, her voice soft. “And you never know, Grantham might come round. But if he doesn’t, you can be there for him in other ways. Money isn’t always the most important thing in these types of situations.” After what Frankie went through with his dad, Pippa knew that better than anyone.
“I know, I know,” he said. “I just… I hate not being able to fix things.”
Pippa stroked hair back from his face. “I get that,” she said. “But I was a little confused. You know I thought you had a girlfriend?”
Wolfie’s face contorted. “What? No, I don’t have a— I mean, there’s you, now, but no one else. Why would you think that?”
Pippa laughed, half in embarrassment, half in nervous relief. She explained the phone calls she’d overheard him having. “I made assumptions that you were trying to impress a heartless gold-digger,” she finished, blushing hard.
Wolfie groaned with laughter. “Well then, that makes sense now. Why you got a bit cagey with me sometimes.”
“Cagey?” Pippa repeated.
“Oh, I just thought it was my complete inability to flirt.” He brushed a stray tendril of hair off her face. “Whenever I attempted to sweet talk you, you’d look at me with such confusion. I put it down to my absolute lack of game, but now I get it. You thought I already had a girlfriend.”
“I wasn’t sure, that’s all.”
He pulled her close to him, brushed his lips against her cheek. “Are you sure now?”
“I’m sure you shouldn’t even need to ask me that.” She cleared her throat and looked up at him. “But can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“When I interviewed for the job, you made it seem like no one else had applied.” It may be entirely unimportant, Pippa considered, but she had to know. “Thing is, I found out today that at least one other person did.”
“Ah.” He laughed throatily. “Busted.”
“Was it because I was a pathetic homeless mess?” Pippa asked. “You took pity on me, is that it?”
“No.” Wolfie looked appalled. “God, no.”
“So, what then?” she asked.
“You might think this is a bit silly,” he said.
“Go on.”
“I gave you the job because …” He wavered, deliberating. Then he gave a minute nod of resolve. “Because, the day you came to meet me, when I saw you standing on my doorstep, beautiful and determined and, let’s be honest, a little bit sassy, I had the strangest feeling.”
“God, what?” Pippa’s insides clenched.
