“You’re here!” she cried.
“Yes.” He nodded abruptly. “I decided to be here for the courier after all, so I left Emilia’s early because I knew about the road closures.” He gestured vaguely. “I had to come the long way round from Hadley Gorge and down the—”
“I know you organised the medics for the fair,” Pippa interrupted desperately. “I know it was you and not Alex.” She limped towards him. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you storm off letting me think he arranged them?” When Sue had revealed her connection to the fair, everything had slotted into place for Pippa. If ever there had been a sign that Wolfie was right for her, there it was, loud and clear.
“I wasn’t sure if it would do any good,” he said, with uncharacteristic meekness.
“Well, that’s bollocks,” she shot back. “I think you wanted a way out. You saw an opportunity to walk away, and you took it.”
Twin spots of pink appeared on his cheeks. “That’s not true.”
“You’re scared,” Pippa said. “I think what we have scares you.” For a moment it looked like Wolfie was going to deny her claims and Pippa couldn’t bear it, so she kept on talking. She simply had to get the words out. “I know you have bad associations with this town, with this house, and I don’t blame you. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to see Alex and me, how it must have looked. So, I get it. I get why you want to leave this place in the dust. But … I’m here now. And not to sound like an egotistical prick, but you’re not a stupid man, so please don’t ignore what could be the best thing to ever happen to you.” Wolfie’s eyes moistened, and he dipped his head down. Pippa took two more determined and painful steps until she was right in front of him. She lifted her hand to his face and tilted it so he could see the sincerity in her eyes. “Sell the house, don’t sell the house. Whatever. You deserve to be happy, Wolfie, and if selling this heap of bricks does that, then please do it. Burn it to the ground, sell it to the highest bidder, I don’t care.” Her thumb stroked his temple. “What you saw, with Alex? I swear that was not what it looked like. I told you last night and I’ll tell you every night for the rest of my life. I’myours.” Pippa’s heart was thudding so loudly it actually hurt.
“Mine.” Wolfie said the word slowly, as if tasting it for the first time.
“Yours,” she pushed on. “In all the ways you want me to be.”
The tiniest crease of a smile flickered across his face. “Mine.”
She stroked his cheek. “But seriously Wolfie, why didn’t you tell me you were the one who found the medics?”
He blushed disarmingly. “When Mae told me about the problem you had, you looked so worried. I wanted to help, so I did. I was going to tell you, to make sure you were okay with it and that I hadn’t overstepped, but I never seemed to find a moment. Then I started having feelings for you.” He blushed even harder. “And I thought it might seem like I was trying to impress you and I didn’t know how you’d react to that. Although I did really, really want to impress you.” He frowned. “God, I’m so bad at flirting, aren’t I?” His hands slid down to her waist.
“You’re just good enough at it, Wolfie Squires.” Pippa ran her thumb over his lips. “Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve developed feelings for you too.”
“There were a few signs, yeah.” He chuckled softly, pressing his forehead to hers. “I’m so sorry for running off like an idiot.”
Pippa was so relieved she thought she might faint. “Kiss me then, idiot.”
Wolfie leaned in, then froze, millimetres away from her lips. He blinked. “Fuck,” he said.
Lips parted, Pippa sighed. “What?”
He pulled back and looked at her. “I can’t sell this house.” Like a man possessed, he disentangled himself from her grasp and ran to his bag.
Pippa wasn’t sure she had heard correctly. “Are you serious?”
Wolfie rifled through his bag and pulled out his phone. “Completely.”
She went to his side. “You don’t have to, not for me.”
“For you, for us, it’s the same thing,” he said. “Shit! It’s not there!” He tapped the phone against his lips, the cogs in his mind clearly whirling.
Pippa was steadily fighting the urge to combust out of sheer joy. “What isn’t?”
“I was hoping I had the courier’s mobile number in an email so I could call him and get the papers back,” he said.
“Is there a head office number?” Pippa asked, reaching for her own phone so she could google it.
“No, it was the solicitor’s courier,” he answered, thumbing at the phone. “I don’t know what company they used.”
“Call your solicitor!” Pippa urged.
Wolfie lifted his phone, from which a voicemail message emanated. “It’s Saturday. No one’s there.” He hung up with a huff. “They should use a different company. The driver was beyond rude, cursing left right and centre because of all the road closures. He was whinging about—” His eyes widened.
“What?”
Wolfie advanced towards Pippa. “He had to get to the SPAR in Hurst Bridge to pick up some packages from the collection point there.”
