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He flinched at her crude anger. But she was so mad! All the feelings that had been pummeling her for so long were finally given a target and she was venting them with great relief.
“It’s a more personal conversation than I’d like to have on the street. Would you come with me?”
Her jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Do you honestly think I’d ever go anywhere with you again? I told you, I don’t want to see you. Ican’tsee you.” Her voice wobbled, damn it, right when she needed to be strong.
“It won’t take long.”
“Then say it here.”
He dug his hands into his pockets. “Do you want to at least sit in the car? It’s cool and you’re only wearing a singlet top.”
She blinked. Was it cool? She supposed it was.
“I’ll survive.”
“I came to give you this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. She hesitated, but then reached for it out of curiosity, opening it and almost vomiting when she saw another cheque.
“No way.” She handed it back. “I told you then and I’m telling you now, I don’t want it.”
“It’s not from me. It’s from him.”
“I toldhimI didn’t want anything from him. Our whole friendship, he wanted to give me money, to pay off my debts, and I always told him no, because I didn’t want that. What I wanted, he gave in abundance—kindness, compassion, friendship.” She sniffed. “Don’t you get it? He was like a father to me. I loved him, not for his money, but for how he treated me.” She looked away, emotions threatening to overwhelm her. When she could trust herself to speak once more, she flicked a glance back in his direction. “Tear up the cheque, Anastasios. I can’t believe you think I’d accept it.”
“I don’t. I knew you wouldn’t.”
“Then why the hell show up here?”
“It was an excuse to see you again.”
She ground her teeth together, refusing to ask why he needed an excuse, not allowing herself to be mollified by his wanting to see her again, five long weeks after that awful scene on the boat. “Yeah, well, you’ve seen me. Now go away.”
“No, Phoebe, please, wait.”
No way, she thought, turning and walking away from him, but he caught her wrist, pulling on it gently.
“Don’t,” she snarled, so filled with emotions she felt like she was going to explode.
“Listen, I’m doing this wrong. I shouldn’t have started with the cheque.”
She was flabbergasted. “There would be no right time, now or later, when you could—,”
“No, I know.” He dropped his head, planting a hand on his hip.
“In every way,” he said quietly, so she had to lean closer to hear him. “By every measure, I have let you down. By not believing you, by denigrating you, by disrespecting you and by failing to realise how I felt about you until it was far, far too late. The thing is, I am completely in love with you.”
She flinched, the words ones she would have loved to hear, back then, but which felt like insults now.
“No, you’re not.”
She took a step away from him.
“Love isn’t what you think it is.” She bit into her lower lip. “Love isn’t capable of treating someone the way you did me. It’s just not possible.”
He moved closer, putting his hands on her hips.
“I love you.”
“Saying it again doesn’t mean I’m going to believe it.”
