Page 18 of Only Ever You

“Let’s go and have coffee. I want to know all about your life.” Giving her hand a squeeze, I guide her out of the room and to the elevator.

I’m well aware there are eyes on us, and when we reach the lobby, Pippa takes a deep breath.

“You okay?”

She nods. “It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m fine. You did good, Deacon.”

My chest swells a little at her praise. We’ve all worked hard at building this business—our revenue increases year on year as we get into new markets.

Two years ago, we moved into this multi-storey building which just highlights our growth. All five floors are ours, and there’s a little coffee shop right in front which is handy for these moments.

It’s busy, and we have to queue for a few minutes. I keep glancing at Pippa. She’s clearly nervous, knitting her fingers together and biting her bottom lip.

“Order what you want. My shout.” I smile.

“A flat white with one sugar,” Pippa tells the barista.

“Make that two? Having here.”

I grab a number, pay, and lead Pippa to a quiet booth down the back of the shop.

She slides into it while I keep my distance and sit on the other side.

“I still can’t believe I’m here,” she says. “If I’d known in the early stages the job was here …”

“You might not have applied?”

She nods. “I was never sure how you’d react if we saw each other again.”

I draw in a deep breath. This subject was always going to come up. How can we move forward, even if it’s just friendship without addressing the past?

“Things were tough back then. I’d just found out about my mother, and I wasn’t fair on you.”

Pippa shakes her head. “No, you weren’t.”

Ouch.

She sucks on her top lip before continuing. “There’s something I want to clear up—something you got wrong back then.”

Double ouch.

“What is it?”

“Here’s your coffee.”

The cups are placed on the table, and I smile at the waitress and nod. “Thank you.”

Pippa wraps her hands around her cup before she meets my gaze. “You thought I knew what was going on that day. I didn’t. Lucas said he was going to your place, and my parents made him take me so I wasn’t home alone.”

I nod slowly. That day is a bit of a blur. One minute my dad and I were on our way to go fishing. The next, we were headed home because there was some work emergency. After he found Mum in bed with Lucas, they argued before he took off to deal with the work issue.

Then things got nasty between my mother and me.

“Lucas called you his lookout.”

She shrugs. “I guess he was pissed at being caught. When we went there, I thought you were inside and that the two of you were just going to be playing games as usual. I had no idea you and your dad weren’t there. I stayed outside to read my book. Your mother brought me a drink. I fell asleep on that seat.”

My stomach sinks. I don’t know what I said to her, but I do know I was angry—angrier than I’ve ever been in my life. For years, my parents fought, but I knew they loved each other—at least, I thought they did.

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