Page 62 of Faking It with my Billionaire Grump

I think about that for a while, and then I shake my head. Of course it’s the same. She came to me this time because she trusted me. If I’d told her how I felt, I would’ve abused that trust, wouldn’t I? My words would have swayed her or put doubt in her head. She left because she wanted to. Just like last time.

“Come on, Elsa,” I say, heading to the truck.

I’m nearly out of coffee, and the idea of waking up tomorrow morning without any doesn’t bear thinking about. Besides, I need to get out of the house for a while. Maybe the drive will do me some good.

At the store, Mrs. Windrow beams a huge smile at me from behind the counter. “Hello, Jake. And how’s our Tilly?”

“Oh, you know,” I say vaguely, hurrying past the older woman without actually engaging in conversation.

I’m going to have to tell everyone she’s gone sooner or later. It’s going to hurt a lot. There’ll be questions, no doubt. Questions I don’t want to answer. But the quicker the news spreads, the quicker I can get back to my life.

Oh, yeah. That wonderful, simple life you love so much.

I ignore the sarcasm of my conscience and head down the aisle where I know I’ll find the coffee.

“Jake?”

When I turn, I see Mel pushing her cart in my direction. Thomas is sitting in it, chewing on a soft toy.

“Hey,” I say before smiling down at the small human.

Mel’s looking at me strangely.

“What?” I say, shrugging at her weird expression.

“You didn’t tell her, did you?”

Really? Now?

I suck in a lungful of air and blow out a long breath. “Tell her what?”

“That you’re in love with her?” Mel says plainly.

“Why does everyone keep on saying that?” I hiss, finding it difficult to bite back my frustration.

Mel tilts her head and looks at me with a sad, sympathetic smile. “Because it’s true, honey. Everyone knows it but you.”

“I do know it.” The words blurt out of my mouth too fast; I have to stop myself from saying any more.

Mel’s eyebrows lift, and my shoulders slump in defeat. I’ve been bottling these feelings up for so long; I suppose they were going to leak out of me at some point. An aisle in a small-town store was not the place I imagined it would happen, though.

“She told you she was leaving yesterday, right?” Mel goes on.

“Sure. Some big promotion back in the city. She wanted to get back there.”

Mel shakes her head. “No, Jake. She didn’t. She came to see you to see if you would ask her to stay.”

I gawk at her. “How can you know that?”

She smiles. “Because she came to see me first.”

And in that second, I know it’s the truth. I think I knew it was the truth when the guys said it last night, but now, I know for sure. And like an idiot, I’ve let her go again.

I can’t lose Tilly a second time. I just can’t.

I glance at my watch. It’s 9:24. “Do you know what time her flight is?”

Mel smiles knowingly. “11:30.”

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