Page 140 of Pack Scratch Fever
Piper chews her lip. “We’re both workaholics,” she admits. “It’s good you’re working on it.”
I notice that Maddox has moved his hand, so it rests on the edge of the hospital bed. He slowly inches it closer to Piper’s lax one that’s at her side.
“You need to work on it too, babe,” he says. “You didn’t take care of yourself, and you ended up here.”
I can tell he wants to say more. He’s just as frustrated as Avery and me.
If she was sick, why the hell didn’t she go to the hospital? Why did it take Blair finding her and insisting she go?
You would do the same thing. You would neglect your health to focus on work.
Piper and I are so alike it’s disconcerting.
Yet it helps me understand her better.
She bites her lip as she looks between the three of us.
“Blair says you’ve been helping out at the rescue,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to do that just because of me.”
“It’s not because of you,” Avery says quickly. “Well, maybe partly,” he adds quickly, “but I genuinely like being there with the cats. I think we all do.”
Piper smiles softly at him, but her tired eyes give me a skeptical look. “Even you?” she deadpans.
I nod. “Even me.”
She quirks her lip. “I appreciate you coming here,” she says. “I truly do. The help with cats means so much to me, too. But we’re going to have to move the rescue, and there is still a ton of planning to do. We may even have to close down.” Her voice trails off, and a single tear escapes and slides down her cheek.
I catch Avery and Maddox staring at me out of the corner of my eye.
“What’s going on?” Piper asks.
Avery swallows and looks at me. “Do you want us to leave?”
“Avery, why would you leave?” Piper demands. “Poe, what is he talking about?”
Her sweet scent spikes with a hint of fear, and I’m done keeping my secret from her.
It’s probably not the best time or place to do this, especially after what I witnessed with her parents, but I won’t keep her in the dark about this.
I shake my head at Avery. “You can stay,” I say. “This affects all of us.”
Piper huffs. “Poe, what the hell?—”
“You don’t have to move,” I blurt. “You don’t have to move the rescue.”
“What?”
“Your rent won’t go up either.”
Her brow furrows. “Why?”
There’s no reason for me to be nervous, yet my throat tightens. “I bought the building,” I murmur.
The room falls silent.
Piper stares at me until I’m not sure she heard me.
“Why would you do that?”
