Page 35 of Great Pretender
I’m going to acceptChad’soffer.
13
Chad
Ileft a message on Piper’s phone earlier asking if we could talk.She hasn’t gotten back to me.
With nothing to do after lunch, I headed home and worked out for a few hours.
Now I’m back in the cycle of thinking, and I’m stuck on the sofa in my thoughts.
The first thing I’m going to do when I see Piper is apologize and hope she accepts.The last thing I want to do is mess things up between us.
I watch the evening approach, and just as I’m about to call her, the door opens, and she comes in.
I stand when I see dark puffy circles under her eyes and the red blotchiness marring the perfect green hue.
She’s been crying, and it looks like she’s been doing it all day.
As our eyes lock, I feel like a bastard for that damn offer.Something in the way she looks, though, suggests those tears might not be about me.
If they aren’t, then what happened?
The last time I saw her look so distraught was when her mother died.
“Piper, are you okay?” I asked carefully asshe comes closer.
She shakes her head. “No. I’ll do it,” she replies, and at first, I don’t know what she means.Then I do.
“Piper, what’s happening?”
“Did you hear me? I said I’ll do it.I’ll do what you need me to do so you can get the team.”
“Why?”
“I need the money. My father is in the hospital.He’ll die if he doesn’t have the surgery he needs, and his insurance won’t cover it.”
“What! Jesus, what’s wrong withhim?”
“He has a brain tumor,” she answers in a hushed tone like she can barely get the wordsout.
My head grows lighter as I stare back at her indisbelief.
Peter has a braintumor?
Peter, her father?
Damn it.
“I’m sosorry...”
It’s like déjà vu, except this time, we’re talking about her father.Everyone’s heart broke for her when she lost hermother.This can’t be easy.
When she brings her hands up to her mouth and looks visibly weak, I cup her face.
“Chad, the world feels like it’s endingagain.”
“Tellme whatyou need.”
