Page 70 of Things We Do for Love and Science
“But eventually,” she cupped her knees with her palms, “youwillget over her.”
“Yes,” he agreed, because healthy people overcame heart break.
To survive, he’d promised himself he would be among those who moved on rather than spent years pining for the one person who had, in the end, not loved them enough.
“I’ll be here for you, waiting,” Vanessa said quietly, and he raised his head when her meaning became clear.
“But Vanessa, the things you complained about—Renwood Hall being the third person in our relationship—it hasn’t gone away. If anything, it’d be even more the case now. I’m mortgaged up to the hilt, and I’ve gambled everything on transforming the Hall into a profitable venue for weddings and other occasions. I literally have no money, and when I’m not working as an accountant, I’m busy with the renovation of the big house.”
“I’m different now.” She rose and took his hands in hers. “More cognizant of the burden you’re carrying and appreciative of the fact that your struggle is even harder without your father.” After a pause, she gestured toward the window. “By the way, the manor is looking great with the new roof on.”
He winced with agony when he remembered who had been instrumental in procuring the means for the roof repair. There was a lot Vanessa didn’t know, and so much he needed to forget.
“What, if you don’t mind me asking, has caused this change of heart?” He put up his hand before she was able to reply. “We both chipped away at the foundation of our relationship, and I don’t want to apportion blame. I’m just curious.”
She returned to her seat and focused on her hands folded in her lap. “I was in a relationship which ended badly.” The firelight gilded her hair and gave her skin a soft glow. “It made me realize we’d had something precious, something not easily replaced.” She lifted her head, and her face became serious. “We were complacent, you and me. We threw away a three-year relationship that had largely been successful because outer pressures and the added strain of organizing a wedding took their toll.”
He walked to the fire and stared into the licking flames. Heartache seared through him, every day, every hour. He’d struggled against it, alone, but so far, it had made little difference. Yet here was Vanessa, offering to help him heal and return to a simpler time when things had been easier and his emotions on an even keel.
He averted his gaze from the blaze. “You know, you could be right.”
Silence settled between them. He was lost in thought, and she was waiting as she said she would.
“There’s another thing... The bank manager, as I said, believes Delia and I are married. It seems to be important to him that a man in a dicey financial situation has the support of a wife, and Delia played along. She... The Brady-Greenes love her. It... I’ll have to invent a credible divorce story before you and I can be seen together in public. I know it’s messy and complicated and faintly ridiculous, but this is my life now.”
“It’s not ridiculous,” Vanessa insisted. “You were in a tight spot and did what you had to do. I’m assuming you have to keep up the pretense until the last payment gets through.”
He sighed. “Ideally.”
“Clandestine meetings at the gatehouse it is until then.” She smiled.
He frowned.
Chapter Twenty-One
Delia should have remainedcalm and convinced Gabriel to resume their friendship. Instead, she had given in to her craving for him. In her defense, he was impossible to resist. His very first touch had set her alight. Afterward panic had taken hold of her, and she’d run away while he’d slept. Not her finest hour, but if she stayed, she would give him the power to annihilate her. She had to protect her heart. Because their romance was an illusion, and it would never work between them. He needed someone healthy, whole, and uncomplicated. Someone who trusted in love without a second thought.
