Page 68 of Great Pretender
“Can you do it again?”
I think about it and realize I don’t have a choice.It’s either I do this or I don’t.
“Yes.”
“Great, because he’s right over there.” She lifts her chin, motioning over my shoulder.
At first, I don’t quite understand what she’s saying, then I do.I twist around to look and see Chad standing across the path by the gazebo.
He's far away enough from us that I can’t quite see his face, but from here, I take note of his overgrown beard and his sullen appearance in his black biker jacket and black jeans.
My lips part, and I look back to Elodie.
“Don’t you dare get mad at me.I believe him, and since I want the best for my friend, I thought I’d help him and give him a shot.I was hoping you could too.”
I actually smile and lean forward to give her a hug.
“Thank you. I think I can.” Whatever that may mean.I guess the first step is talking.
“Good, go. I’m gonna have to donate some of those flowers to the animal sanctuary Huey’s vet set up.” She chuckles.Hughie is her pet cockatoo. I laugh too.
“The place with the goats?”
“The one and only.”
I stand up, and when she nods, I make my way over to Chad.
Hope brightens his eyes as I approach him, and I feel myself hoping too.
His eyes cling to mine when I reach him, and I can see how sorry he is for what happened.
While I got the full story from his messages seeing him face to face is different.
“Hi,” he begins.
“Hello.”
“Can we go somewhere to talk ?”
“Sure.”
I take him to the little duck pond not far from the garden.It’s always quiet at this time.Sometimes, when he comes to meet, we come out here to feed the ducks.
We go to our favorite spot, which is near a row of lilies.
When we face each other, I decide I should talk first.“I’m sorry I blurted everything out in front of your father.”
“Don’t apologize for that. It was my fault.I shouldn’t have put you in that position.It didn’t matter what happened. All of it was wrong.”
“I wonder how we thought we could pull it off.”
“I think we could have, but when I tell people the story of how we got together, I don’t want to remember the lie because a fake relationship is not how I wanted to be with you.”
He sounds different. Different from the guy I’ve known all my life.This person sounds like something’s changed in him, and he isn’t the playboy anymore.
“Wasn’t it?”
“No. Piper, I’m so sorry for what happened.If I weren’t the playboy, it wouldn’t have happened because I wouldn’t know anyone like Tiffany.”
