Page 64 of The Clockmaker's Cottage
‘Theo, wait!’
Pippa’s boots splashed in the puddles, the rain still lashing down around her. Her stomach churned. It wasn’t as though she’d had some huge love affair with Sebastian; far from it. But should she have mentioned their history when Theo told her he thought they’d been together? Maybe. Probably. But it hadn’t meant anything! She’d been stupid and now she could see exactly how it must look to him. Especially now that Clara, it seemed, was with Sebastian.
The rain had intensified since she’d left the restaurant, the wind driving it sideways. She could see Theo up ahead, his pace brisk, shoulders tense, head down.
‘Theo!’ she shouted again, but he didn’t slow.
She caught up with him at the end of the jetty. ‘Would you please stop walking away from me and listen?’
He did, but only just. He turned, the light from the harbour lamps catching the side of his face. His eyes were dark.
‘What do you want me to say, Pippa?’
‘I want you to listen,’ she said, her breath clouding between them. ‘Please.’
He carried on walking, but slowly.
‘Yes, I should’ve been honest when you asked, but it was one drunken night at the start of uni that meant nothing, and it was never repeated. I didn’t say anything because it’s completely embarrassing.’
‘It’s hard for me to open up, Pip, and now I just feel like an idiot. He couldn’t wait to share that snippet of information, and I’d rather have heard it from you.’
‘It wasn’t a relationship. It wasn’t love. It was…’ She stopped, searching for the right words. ‘It was stupid.Iwas stupid. It was years ago, and the only reason I turned to him that night was because I was upset over what you’d said.’
‘Allegedly said.’
Theo turned away, then stopped and turned back. ‘You do realise he’s a born manipulator? What I actually said was thatyou stood out from the crowd, that I wanted to get to know you, that you were stunning. You had that little dimple when you smiled that melted my heart. But then you teamed up with Sebastian to make my life hell, leaving me to wonder what I’d ever done to deserve it.’ Theo’s voice was slightly raised. ‘That man had a problem with me from day one, and he’s gone on to wreck everything I wanted or have, and has taken great pleasure in doing so.’
‘I wish I could turn back time and have the truthful conversation we needed to have back then.’
‘Me too.’ Theo carried on walking.
Pippa grabbed his arm. ‘Theo, I never wanted him. I wanted…’ She stopped herself.
Theo’s gaze flicked up, sharp. ‘What?’
She swallowed. ‘You.’ There. She’d said it out loud. Rainstreamed down her hair, plastering it to her forehead and soaking through her coat and into her skin, but she barely felt it. All she could feel was the pounding of her heart.
The word hung between them, leaving her fragile and exposed.
For a second, he didn’t move. Rain slid down his lashes, traced the line of his jaw, darkened his shirt until it clung to him like a second skin. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his open coat heavy with water. They stood there, inches apart, drenched, staring at each other.
Theo let out a slow, uneven breath. ‘I wanted you, too,’ he said quietly.
Her heart leapt.
Then his expression shifted, just slightly, something guarded sliding back into place.
‘But I can’t,’ he went on, his voice rough. ‘I can’t get hurt again.’
He turned and started walking, but Pippa was right behind him. They followed the path back to Clockmaker’s Cottage. The only sound now was their boots wading through puddles and the rain hammering on the ground. They reached the front gate and Theo opened it, stepping aside for her to go first, not meeting her eyes.
Inside, the cottage was still warm from the fire they’d had burning earlier, but it didn’t feel comforting now. Theo shrugged off his coat and went straight to the kitchen. Pippa hovered by the door, unsure whether to follow. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the counter, uncorked it without a word, and poured himself a full glass. He drank half of it in one go, then topped it up again.
‘Theo,’ she said softly.
He didn’t look at her.
‘I didn’t sleep with him because I cared about him. I was lost. I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted, and he used that. I was just… convenient. You of all people should know what he’s capable of, but I am sorry.’
