Chapter 25
The first week is the hardest. There’s no word from Deacon—no explanation as to why he took off. At first, I thought maybe he’d lied to me and this was some kind of revenge against Lucas. But nothing makes sense.
If that was the case, wouldn’t he be crowing about it?
Mum is handling returning the gifts. I couldn’t face it.
The first two days, I spent in bed before dragging myself out to breakfast on the third day.
“Morning, love.” Mum hugs me. “Go take a seat and I’ll bring you something to eat. Toast okay?”
“Toast would be great.”
I take a seat next to Dad, and he reaches over, gripping my forearm. “How are you today, sweetheart?”
I shoot him a faint smile. “I’m okay, Dad. Just doing a lot of thinking.”
He nods. “I guess you have some decisions to make.”
“I’m going back to Auckland. My things are packed ready to move into Deacon’s place, so I’ll get them shipped into storage here and come home for a bit.”
Dad frowns. “What about your job?”
I blow out a breath. I’ll miss Infinity, but there’s no way I can stay there now. I haven’t spoken to any of Deacon’s friends since the day after the wedding when they left, and they all insisted that I take my time making any big decisions.
But I’m spent. Even if I take the next month off, being in that building with Deacon doesn’t have any appeal. Things will just be awkward, and I can’t see how I have a future working there.
“I’m going to quit. If I hand in my notice now when I’m on leave, I won’t have to go back to work before Deacon returns.”
“You took the month off. It’s not anything you have to hurry to do.” Mum places the toast in front of me.”
Movement from the door catches my gaze as Lucas slips into the room. His brow has been permanently furrowed since my aborted wedding day. I know he’s concerned—they all are, but I have to handle this in my own way.
“I want to do it now and get it over with. The sooner I can get my things shipped down here and get out of my flat, the better. All I have to do is change the booking for the movers.”
“But quitting your job? That’s a big decision to make when you’re so fragile.”
Meeting her gaze, I shake my head. “Mum, I can’t keep working there. Deacon’s one of the owners. Even if I changed offices, it’d still be uncomfortable.”
Lucas starts to say something, but I hold up my hand.
“I just want to go, get it done, and then come back here to lick my wounds a while.”
“And then …?” Lucas asks.
“Maybe I’ll look for a job in Wellington. Or maybe I even start looking at Australia. I’ve got work experience. Maybe it’s time to use my degree. I don’t know.”
He frowns. “I just wish?—”
“Wishes aren’t going to help me now.”
He walks over and wraps his arms around my shoulders. “I love you, Pippa. And I’m sorry if I never told you that enough. When you hurt, I hurt.”
“You’re a good big brother. I’m not sure I ever told you that enough.”
“Not good enough to protect you from this. I’m sure this has something to do with me.”
I close my eyes and let out a long breath. “Maybe, but this was Deacon’s decision. He could have left well enough alone and kept me out of it if that’s the case. Instead he let me think?—”
Lucas presses a kiss to my temple and drops into the seat next to mine. “He loved you. It was so obvious. He’s not that good an actor. Something tipped him over the edge.” He shakes his head. “I’m just as worried about him as I am about you.”
I swallow hard. He’s right. Nothing adds up. Mallory’s take on the night before the wedding doesn’t match with what happened. He either managed to hide his intention from not just me but his best friends, or he … what? Had some kind of breakdown? It’s hard to reconcile everything—especially with my own heartbreak getting in the way.
Is Deacon in trouble?
Now Lucas has sent my thoughts in a whole new direction and an uneasy feeling sits in my gut.
“Pippa. You need to take care of you now. I’ll come with you to Auckland and help you sort out your things. We’ll fly up and drive your car back down. Okay?”
Lucas lets me go, and I nod.
“Thank you.”
He bops me on the nose with a smile. “That’s my girl.”