“You stopped talking.” I look up at Timber and he actually looks worried.
Thoughts of never seeing him again have taken over and my heart grows heavy. I’ve grown attached to his grumpy ass.
He pushes back from the table. “Are you okay?” He stands up and walks around the table, then comes over to my chair. I have to tilt my head back to look up at him as he towers over me. He almost looks panicked and I’m not sure what to do.
“Why don’t you like people?” I ask.
I know after this is over I’ll go home to my sister. I won’t be locked away from the world like Timber does to himself, but being locked away with him wouldn’t be so bad. Being here with him hasn’t been bad at all. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we were a we.
“Why aren’t you smiling?” he asks, and I wonder if he even heard my question.
“I’ll miss you,” I admit and drop my head back down.
He doesn’t move from my side and I can feel the heat from his big body next to me. He doesn’t say anything either and I don’t know how long we stay like that.
“I know you won’t miss me.” I try to make my tone light and teasing but it doesn’t come out the way I want it to.
I freeze when his finger comes to my chin and makes me tilt my head back. His eyes search mine and his lips part. My heart pounds in my chest at his soft touch. I know this is his way of letting me down gently, or maybe he’s admitting that there’s something here. That he feels this chemistry between us and that two days doesn’t mean the end of us.
“Dessert?” Celia chirps as she comes into the parlor. Timber’s hand drops from my face and he takes a step back from me. “You need something, sir?” Celia asks, looking at him curiously as she puts down the two desserts.
It’s her homemade German chocolate cake and normally I’d already have my fork in it before it hit the table, but my stomach turns with unease.
“I’m sorry. I’m stuffed.” I make the feeble excuse as I push back from the table and stand up.
“It’s your favorite,” Timber says. “She’ll want milk with it too.” He looks to Celia to go and get it for me, but I shake my head no.
“I have some things I need to check on for the party. Only two days left and lots to get done,” I remind him as he’d reminded me not minutes ago.
I have to force a smile. Two more days of dealing with me and he’s done. It doesn’t make sense the way he struggles with himself. It’s like he wants me here but doesn’t. Why make us have dinner together every night? Why be there almost every time I turn around? For almost two weeks I’ve done everything to get closer to him and to break through whatever wall he has up.
“But—”
I shake my head, cutting him off. He reaches out for me but I step back out of his reach. I feel as though I’m all over the place and I need to get it together.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” I give him a tight smile as I turn to leave.
“You’re not going to knit in the library later?” he asks, and it sounds like an accusation.
“No,” I say simply and it’s a word I know he’s not used to.
If he doesn’t like me then I’ll make sure to stay out of his way. I can sit in my room and knit and he can be alone like he wants.
Chapter 9
Timber
Thunder rolls in the distance and there’s another storm on the horizon. I looked at the weather patterns earlier and this is going to be a rough one.
I pace outside her room arguing with myself. I can’t believe I let her walk out of the room and away from me when all I wanted was to hold her close. Why do I do this? I push everyone away from me, but the moment Pippa walked into this castle, everything changed. Suddenly I’m making excuses to follow her around and have formal dinners when that was never the case before. Celia has been over the moon with all the things she’s prepared and even Simon has a spring in his step with more things to manage.
It’s like this place was asleep until she woke us all up, and the thought of her disappearing in two days’ time is something I can’t wrap my head around. And I don’t want to. I won’t face the facts and I know that’s not how this should work, but I’m selfish and I don’t care.
I’m doing this on the pretense of telling her about the storm, but I know deep down this has nothing to do with that. Lightning cracks and I know what I have to do.