Perfectly Pink - An It's Always Been You Romance (Complete)

Chapter 20

What happened?

It had been the perfect afternoon, exactly what Simon hoped for. Almost. Good food, great wine and actual conversation. Mary opened up to him, talked about her life. Then she brought out the raspberry tarts. He couldn't believe she remembered her mother bringing them to him all those years ago. The gesture melted his heart.

She put her hand on said heart and there was that feeling again, a connection he never felt with anyone else. Like a part of him was home, but to a home he'd never known. Like all those weeks ago in the library at his brother's wedding. Mary felt it too. He could tell by the soft lines of her face, the little o her mouth formed, the sparks in her beautiful blue eyes. In that moment he would have given her anything, done anything she requested.

But Mary didn't ask. Didn't lean forward and offer those luscious lips to kiss as he desired, needed her to. The fingers over his heart didn't grasp his shirt, pull him closer, demand he hold her. Words meant to convince him to seduce her didn't tumble out her scrumptious mouth. No, she retreated. Different words burst forth, ones telling him his time with her was up, the date over, wanted to go home. And the sun went behind the clouds, the light diminished, and he was left craving more, having seen the possibilities of nirvana once again but not able to get a taste.

The sweet raspberry flavour on his own lips soured as Mary stood up and put her sandals back on, her tall form blocking out the sun. He followed her in silence back to the truck, drove back to the lake house, reversed the actions earlier, getting further and further away from the connection. With each turn of the wheel, his heart ached more.

"They're back," Mary announced as he parked his truck behind his brother's car. The first words she'd said in what seemed like hours. Once again, Simon trailed behind her as she made her way towards the house. "You're coming in?"

"It's Monday." Simon found his fingers at his temple, drawing a circle to try to relieve the tension. "My night for dinner with them."

"Oh right, Emily did say."

Once again, the foyer was dark and silent, but this time it was not empty. On the stairs sat Finn, a bottle of beer in his hand, looking up only when Simon called his name.

"Where's Emily?" asked Mary.

"She's upstairs... resting. She's not feeling well."

Mary glanced at Simon. "I'm going to check on her." With those words, she flew up the stairs.

Finn turned his back on his brother and slipped into the darkness of the living room. Simon didn't like his body language. Since finding Emily again, Finn had been light and happy. The darkness so often prevalent in his years in the military all but disappeared.

Simon hesitated before following his brother's trajectory. Would he make things worse if he pushed his brother? Should he leave, forget about Monday night dinner? With a glance at the staircase he thought of Emily, her plea for him to be around, her insistence Finn needed family, her statement she was not enough. Simon saw it now. Healthy Emily could work wonders with his brother. Had she anticipated getting ill? The thought sweet, kind Emily might be sick stabbed at his stomach.

Not knowing how to help, Simon did the one thing within his power, he went after his brother.

Finn leaned against the grand fireplace dominating the even grander room. Beer clutched in his hand, head bowed, Finn was giving off 'go away' vibes. Simon pushed through the invisible defences and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. Finn jumped at the contact.

"What happened?" A simple question. He knew Emily had to be the source of Finn's mood. The worst scenarios filtered through Simon's mind. Including images of Emily's mother wasting away before dying of breast cancer. "Is Emily... ok?"