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"I know," he says. It almost sounds like he's choking on the words. "I was wrong. I was so damn wrong, Pearl. I was selfish. I got caught up in having you any way I could. Even if it meant stretching out our game of pretend. I think I figured that if I had you for another month or two, I’d finally get you out of my damn system. But I think it’s actually had the opposite effect."
I want to believe him. Falling into the familiar comfort of his arms and forget the world sounds so blissful. But the real-life consequences of his not being honest with me will affect more than just me.
"Nice words don't pay off debts or mend trust," I remind him. My heart twists with the urge to give in. "You might be feeling crazy, River. But I'm the one left picking up the shattered pieces of my life."
He steps closer, close enough that I can smell the cologne that clings to his skin. It’s a scent that's become painfully, heart-wrenchingly familiar. "Let me help pick them up," he urges, his voice low and persuasive. "I can fix this, Pearl. Just let me try."
I consider the man before me. River seems flawed and desperate. And yet somehow, he is more honest than he's ever been. River may be used to getting his way, but right now he looks like someone who knows he's gambled everything and might have lost more than he ever could have bargained for.
The practical side of me wants to shut him down. My instinct is to protect the remnants of my wrecked trust.
But still…
There's something in the way he stands before me, raw and open, that chips away at my defenses.
"Actions.”
He raises a brow. “What?”
“Not words. Actions." I fix him with my gaze. "If you're serious, then prove it. Until then..." I leave the sentence unfinished, turning away from the intensity of his gaze, though every fiber of my being screams to look back.
My hand is on the diner’s back door, ready to push it open. I can already see myself escaping back to the chaos of my shift.
But River's words stop me. "I didn't just come here to say sorry, Pearl."
“No?”
I freeze, fingers curling around the cool metal handle. The hum of the diner fades into a distant murmur as I turn to face him.
His eyes are earnest, pleading. "I came with a plan."
"Plans don't pay bills," I retort, but curiosity gnaws at me. The idea that River Bennett, with all his power and wealth, might actually have something up his sleeve that could help is both infuriating and intoxicating.
He leans against the diner's brick wall, arms folded as if he's preparing for a siege. "Your family's debt?—"
"Is none of your business," I cut in, but he's relentless. “I never should have told you about it in the first place. Especially since I know now that you were just looking for a way into my family.”
Bitterness makes me grimace.
He takes a deep breath.
"Seventy-five thousand dollars. I know that's the figure hanging over you all.”
I snort. “And? Like I said, it’s for us to figure out.”
“What if I want to clear your debt?”
My breath hitches. Seventy-five grand might as well be seventy-five million to us. But there's a catch; there's always a catch with River.
That’s how I got into this damned situation in the first place.
"Before you snap at me, just hear me out," he continues. "All I need is for Aunt Delta to agree to sell the land."
Anger flares hot and bright in my chest.
"You think throwing money at the problem is going to make everything okay?" I spit the words out.
River steps forward, blocking my path with his presence alone. "No, I don't. But it's a start, isn't it? It gives your family a fighting chance."
