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I bark out a laugh because she’s got me there. Every lie I told was for the greater good, and I’ll stand by every one of them. “I want you to come and work for me.”

“You don’t even know me.”

“I know your character, and that’s enough for me.”

“Did Nanna put you up to this?”

“She thought I was a plumber, Poppy,” I deadpan.

“Oh. Right.”

“So, what do you think of my offer?”

“I’m in two minds. Part of me wants to kick you in the shin for even offering it, but a much bigger part wants to kiss you.” The words are barely out of her mouth before her eyes widen and her cheeks blaze crimson. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling. “Shit,” she mumbles under her breath. “Not kiss you, kiss you. I just meant … working for Sinclair and Associates would be a dream job for me.”

“So, we have a deal?”

This was easier than I thought it would be.

Poppy pauses, like she’s carefully considering her next words. She blows out a slow breath before answering. “You don’t have to do this for me, Bennett. You don’t owe Nanna or me a thing. You served your purpose, and I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know, but I can’t accept your offer.”

I arch an eyebrow, unable to hide my surprise. “I served my purpose? That sounds a little cold, don’t you think?”

She drops her gaze. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”

“Sleep on it,” I tell her.

“The answer will still be no.”

I gave Poppy space after I dropped her off at home following our lunch date. I didn’t want to, but I felt like I’d encroached on her grief enough. I tried to keep her mind off it as much as I could, but the sadness beneath the surface radiating from her was impossible to miss. I could tell she was holding it together for my benefit, and I didn’t want that.

If there’s one thing I learned when my grandmother passed, it’s that grief isn’t something you can outwait; it needs to be felt.

It’s been four days since I’ve seen or heard from her, but Nanna’s funeral is later this morning, and I’m currently on my way to Poppy’s house. I don’t want her to face today alone.

I’m not sure what kind of reception I’ll receive when I get there, but staying away doesn’t feel like an option. Maybe she’ll slam the door in my face, or maybe she won’t say a word. I’m hoping she’ll simply let me in because today isn’t about us; it’s about saying goodbye to the woman who meant so much to her … and in a way, to me too.

Once I’m standing on the front porch, I don’t hesitate to knock, and the moment Poppy opens the door, I know I made the right decision.

She looks utterly exhausted, the kind of tired that settles deep into your bones. Her eyes are red and swollen, and the heartbreak etched into every line of her face tears me in two.

For a heartbeat, neither of us speaks. She just stands there, looking so impossibly fragile and broken that it makes me regret staying away these past few days. I told myself I was doing the right thing by giving her space, but seeing her now, I’m not so sure.

I thought about her often—too often if I’m being honest—but I did what I usually do when I’m trying to outrun something, I threw myself into my work. It helped for the most part, but at night, when I lay in bed, images of long blonde hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky refused to leave me alone.

It’s in this moment that I realise just how much I’ve missed her.

The thought shocks me, and my breath hitches as my hand instinctively reaches up to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear. The gesture feels far more intimate than I’d intended because she’s made it perfectly clear there’s nothing between us … that whatever this is, it’s make-believe.

Only, I’m not so sure anymore.

Somewhere along the way, this woman has become important to me, and before I can stop myself, my fingertips graze lightly down her cheek. Her skin is like silk beneath my touch.

Poppy leans in ever so slightly, and the quiet acceptance of it steals all the air from my lungs.

I open my mouth to say something, what, I’m not sure, but before I can get the words out, she closes the distance between us and wraps her arms around my waist.

For a second, I simply stand here, stunned, before my arms instinctively fold around her, pulling her closer.