Chapter 23
At thing thousand feet wispy clouds dotted just beyond the plane window, so close it felt as if you could reach out and touch them
Arlene had dozed off for a while, and when she opened her eyes, she was greeted by a pair of deep unblinking eyes staring straight at her.
She grabbed her phone and checked the ome–barely two hours had passed. A frown creased her brow before she could help it
Noticing her expression, Pearson quickly handed her a glass of water hed prepared ahead of time, his voice tinged with nervousness.
“Did you have a bad dream? Or was it something else bothering you?”
Arlene happened to be thirsty, so she took the glass and drank several large gulps before answering
As she set the glass down the plane swept over a city below, sparkling in the sunlight. She gazed out the window for a long moment, only turning away when she caught sight of Pearson’s wounded, puppy–eyed expression
“Acene. I’ve told you everything–laid it all out. Why won’t you talk to me? Are you still mad at me?”
Only then did Arlene realize she hadn’t spoken a single word since waking up.
At first, she’d been stunned by his confession, her mind replaying everything that had happened between them, she hadn’t had the energy to talk. Then the drone of the plane and her tangled thoughts had lulled her to sleep, pushing the whole matter to the back of her mind
Now, hearing his tentative question, she remembered she owed him an answer
If she was being honest, she was angry at Pearson for lying to her–though not exactly for the obvious reason. After all, shed pegged him from the start as some broke, sweet–faced boy toy and even offered to take care of him financially. The fact that she’d entertained such an idea still made her cringe. Given that, it wasn’t as if she could blame him for hiding things.
What bothered her was that he’d kept up the act even after shed finalized her divorce. He’d even proposed, and still hadn’t told her the truth. How long was he planning to keep her in the dark?
So yes, she’d forgiven him, but the frustration still simmered, looking for a way out
Now, seeing him revert to that familiar, soft–hearted, vulnerable act, she felt her own resolve start to waver.
To keep him from getting under her skin, she reached out and covend his face with her hand, her tone deliberately cool..
“Of course I’m still mad. You lied to me for so long–how do I know you’re telling the truth now? How do I know there isn’t something else you’re hiding? Through her fingers, Pearson glimpsed her frosty expression and quickly raised his right hand in an oath.
sweat we told you everything if I’m hiding anything else, may 1-1
Before he could finish, Arlene pressed her hand over his mouth, exasperated
“Don’t make promises like that–especially not at thirty thousand feet. Listen, I’ll ask you a few your
Pearson nodded eagerly, sensing a glimmer of hope!!
“You once told me your family was ‘average‘. What exactly does ‘average‘ mean?”
questions. Answer honestly, and then maybe consider forgiving
“We’ve got some money, a couple of houses. If you wanted jewelry, I could probably pull it off if I tried hard enough. That kind of average”
Arlene instantly thought back to the time she’d tried to make amends by handing him a check for a few hundred thousand. Why hadn’t she added another zem or two? No wonder he hadn’t seemed impressed the probably thought she was a stingy Sugar mama. She felt like she’d let down wealthy women everywhere Sull, she kept her doubts to herself and didn’t let it show
“Who said I wanted you to buy me jewelry? You wouldn’t even accept my support before–why would I take gifts from you?
“It’s not that I didn’t want them, Pearson protested, his voice sincere, just didn’t want you to think I was after your money, or that you’d dump me for it. I just wanted you to see that my foxings for you are real
