Once they were free of the craziness of the Glen, with its fire and crowds and revellers, and settled in the cozy comfort of Teas n' Tomes, Ollie relaxed slightly. He took a deep breath and said, "I suppose I owe you a whole heap of explanations, don't I?"
"Not so many," she smiled faintly, shaking her head. "I really would rather not be responsible for destroying a good friendship, if that is what you are sure you have with Cally." She glanced up at him uncertainly. "I know how it feels."
"I honestly don't have any clue what there is...was...between Cally and I." He frowned slightly, glanced down at this unexpected, beautiful girl who had caused such upheaval in his life. He found he didn't mind it so much...well, he could say that now, but tomorrow" When the expected flurry of phone calls and visits from the rest of the family came, he might feel differently. "Cally is a long-time family friend. She and me sister, Lola, were roomies at Uni."
Piper nodded slowly, taking this in, attempting to suppress the admiring thoughts trying to make themselves known concerning his face and features, especially those pale, pale eyes looking down at her. "You have known her for a long time, then," she said quietly. "And liked her for all that time?"
"Very nearly, yes." He fell silent for a moment. "I'm not....I've never been very good with women, Piper. I had a fiance, once upon a time. Lily, her name was. We were together for three, four years before she decided that I was too meek for her tastes and moved on."
"There is a difference between meek and shy," she said thoughtfully. "I know I have very little to base this on, but I would say you are shy rather than meek. Uncertain, when you don't need to be. You are handsome, and clearly very intelligent, and you have an honourable streak a mile wide. I think I am very lucky to have met you, even if all we become from this is friends."
"I think husband and wife should be friends, " he said with a tiny smile. "But yes. Meek, I am not. Ask Correy. Ask my other cousin, Gigi. They will tell you of ...brawls. Bare-knuckle fights." He held his hands up for her, displaying the battered hands of a boxer. "I am very, very shy. Quiet. Reserved. I had to be. Growing up in my house, with my father. I had to be very careful not to speak out of turn."
"My parents didn't meet each other until their wedding day, and they become good friends," she offered, unable to keep from smiling in amusement at the thought of this urbane gentleman bare-knuckle fighting, despite the evidence. "I was always encouraged to speak my mind. It doesn't always work out very well." She laughed at her own memories then, looking up at him. "I'd rather you were honest with me, than reserved. Resentment does more harm than anger."
He nodded. "Honesty is what I strive for, Piper." Then her first statement caught up with him. "Your parents didn't know each other until their wedding day' It was arranged?"
"Very arranged," she chuckled fondly. "My mother's family was old money, my father's has a title; they both went to private school and were kept away from the opposite sex as much as they could. It was a very ....Victorian ....way of doing things. They got married when they were twenty."
His brow arched. Well, at least he was assured of one thing now - she was no gold digger. "And they're still together?" Of course, they were, you dolt. Divorce was a no-no, right"
"Oh, yes." Piper's smile was wide and soft as she spoke of her parents; it was clear that she had been lucky enough to be raised in a very loving home. "They argue, of course, but they never go to bed without resolving their argument, and my father insists that my mother go on her holidays and spend time with her friends while he works on the estate ....it's all very, well, I suppose you'd call it familial. They don't love each other with a passion, but they do love each other." She looked up at Ollie. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling on about my family and it's so unlikely that you'll ever meet them."
"Not so many," she smiled faintly, shaking her head. "I really would rather not be responsible for destroying a good friendship, if that is what you are sure you have with Cally." She glanced up at him uncertainly. "I know how it feels."
"I honestly don't have any clue what there is...was...between Cally and I." He frowned slightly, glanced down at this unexpected, beautiful girl who had caused such upheaval in his life. He found he didn't mind it so much...well, he could say that now, but tomorrow" When the expected flurry of phone calls and visits from the rest of the family came, he might feel differently. "Cally is a long-time family friend. She and me sister, Lola, were roomies at Uni."
Piper nodded slowly, taking this in, attempting to suppress the admiring thoughts trying to make themselves known concerning his face and features, especially those pale, pale eyes looking down at her. "You have known her for a long time, then," she said quietly. "And liked her for all that time?"
"Very nearly, yes." He fell silent for a moment. "I'm not....I've never been very good with women, Piper. I had a fiance, once upon a time. Lily, her name was. We were together for three, four years before she decided that I was too meek for her tastes and moved on."
"There is a difference between meek and shy," she said thoughtfully. "I know I have very little to base this on, but I would say you are shy rather than meek. Uncertain, when you don't need to be. You are handsome, and clearly very intelligent, and you have an honourable streak a mile wide. I think I am very lucky to have met you, even if all we become from this is friends."
"I think husband and wife should be friends, " he said with a tiny smile. "But yes. Meek, I am not. Ask Correy. Ask my other cousin, Gigi. They will tell you of ...brawls. Bare-knuckle fights." He held his hands up for her, displaying the battered hands of a boxer. "I am very, very shy. Quiet. Reserved. I had to be. Growing up in my house, with my father. I had to be very careful not to speak out of turn."
"My parents didn't meet each other until their wedding day, and they become good friends," she offered, unable to keep from smiling in amusement at the thought of this urbane gentleman bare-knuckle fighting, despite the evidence. "I was always encouraged to speak my mind. It doesn't always work out very well." She laughed at her own memories then, looking up at him. "I'd rather you were honest with me, than reserved. Resentment does more harm than anger."
He nodded. "Honesty is what I strive for, Piper." Then her first statement caught up with him. "Your parents didn't know each other until their wedding day' It was arranged?"
"Very arranged," she chuckled fondly. "My mother's family was old money, my father's has a title; they both went to private school and were kept away from the opposite sex as much as they could. It was a very ....Victorian ....way of doing things. They got married when they were twenty."
His brow arched. Well, at least he was assured of one thing now - she was no gold digger. "And they're still together?" Of course, they were, you dolt. Divorce was a no-no, right"
"Oh, yes." Piper's smile was wide and soft as she spoke of her parents; it was clear that she had been lucky enough to be raised in a very loving home. "They argue, of course, but they never go to bed without resolving their argument, and my father insists that my mother go on her holidays and spend time with her friends while he works on the estate ....it's all very, well, I suppose you'd call it familial. They don't love each other with a passion, but they do love each other." She looked up at Ollie. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling on about my family and it's so unlikely that you'll ever meet them."