her courage, Poppy was pleased to see Val’s door was open. At least she didn’t have to stand there waiting for a knock to be answered. Peeking around the door, she saw Val at the window, probably admiring the view.
“You can see the sea from the other side of the house,” Poppy said, attracting the woman’s attention. “From Preston’s room, the twins and Charley’s rooms too, if you’re interested.”
“Poppy,” Val said, smiling as she came over to hug her again. “You have a beautiful home.”
“It’s my grandmother’s, but thank you.”
Val let her go to close the door and draw her deeper into the room. “Thank you for inviting us here.”
“It was all Preston,” she said as they sat together in the window. “But you’re welcome. All of you. Anytime.”
“And…” Val said, folding their hands together. “What stupid thing did my son do?”
Poppy didn’t follow. “Stupid thing? He did nothing… He’s working on a house build just down the hill. I can go and get him if you—”
“I meant with you,” Val said, sliding a little closer. “He said things didn’t go to plan.” Which was on Poppy and she wasn’t ignorant of that. “He came here because he decided he couldn’t live without you. He loves you, Poppy.”
“I know,” she said, taking her hands from Val’s to run both through her hair. “I know that and I appreciate it.”
“Appreciate it? You don’t feel the same way?”
“It’s not as simple as that.”
She didn’t even realize how exasperated she was until Val’s finger curled around her chin to bring her focus back. “It is. There is nothing else, Poppy. No matter how difficult it might be, no matter how complicated the situation, love is simple.”
Breathing in and out, Poppy’s chest tightened. Somehow her shallow breathing linked to the corners of her eyes that warmed before the telltale pricks of moisture began to form. “Of course I love him,” she whispered. “I’ve been falling in love with him since the night he told me not to offer strange men alcohol in my bedroom.” Val’s smile didn’t make her feel any better. “But I can’t do it to him. I can’t put that burden onto him.”
“Burden?”
“I can’t tell him the truth. I can’t love him and lay on him all that I want from a relationship, from him, because he’ll kill himself trying to provide it. I can’t do it.” Poppy shook her head. “I know he loves me. And hearing him say it… I dreamed night after night that I’d be so lucky to hear those words from his mouth. But isn’t love—true, honest, complete love—isn’t it selfless? I love him so much that all I can think about is his welfare. I want him to be happy, Val. Oh so completely happy. What he needs isn’t this. It isn’t me. He needs a woman without all this bullshit. We live a thousand miles apart. My family are going through their own internal battles at the moment and that’s before we even get on to infuriating Holden Abernathy.”
“Turner would use more colorful language for him.”
She attempted a laugh, but it was pathetic. “Your daughters despise me, with good reason.” As Val frowned, Poppy swallowed hard. “I didn’t tell Charley any of it. None. Faye gave me a chance, something she doesn’t do with everyone, and I blew it. I let Zoey down, the twins… I can’t put him in that position. The position where he might have to stand between them and me. He can’t fight a battle on that many fronts.”
“I don’t think anyone despises you,” Val said, pushing Poppy’s hair away from her shoulder. “Everyone was shocked. None of us knew Turner had gone, he was ignoring his phone and we were worried. I suspected that he might be coming here, which he confirmed when he eventually called me from a gas station. His sisters kept calling and calling him. I took the twins and Zoey’s phones away, but that didn’t stop Faye or Charlotte. He didn’t answer. I guess because he knew all they’d do was question him. Before he got here, when he was driving, he couldn’t answer anyway. When he stopped for gas and called me, he said I should text if there were emergencies. After he got here…”
After. Well, Poppy had stomped on his declaration, he’d conversed with Grammie and then got himself a job. It was difficult to remember that he’d been on Adler ground for less than seventy-two hours.