“After all it’s.” He searches my faces once more, no avoiding what he says subsequent. “Since you received’t borrow towards your largest asset. Your land, Stef.”

“It isn’t solely mine.”

“However you’re the one carrying the load. The pressure each time they are saying no. Even getting only one small sure from the financial institution means it received’t get an opportunity to kill you too.”

Like Dad.

I’ve to sit down then, or perch, and thank fuck this desk’s sturdy. “There’s nothing incorrect with my coronary heart.”

“But.” His blinks are gradual and regular, as deliberate as his promise. “You don’t have to have a coronary heart defect.” He tells me what I’ve learn 100 instances whereas committing signs to reminiscence for my brother. “Stress is a fucking killer, Stef. You suppose I would like that for you? Or that your mum does?” Now his expression does one thing advanced, and I assume that is what love for my mom appears like on him. His forehead creases, and he shakes his head, however he can’t repress a smile, not whereas admitting, “She got here out combating the second she realised what that finance slide meant.”

I don’t know if I really feel dread, exasperation, or love. They’re all my typical Mum feelings. “How?”

“By giving the enterprise supervisor on the financial institution a bit of her thoughts.”

“There isn’t a enterprise supervisor. All of the lending is run by laptop.”

“Not all the time. She rang the native department and came upon there’s one supervisor for the entire of the county who rotates round branches. He’s due in Penzance quickly. That’s the place she’s despatched a problem.”

“To?”

“To assessment your final mortgage software and to listen to about your concept in particular person.” He tilts his head to a pile subsequent to his laptop computer. “She’s taken him considered one of these.” He touches a stack of playing cards subsequent to his laptop computer.

“What are they?”

“Marriage ceremony invites that I mocked as much as hand out at my presentation, solely with a hyperlink resulting in your web site.”

“I’ve acquired a web site?”

“Love-Land Weddings does.” He scans a hyperlink together with his cellphone, and there’s that sea blue and moor inexperienced hemming his Love-Land Weddings brand. And me. For a second time immediately, I see myself laughing out of the display with a lap stuffed with lambs earlier than the picture fades and one other replaces it.

Kara-Tir is panoramic. Beautiful. The proper place to have fun a marriage.

I look as much as see a reappearance of that tooth digging into Marc’s lip. “I put it collectively. Emma added the ending touches.”

I virtually can’t make myself ask. “To the web site?”

“No, to not the web site. To the parcel she put collectively.” He glances down at that rose nonetheless between us. “She made two of those buttonholes. Popped considered one of them together with an invite into considered one of her Cornish cream-by-post bins. Solely she didn’t put it within the submit. She mentioned she’d hand-deliver it to the financial institution for me.” He glances on the time on his cellphone earlier than sliding it away. “She’ll have finished it by now.”

“Why?”

“Why?” He frowns once more. “As a result of she was headed into Penzance anyway to—”

“No. You simply mentioned she’d hand-deliver it for you. For you. Why?”

That should be simpler to reply. He sounds as satisfied now as whereas timing his presentation utilizing that previous egg timer. “So they might a minimum of see what they have been shedding out on.” His voice roughens. “And since if I don’t get the spot tomorrow, I nonetheless need you to have choices with out—”

I can’t hear him tag the phrase me on to the tip of that sentence. I additionally actually don’t wish to hear it or take into consideration him heading again to London upset.

I solely wish to consider the model of Marc he’s simply painted with vivid brushstrokes—fixing issues, not resigned to a lifetime shuffling big-five numbers.

I additionally wish to kiss him, solely Marc strikes sooner, touching my jaw first, his fingers skimming what’s extra a beard now than stubble. He breathes, “I hope they RSVP,” his lips brushing mine, and I get a minimum of one factor I needed for.

We kiss. I do not know how lengthy for—I don’t have a look at the timer to rely these minutes. Each egg on the earth may boil onerous for all I care so long as I get to point out what his perception in me means. Not that he hasn’t mentioned as a lot already this week. However displaying me like this?

Fuck Lukas for being proper. It means I’ll must discover a technique to thank him for a showing-instead-of-telling lesson that retains proving legitimate.

I’ll try this as quickly as I run out of air, and so what if that teacup Marc nonetheless clutches digs into my sternum? This discomfort is minor. I can take way more for him.

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