page18 (1/2)

And until now, she wasn’t quite sure if she had done the right thing All she kneas that the decision had changed her life for good, and she could no longer stop yearning thinking of him

In the suds, she thought again, knowing that she was just torturing herself needlessly with all these fact-digging sessions over the web She had read the comprehensive entry Wikipedia had on him more times than she could count, and every line of People’s article about last year’s Sexiest Man Alive was already committed to her memory Whatever publicly available information about him there was she already knew, and this included details of his horrific childhood (which she needed to knowtimeline (which she needed to know less of)

In any case, the bottom line was simple: Acheron Simonides was too coive her the kind of life she had always thought was best for her

Long story short, Pippilotta Jones, he’s not for you, wasn’t ever for you, and never will be

And she knew this, accepted this, so why, blast it?

Why did she still see his face the moment she closed her eyes? Why had the taste of his lips never left her, and why in the bloody hell couldn’t her body stop aching for him?

Why? Why? Why?

The answer eluded and taunted Pippi as it always did, words that were so close to the edge of her ing to tumble out

Restlessness had her shifting in her arh noise that heads turned toward her direction in askance Oops “It’s nothing, sorry” Conscious of havingtowards her now and then, Pippi rossed with the latest paperback she had bought

While Mariposa House was fairly large, its equally large upkeep had everyone keen to save money where they could To uests, Astrid and her aunts shared the lone bedroos resided in the attic And during nights where all guests were out painting the town red, the fa room; power consuether in one place

For faht have eventually placed a strain in their relationships But for Pippi and the others, spending ti to look forward to The challenge wasthe house’s cozy but soht of them

Eventually, the whole family had learned to carve each of their own little nook Pippi’s corner was the armchair next to the ancient bookshelf while Vik was usually curled with her latest cross-stitching project in the rocking chair Rue and Mynt, who both loved to people watch, shared the cushioned seat by the bay hile Astrid and her three great-aunts alternated between the couch and dining table