Chapter 74: Did He Even Miss Me?
“Paying you back?” I said as Soren and I walked along the path to my cottage. I had only started my work a few days ago, and I didn‘t have enough savings yet.
But he wanted me to pay him back? And he was leading me home.
I felt panicked. What if he wanted me to do something I wasn‘t ready for?
Rosalie, stop thinking like that! I scolded myself.
Soren wasn‘t that kind of person, I should have known by now!
He had a crooked grin on his face, and even though I had never had a reason before not to trust him, all of the thoughts before that I‘d kept in the back of my mind about how odd it was that he was being so nice to me, resurfaced.
Who would do all of this without expecting something in return?
No one.
So.. did he want something from me after all?
No, no, I kept shaking my head. He wouldn‘t. I must have thought it wrong, but what if…
I felt like I was about to cry. What should I do? I regretted so much that I didn‘t insist on not buying that expensive furniture.
“Come on, Ro,” he said, reaching over and tugging on my hand. “Come into the cottage. I have something I want you to see. I think you‘re going to like it.” He made that last statement in a sing-song voice.
Cold chills ran down my spine. “I think I might not,” I thought to myself. To him, I said, “I am pregnant, you know?”
“I know,” he said, his eyebrows furrowed. We paused in the foyer. “What difference does that make?”
“A lot,” I told him. I knew I was just making excuses when I should‘ve been honest. “It wouldn‘t be… comfortable.”
“Well, you can always just scoot back.”
far,” I
tummy‘s not that big, and your legs
legs had to do with anything,
it would fit. It‘s pretty
eyes bulged, “How
against the door jamb to the living room. “The rear entry was even tighter than the
then I
can have it taken back out, but what do
he finally moved aside,
A baby grand piano.
of the small sofas was gone, and a chair
surface gleamed in the sunlight coming in the front windows. I covered my mouth at the sight of its
you like it?”
not have been completely true. I remembered that white piano back at the
Or was it?
turning to look at him and remembering the conversation we‘d just had and what I‘d thought he
can‘t accept this, though,” I told
looked like he was a child, and I‘d just ripped his ice cream cone from his hands and
to brush over the smooth ebony surface of the lid, which was open, ready for me to sit on the bench and play. I wanted to run my fingers over the keys and hear
can start paying me back. I told you, this is how you‘re going to
am confused,” I admitted. “How is buying
hear it. I imagine you have a beautiful voice. If you‘ll sing for me, then you can start paying
stared at him in disbelief. “That‘s how I will pay you back? By singing?” It didn‘t seem like a real request. It wasn‘t like I was a famous
didn‘t listen very well. “You sing,
that‘s much of a repayment,” I admitted to him. “I love to sing–and I love playing the piano. I‘ve been itching to play again for a while now. It‘s just more of a reward for
I may join you sometimes, but I‘d rather sit in that comfy chair and listen to you, my eyes shut, a nice
was different to be around a man who knew how to let things go and separate work from the
another job offer. If you feel that bad about it, you don‘t necessarily have
a scotch and you a nice ice water–and sit in that chair and listen to you tell me if the tuners did a good job or
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