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
that big, and your legs are
couldn‘t figure out what my legs had to do with anything, so I
it would fit. It‘s pretty big. And the opening‘s
“How do
said leaning against the door jamb to the living room. “The rear entry was even tighter than the front. But it
Wait––what?” I realized then I was
don‘t like it, I can have it taken back out, but what
finally moved aside, that‘s when
A baby grand piano.
room. One of the small sofas was gone, and
gorgeous. The black polished surface gleamed in the sunlight coming in the front windows. I covered
it?” Soren
it! It‘s the most beautiful piano I‘ve ever seen!” That might not have been completely true. I remembered that white piano back at the Drogomor pack. But
Or was it?
and remembering the conversation we‘d
can‘t accept this,
his forehead crinkled. “Why not?” He looked like he was a child, and I‘d just ripped his
I replied. “This had to cost a fortune!” My fingers longed 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
that you can start paying me back. I told you, this is how you‘re going to pay me
buying me
to hear it. I imagine you have a beautiful voice. If you‘ll sing for
It didn‘t seem like a real request. It wasn‘t like I was a famous singer. I
said, shaking his head like I was the child now, one that didn‘t listen very well. “You sing, I‘ll listen,
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
be painful, Ro. I‘m glad you like to play. I may join you sometimes, but I‘d rather sit in that comfy chair and listen to you, my eyes shut, a nice drink in my
around a man who knew how to let things
you feel that bad about it, you don‘t
welcome to. For now, I‘m gonna pour myself a scotch and you a nice ice water–and sit in that chair and listen to you tell me if the tuners did a
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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!