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.”
so far,” I
and your legs are pretty long. It‘ll be
out what my legs had to do with anything, so I just
fit. It‘s pretty big. And
“How do you
room. “The rear entry was
I realized then I
I can have it
he finally moved aside, that‘s when I saw
A baby grand piano.
room. One of the
gleamed in the sunlight coming in the
like it?” Soren
beautiful piano I‘ve ever seen!” That might not have been completely true.
Or was it?
into the room, turning to look at him and remembering the
I can‘t accept this, though,” I
his forehead crinkled. “Why not?” He looked like he was a child, and I‘d just ripped his ice cream cone from
of the lid, which was open, ready for me to sit on the bench and play.
here so that you can start paying me back. I told you, this
is buying me another
I imagine you have a beautiful voice. If you‘ll sing for
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, I‘ll listen, and that‘ll help repay your debts.” He had
think 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
to 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 hand, my
It was different to be around a man who knew how to let things go
gift–or another job offer. If you feel
gonna pour myself a scotch and you a nice ice water–and sit in that chair and listen to you tell me
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