“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 to pay him back? And he was leading ho.
I felt panicked. What if he wanted to do sothing 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 , resurfaced.
Who would do all of this without expecting sothing in return?
No one.
So... did he want sothing from 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.
“Co on, Ro,” he said, reaching over and tugging on my hand. “Co into the cottage. I have sothing I want you to see. I think you’re going to like it.” He made that last statent 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.”
“Only so far,” I reminded him.
He shrugged. “Your tummy’s not that big, and your legs are pretty long. It’ll be fine.”
I couldn’t figure out what my legs had to do with anything, so I just stared at him for a mont.
“I wasn’t sure if it would fit. It’s pretty big. And the opening’s kinda small.”
My eyes bulged. “How do you know that?”
“Well, I asured,” he said leaning against the door jamb to the living room. “The rear entry was even tighter than the front. But it squeezed in, steps and all.”
“Steps? Wait—what?” I realized then I was missing sothing.
“If you don’t like it, I can have it taken back out, but what do you think?”
When he finally moved aside, that’s when I saw it.
A baby grand piano.
It was sitting in the corner of the living room. One of the small sofas was gone, and a chair was moved over, but it fit.
And it was gorgeous. The black polished surface glead in the sunlight coming in the front windows. I covered my mouth at the sight of its stunning beauty.
“Do you like it?” Soren asked .
“Soren,” I couldn’t take my eyes off it, “I love it! It’s the most beautiful piano I’ve ever seen!” That might not have been completely true. I rembered that white piano back at the Drogomor pack. But this one? This one was in my cottage. It was mine.
Or was it?
I paused a few steps into the room, turning to look at him and rembering the conversation we’d just had and what I’d thought he was getting at.
“Soren, I can’t accept this, though,” I told him.
“What?” his forehead crinkled. “Why not?” He looked like he was a child, and I’d just ripped his ice cream cone from his hands and dumped it on the ground.
“Because it’s too expensive!” 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 to sit on the bench and play. I wanted to run my fingers over the keys and hear the lody co to life and fill the cottage with beautiful music.
“It doesn’t matter what it costs, Ro. I brought it here so that you can start paying back. I told you, this is how you’re going to pay back, rember?”
“I am confused,” I admitted. “How is buying another gift helping pay you back?”
“You said you are a singer, and you play piano, rember?” he said, grinning at but still looking exasperated. “I want to hear it. I imagine you have a beautiful voice. If you’ll sing for , then you can start paying back. My own private concerts from an angel.”
I 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 singer. I was just an ordinary girl who liked to sing. Why would my songs be worth paying for?
“Yes!” he said, shaking his head like I was the child now, one that didn’t listen very well. “You sing, I’ll listen, and that’ll help repay your debts.” He had that twinkle in his eyes again.
“I don’t think that’s much of a repaynt,” 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 .”
His shoulders shot up for a mont before he dropped them again. “Not every business transaction has to be painful, Ro. I’m glad you like to play. I may join you sotis, but I’d rather sit in that comfy chair and listen to you, my eyes shut, a nice drink in my hand, my mind floating far, far away.”
I smiled at him, looking all relaxed already. It was different to be around a man who knew how to let things go and separate work from the rest of his life.
“Co on, Ro. Accept the gift—or another job offer. If you feel that bad about it, you don’t necessarily have to take it with you when you leave here, although you’re welco 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 if the tuners did a good job or not.”
“I thought you had a eting,” I reminded him.
He looked at his watch. “I’ve got twenty minutes. Sooth my soul, Ro.” He reached up and tweaked my chin with his thumb and first finger, and I felt a pulse of electricity shoot down my spine.
I told myself I was just giddy over getting to play the piano again. Clapping my hands together in excitent, I went to the bench as he went to fix the drinks. I’d have to make sure no one ever sat anything wet or cold on the piano, coaster or not! I didn’t want the finish ruined.
I sat down and readied my fingers, trying to decide what to play. I ran through a few scales and found the tuning to be excellent. Then, as Soren sat my water on a side table nearby, I chose a sonnet I hadn’t played in many years and let my fingers run through it as my mind drifted off.
I didn’t want to play anything I’d ever played for Ethan before, not right away anyway, not if I could help it.
As my fingers ran over the keys, and I began to sing a song I knew by heart, I thought about the other n in my life and how they were so different from Soren. I was so silly to think he was propositioning earlier. I glanced over to see him sitting there, eyes closed, drink in his hand, a smile on his face.
My father, my brother... even Ethan. None of them had been kind to . None of them would’ve ever given a gift like this or been thoughtful or considerate just because they wanted to be happy.
Granted, Ethan did give the necklace I was wearing, but only because Georgia had given the train.
Did he even miss ? Was he with Madalynn now? Did he even think about at all?
He probably missed the baby, but he would just find soone else to carry his child.
All I ever was to him was a breeder, soone to produce his heir...
But to Soren...He didn’t want anything from ... He never asked anything from . He seed to see as a human—as a friend.
My fingers traced the keys for several more minutes. I switched songs a few tis before his watch beeped, and he reluctantly opened his eyes.
When he looked at , there were so emotions in his eyes I couldn’t quite read. Surprise, peace and ...desire. However, in a blink of an eye, his branded smile was back, and all the emotions I had glimpsed before seed to be just my imagination.
He got out of his chair, and I stopped playing, standing to et him.
“That was so very beautiful. I’m so sorry I have to go,” he seed to be in a bit of a rush which was rare. “But I’ll be back—if you don’t mind.”
“No, of course I don’t mind,” I told him.
A small sigh escaped his lips as they turned upright at the corners. “Good. Sotis, in the middle of the night, when I can’t sleep, sothing like that would be just the thing to help slumber.”
“It would be my honor to play for you.” I smiled.
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