Her brows shot up in relief. “You do?”
“Yes, he is rather manipulative and violent; I do not blame you for believing his lies.” I pulled on my gloves and took a quick glance outside. “But—” I paused and turned to her, “this is why I have a rule about not talking to men about the Nest. It’s easy to be fooled by those who promise good intentions. You cannot trust words alone.”
“It won’t happen again.” She was pitiful, so weak as she pleaded with me. I could barely stand to look at her.
“I know; I trust you learned.” I placed my hand on her shoulder to reassure her. “We must solve this problem first. Do not let them on the grounds.”
“Yes, I heard about last night.”
The muscle in my jaw twitched from the tension. “Oh, did you now?”
“Will you take his deal?”
“No.”
She averted her gaze quickly to the floor.
“Go rest. You have a long shift tonight,” I told her, my hand falling from her face before leaving the shop. “Maybe pick up extra hours, just in case.”
Girls like her irritated me at times, but I must remember that not every woman is as strong or as experienced in the dealings of men. She would learn once she outgrew that Christian hope that everyone was good at their core. It was paramount that she realize that not everyone was there for her benefit.
Midday errands were my favorite. They were the most relaxing, even though it was becoming increasingly difficult to enjoy thesimple things. It was like trying to eat an apple that kept turning to ash in my mouth.
My mind was still reeling from the night before. I wished so badly that it was a dream. The girls were tiptoeing around me, unsure of what they witnessed. His words had frightened them successfully.
He was ruiningeverything.
In my mindless state, my shoulder collided with someone in the walkway, and I dropped my basket.
“Oh, apologies—” I muttered as we crouched down to gather the small bottles from the snow. My hand came in contact with a hand clad in black leather.
Speak of the devil.
“Watch where you are going,” I growled.
“Good morning, my lethal flower. What happened to pleasant greetings?” Silas laughed.
“That is reserved for decent people, not animals.” I immediately turned back on my path along the walkway.
“What have you saved for an animal like me then?” He hooked his arm with mine. “Hopefully something involving less clothing?”
“Get off me.”
“Have you thought about my deal?” His arm tightened around mine.
“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t entertain such a joke.”
“What happened to the art of bartering?” He frowned.
“It’s called strong-arming.”
“Well, a barter usually starts with anoffer, then youcounteroffer, then I counter?—”
“You don’t have to explain bartering to me.”
“Oh, I wasn’t sure, since you haven’t countered yet.”
“All right.” I stopped in my path to face him. “New terms. No marriage, you adopt the rules of my Nest, and you fund everything.”
