“If you insist. You should eat though.” He moved to the side, and she began drying the dishes that he washed before returning to her plate and eating some more.
Tilly didn’t seem to share in her hesitation, eating her fill and talking with her mouth full before she ran into the other room. “Simon cooks much better than you.”
Nora nodded, picking at her food. “Yeah. Well. He spends money better than I do too.” It was quiet for a minute as she finished every bite. “I’ll go take care of the chickens the rest of the way. Did other chores but not them before you got back.”
Simon shook his head as he cooked another pancake over the small gas burner and frying pan. “I already fed them before I went into town this morning.”
“Oh.” Nora’s insides swirled and her brow furrowed. She put down the fork and looked down to the floor.I did want the help.
Simon walked over to the table and bent down to her level. “What’s wrong, Nora?” He touched her hand, folding it in his. “I want to take care of you.”
She blushed at his words, her hand feeling hot from where he held it.Not help, but take care . . .“I don’t want you to do everything, Simon. I’m not like . . . the humans you knew before. It feels good for me to do some too.”
His tone was low and intense. “I feel good providing for you. You are now special to me, Nora. I feel attached to you and Tilly. It feels right. I willingly work for you now.”
Willingly work? For me?Nora squirmed under his gaze.That didn’t sit right with her, the way he said it. It left a sour taste in her mouth despite the delicious food. Nora averted her eyes.“Simon, I don’t want that. No. That’s . . . we work together. We need a balance. If this is . . . going to work.”
“A balance . . . ?” Simon frowned.
Nora felt bad for chastising any of his help. After all, isn’t that why she woke him up in the first place? For help?Everything is so confusing now.
She exhaled shakily, meeting his eyes. “Thank you. I never had someone help me before. It just doesn’t feel right unless we both do it. Also, don’t just leave like that either without telling me. Or take the money. We can be a team but . . . that means working together.”
At that, Simon’s expression brightened. “A team.”
“Yes.” She shook their joined hands.
His voice was soft. “I can understand your points. I apologize. I was impulsive in being too eager to help and overstepped. Back then I was used to taking care of all the domestic tasks myself.”
“Well. You’re so sweet, Simon, to do all of this.” Nora removed her hand from his. She reached for and ate the bit of food Tilly left behind when she ran off to play, not letting any go to waste. The pancakes almost melted on her tongue, delicious despite her overfull stomach. “You do cook well. I never had much practice because ingredients were always expensive to experiment with.”
He waggled a plate in front of her. “Do you want more?”
She chuckled, looking down at the half-eaten pancake. “No. I want to stop eating now. My stomach hurts. Don’t put any more here or I’ll feel like I gotta eat it.”
Simon smiled back at her. “Alright. I got some meat for later if both of your stomachs feel fine. Most of the basic ingredients are the same from my time, but there’s not as much variety. I’ll make you one of my favorite dishes. It should taste similar enough.”
“Okay. That would be . . . great.”
Simon stepped closer to Nora, her heart rate spiking as she watched him move.
He dipped his head low and took her hands again. “Truthfully, you have helped me more than I have you. You gave me back my life. This is just . . . let us learn how to accept each other’s help.”
Nora blushed from his intense gaze. “Okay, but you can’t do it all. I’ll feel guilty.”
Simon took his hand and reached for her, hooking her still-wet hair behind her ears. He looked into her eyes before he smiled. “Okay, Nora.”
Chapter thirty
Simon
Simoncouldn’trememberthelast time he felt as satisfied as he did that afternoon, seeing Nora and Tilly eat and talk with him. He’d cooked almost every meal for his hated mistress, but never once did she thank him the way they both did. He smiled to himself as he stood in the kitchen.And it was just pancakes.
He organized the cupboards the way he remembered liking them, feeling a sense of contentment that only routine and familiarity could give. Tilly came in and out of the kitchen while he worked, putting a doll on the counter to watch him while Nora kept washing the laundry outside from when they were sick. The house buzzed with activity and progress and it felt . . . right.
The drone, he could feel, was just out of sight but still in the vicinity.Still spying.He held his tongue, and his connection, as the drone had followed him the entire morning into town when he went to gather ingredients. It pressed a connection, which he grudgingly allowed, offering him a map of what information they had of the town and where he should go.
A peace offering, in a way. He was thankful for the assistance but also bristled at the paltry help, noting that by giving the map to him they were justifying their surveillance. Yet, it was easier to navigate the town with the framework and was worth accepting to get back faster to Nora.
