Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Only part time.”
“He’s being humble,” Lavinia interrupted. “Sigmund actually owns The Bainbridge. He bought it from me when I couldn’t afford to keep it any longer. He saved this place from being shut down.”
I looked over at him. “That’s commendable.”
“Not really. I needed a place to crash when I’m in Westfordshire. And Lavinia is a good drinking chum.” He looked out toward the road a moment. “I won’t be staying here this week, however.”
“You live in London normally, right?”
“Yes.”
This guy was not going out of his way to make me feel welcome. He did not seem comfortable with me being here, and I had to wonder if Phil and Kate had steered me wrong.
“Well, let’s not all stand here in the middle of the driveway.” Lavinia waved toward the stone structure, covered in vines. “Come on in. Make yourself at home.”
As I followed her into the house, I could hear Sig’s footsteps behind me.
The walls in the living room were painted dark green. There was a fireplace in the center and gnome statues scattered about the room. The coffee table looked handmade, as if someone had chopped down a tree outside and carved it.
We passed a small piano that looked like it had been collecting dust on the way into the kitchen. When I breathed in the spicy aroma of something cooking on the stove, my stomach grumbled.
“I’ve put on a pot of stew for dinner,” Lavinia announced. “Do you eat meat?”
“I do. It smells delicious. Thank you so much for doing that.”
The kitchen cabinets were painted light green, and there was a small center island in the same color with a wooden butcher-block countertop. Porcelain figurines were arranged on fixed-bracket wall shelves.
“We’ll eat about six, if that works for you,” she said.
“That sounds perfect.” I nodded, having no idea what time it was.
Sig finally spoke. “Lavinia has to limit her trips upstairs. I can show you to your room.”
“Don’t give away my weaknesses so soon, Sigmund,” Lavinia said from behind me.
I smiled at her and turned to him. “That’d be great.”
He picked up my suitcase and ascended the stairs. I followed, unable to escape the view. Through his dark jeans, I could see Mr. Benedictus had quite a nice ass. Totally inappropriate observation to make about Britney’s husband? Maybe. But Sig was a beautiful man—on the outside, at least. And he was definitely older than me, maybe somewhere in his thirties.
He opened one of the rooms and set my suitcase in the corner. The bedroom had floral wallpaper and a four-post bed. The large window offered a view of the narrow road at the front of the house and farmland in the distance.
“This room has the nicest view and its own loo.” He walked to the other side of the space. “There’s a small wardrobe if you wish to hang up your things.”
He made it seem like his job was to give me a quick tour of this place, rather than get to know me. It was as if he’d forgotten why I was actually here. The man hadn’t made eye contact with me since we arrived, and I had to wonder if he was still upset about me hitting his car.
“I feel like we got off on the wrong foot, Sig,” I blurted.
“Why ever would you think that?” He raised a brow as he finally looked at me. Not even a hint of a smile, though.
“Okay. Well, hopefully you’ll lighten up as the week progresses.”
“Is your being here contingent on that? Because I’m not known for my bright and cheery demeanor. I’m more of a miserable fuck, in general.”
“I can see that. You’re not exactly giving a welcoming vibe. But I can’t figure out if it’s because I hit your car or something more.” When he continued to remain silent, I got straight to the point. “Are you not okay with the surrogacy thing?”
“If I weren’t okay with it, you wouldn’t be here,” he said, looking out the window.
“Then it’s me you’re not happy with?”
“I don’t even know you.”
“Okay.” I rolled my eyes. “Good talk.” I looked down at my shoes.
“I’ll let you unwind.” He took a few steps back. “See you at dinner.”
“Yeah,” I murmured. “See you then.”
CHAPTER 4
* * *
Abby
Track 4: “Mean” by Taylor Swift
Feeling jittery, I sat down on the bed and bounced my legs. I found my phone and texted my dad to let him know I’d arrived safely. I didn’t have the energy to fill him in on anything more than that, so I opted not to call. I had very little nice to say so far, and I didn’t want to worry him. I could only hope this cold reception would change as the night progressed.
After a few minutes, I walked over to the window and looked out toward the beautiful green hills across the road. Then I spotted him. Sig was outside, right near the weathered sign with gold lettering that spelled The Bainbridge. He paced a few times before planting himself on a stone ledge at the point where the driveway met the road. He dropped his head into his hands for a moment before looking up at the sky. His legs bounced, and he seemed anxious and upset.