Page 33 of The Billionaire Benefactor

“He just stopped by to check on me,” Jenny said.

“Ah. In the neighborhood?” Charles said, giving a smile. He obviously knew that Roman didn’t live anywhere nearby.

Jenny felt a mounting tension as the men eyed each other. She put a hand on Charles’ arm. “What’s in the bags?”

He turned back to her, giving a big smile. “Groceries and a few other special things I thought you’d enjoy.”

Charles began emptying the contents of the bags on the counter and it felt like showing off. Jenny wished she hadn’t asked. There were two bottles of wine, some gourmet chocolates, a package of smoked salmon, some cheeses, and some fancy crackers. The second bag had the newest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book for Matt and a pink bracelet for Lucy. Jenny was embarrassed and kept glancing at Roman. She didn’t want him to leave, but also wished he wasn’t here for this. He looked ready to run. What must he think? He stood stiffly on the other side of the island, his hands in his pockets.

“Last but not least,” Charles said. He pulled out a small box that looked like a ring box.

Jenny’s face flamed. Roman took a step back. “Really, Charles. You didn’t need to do any of this,” she said.

“I know. But I wanted to do it. Aren’t you going to open the box?”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’ll open it later,” Jenny said.

Charles smiled and shook his head. “Is she this stubborn with you?” he asked Roman as he lifted the box from her hands.

“Yes,” Roman said, giving Jenny a tight smile. He looked like he was trying to escape, but Charles had made it hard for him to even interrupt to say he was leaving, as though he was putting on a show and keeping Roman there to watch.

Charles opened the box, revealing a small silver ring. Jenny pressed her hands to her face. “Charles,” she said. “You shouldn’t—”

“I know,” he said. “But I did. Here. I think it’s the right size. I’ve heard of women doing this after losing their spouse. I noticed you took off your ring. This one will replace it and stay there until you meet someone new to replace the old wedding ring.”

Jenny couldn’t look up. This felt way too intimate. Was Charles hoping to replace the ring? It certainly felt like it. The thought of wearing any ring from him made her uncomfortable—she didn’t have feelings for him, though she appreciated his kindness. She didn’t want to put on the ring but didn’t know how to extricate herself from the situation. He was already slipping the simple silver band on her finger. He didn’t let go of her hand right away but held it out, examining the ring.

“Perfect,” he said.

Jenny looked past him to Roman, who had an expression she couldn’t read on his face. This couldn’t be more awkward. She felt pulled towards him, even as he backed toward the front door. She tried to hold his gaze, but he looked away.

“I’m going to head on,” Roman called. “I’m glad you’re doing well, Jenny. I’ll take care of that thing for you. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Wait,” Jenny said, but Roman had already escaped through the front door. Jenny gave Charles a look, but he only smiled. “Be right back.”

Jenny threw open the front door. Roman was already at his truck. “Roman! Wait!”

He paused for a moment, still facing the truck, then turned. He leaned against the door, hands in his pockets again as she jogged over to him. “I’m so sorry. Charles is—I don’t know what he is, honestly. But I’m not interested in him. It’s not like that.”

“It is for him.”

“Maybe so. I was thinking he was just being friendly at first. I was hoping he would just stop, but it’s getting worse. I’ll talk to him. But I don’t want to talk about Charles right now. I’m really sorry you and I didn’t get to finish talking. If I’m being honest, though, I’m not sure where I was going with what I was saying. I’m not sure of much right now.”

Roman looked down. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Jenny wanted to close the distance between them, but felt like she needed to hold back. At least for now. “Roman, will you call me?”

He looked up. “Call you?”

“This week, I kept hoping you would. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, and I can hardly tell you how things should work. But I’d like to keep talking. I mean, if you want to call me. Please don’t if you—”

“I’ll call you.” He was grinning, the real smile that hit his eyes and lit up the slate blue. “I want to.”

“Okay, then. Well, thanks for coming by. I guess I’ll talk with you soon.”

“Bye, Jenny.”

“Goodbye, Roman.”

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