Page 90 of The Widower
“No. You need your privacy.I just followed my instincts and came to find you.”
“You’ve got good instincts.”
I turned my eyes toward the garden, watching the rain fall softly outside. Everything my mother and I had worked so hard for was practically destroyed, and even the repairs on our house would cost a fortune.
“How’s Hanna handling all this?” he asked.
“My daughter hasn’t stopped crying. Her clothes and dolls are some of the things she loves most in this world, and they were all destroyed.”
My eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t stand seeing her go through something like that, and I had no idea how I was going to fix it. She was still little, too young to understand much.
“That’ll be easy to take care of. I’ll help you buy—”
“No!Stop right there!” I cut him off.“You’ve already done more than enough. You don’t have to.”
“Don’t you think you’re a bit too old to be this proud?”
“Actually, I’m too young for that,” I shot back. “Seriously… please, there’s no need.”
“I’ve got bad news for you: I’m not great at listening to people. I usually just do whatever I feel like. You probably know that by now, but even so, you keep trying to stop me from doing something once I’ve made up my mind.”
“Colin…”
“Life’s too short not to take advantage of opportunities that come out of disasters.”
“And here I thought you were an architect. Turns out you’re a philosopher,” I teased.
He laughed—a rare thing—and that sound still managed to undo me.
“Don’t change the subject. Tomorrow, the three of you are going shopping.”
“On one condition!” I said, stamping my foot.
“Ah… there you go again with that stubborn streak of yours!” he said, clearly annoyed.
“I’ll pay you back every single cent I spend.”
“Fine.” He gave me a mocking smile.
“Fine, really?” I didn’t quite believe him—he’d agreed way too fast.
“If it makes you feel better… it’s all the same to me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s gonna sound arrogant—like everything I say—but tell me: what difference does it make to my bank account if you pay me back or not?”
“Maybe none for you, but for my conscience, it matters.”I crossed my arms.
“Whatever, woman. I get it—I’m talking to the most stubborn person alive.”
I didn’t even notice when it happened, but a few seconds later I was already in Colin’s arms.
I stayed there for a long time, saying nothing. Neither did he. To anyone else, his gesture might’ve seemed small—he’srich, after all—but what he was doing for me and my family was something truly kind, and I hadn’t expected that from him.
If this had been my first day at work and I’d remembered how he used to act back then, I’d swear the apocalypse would’ve come before I ever hugged him.
“You’d better step back. I’m not used to this kind of thing.”
