Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“There, now you can do it.”
“So this is what the atmosphere is like up here?”
“The air is pretty thin,” I agree, and she smiles down at me.
“I could get used to this.”
“So you’re saying you want me to carry you around all the time?” I know she’s joking, but I would gladly do this every day.
“I mean, maybe?” She giggles and then reaches for the tree. “But let’s do this first.”
She places the star on the top of the tree, and I keep her there as I hit the button for the light. When it comes on, the whole house glows, including her.
“It’s beautiful,” she says while looking at the tree.
“Beautiful,” I agree, while looking only at her.
Chapter Nine
BELLE
"Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. Since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow," I sing softly to myself as I stare out the window. I didn't think the snowstorm could get worse, but somehow it keeps piling up.
"You’ve got a great voice," Marley says, and I turn to see him standing behind me.
He went to change into sweats and a shirt. Now that I’m seeing him in relaxed clothes, I wonder how this man looks so good in everything he wears.
"Not really," I laugh. "But I'll still do it even if I'm terrible at it."
"That's a good quality to have."
"Terrible singing? I'll add it to my résumé." Which I'm going to need to update sooner than later.
"No,” he chuckles and shakes his head. "When people aren't the best at something, they often don't do it anymore. Or they do it in hiding."
"How do you do that?” I ask, and he looks at me in confusion. “You always say the sweetest things to me that somehow undermine what others have said since I was little."
Maybe it’s because Marley views me in a different light. For some reason, he doesn’t think I'm a mess when he has every right to. I mean, I crashed a car outside his cabin, and now he's stuck with me for who knows how long.
If singing that song makes him think I’ve got good qualities, I’ll keep it up. As of right now, I've got no place to go.
"You need to hang out with a better caliber of people,” he grumbles.
"Hey now," I say, smirking at him. "You're one to talk. You’re up here hanging out by yourself."
"Exactly."
I stare at him as what he means sinks in. He's up here away from the world because of his scar and everyone who judges it. At least that's how it seems to me.
I make my way over to him, needing him to understand that’s not me. I’m not like the people he’s been hiding from.
"I'm sorry that's been your experience with the world. Although I have to admit, it’s lovely up here on the quiet mountain."
"Do you think you'd enjoy living in a cabin all alone?" he asks.
"No freaking way," I respond quickly. Then I swear I see disappointment flash across his face before he masks it. "What I mean is, I couldn’t do it alone. I'd talk to myself non-stop, and that’s not good.” I smile at him as I think it over. “Now if I had someone with me? Maybe a person of a higher caliber like you were talking about. I could do that for sure."
Marley opens his mouth to say something, but my stomach takes that moment to growl loudly.
“Wow, that’s not embarrassing,” I mutter, and he grins.
“Come on, I’ll feed you.”
“We have lots of sweets,” I remind him.
After I unpacked all the food, I set it on the kitchen island for us to snack on.
“How about dinner first?” he suggests before pulling out a chair for me.
“Are you cooking?” I take a seat and raise an eyebrow in surprise.
“Of course.”
“I can help,” I offer. “But be warned, I don’t have a lot of experience. Unless ramen counts, which I make in a small rice cooker.”
“I’ve got it. I made soup earlier, so I was planning on heating that up and making some grilled cheese to go with it.”
“That sounds amazing,” I tell him as I put my elbows on the counter, and he goes to the stove and starts cooking.
“You really think you could live out in a cabin all alone? You wouldn’t miss life in the city?” He turns back around to look at me, and I freeze, my finger outstretched and reaching for a frosted cookie.
“Busted,” I whisper as I pull my fingers back.
“It’s all yours, beauty,” he chuckles as he picks up the cookie and hands it to me.
“You try it first.” I hold up the cookie and offer him a bite.
He hesitates, but I put it closer to his mouth, and his eyes lock with mine. Marley goes in for the kill, taking the bite, and then I do the same. The sugary sweetness fills my mouth, and he watches me with something like hunger in his eyes.