Chapter Eleven
Shelby rolled over the next morning to find the bed empty. She was shocked at how disappointed she was that Warrick wasn’t there until she heard someone in the kitchen.
After pulling herself out of bed, she walked down the hallway. “Good morning,” she said when she came to the kitchen doorway.
He turned and walked to her. He smoothed the hair from her face. “Good morning, baby. How’d you sleep?”
“Better than I ever have before.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. Are you hungry?”
She nodded. “That smells good. Can I help?”
“It won’t take me long. I’m just making French toast. Why don’t you sit at the bar and talk to me.”
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked as she climbed up on the stool.
“Tell me about yourself.”
She cleared her throat. “Okay, well, I grew in a small town in West Virginia. I have a large family.”
“Are you close?”
“No, we’re not close.”
“Why?” He stopped and looked at her.
“I never had anything in common with them. My brothers work in a factory, the same one my father has for years, and my sisters married out of high school to guys who work at the factory. I was always at the library or reading. I got a second-hand laptop from the money I made cleaning houses on the weekends. It wasn’t much, but it got me obsessed with programming and software. My family doesn’t understand it. I’ve always been an oddball.”
“You’re not. Being different isn’t bad, honey.”
“I know that, but I remember feeling so isolated. I worked a few jobs during and after high school so I could move to the city where there are more jobs.”
“How did your family feel about that?” he asked.
“Relieved. One less mouth to feed. I call them every month to check in with them. I have another niece. I think it’s the eleventh. I don’t think they miss me. Sometimes I feel like they think I never existed. That they’re glad that I’m gone.”
“Oh, wow,” he said. “Eleven?”
“Yeah, my family likes to grow.” She laughed.
“Would you ever want to move back?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. My family is happy there, but I never fit in. I never had a boyfriend because I was always studying. I was hoping to get a scholarship, but my county Education Board didn’t have the means to get one.”
“Do you still want to go to college?” he asked as he put a plate in front of her.
“No. If I can find a job that lets me work with computers and pays me enough to live on, I’d be thrilled.”
“That’s something we need to talk about, but first, eat before it gets cold.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes.
“Do you want any more?” he asked when she pushed her plate away.
“No, thank you.” She watched him when he stood and walked to the sink, where he rinsed out the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
“Come with me.” He held out his hand and pulled her to the sofa in the living room. “Sit here, honey.”