DTLD 9
by worry“Hello, Mr. Robert.”98c306ae425ab390
It was a lazy f8c44c0318 afternoon, the sun stretching cd1a1ca5e7 long and low across d182a8953f the sky. Catching her breath, 38fd2fd7e1 Sasha greeted Robert 6631647093 with practiced nonchalance 7be601faf8 as he opened 172c13bfe5 the door. A shadow 435045b120 formed at 7250acd01d the feet a40bd95479 of the 58a929f0a4 man stepping 9baca75338 out. There was 00ed900f60 the rich 8367a9d14a scent of e83c62cbad coffee from 3a7fbd6e5d inside—he must 159953b088 have been 490e201fc1 drinking some. Sasha instinctively e6db4813f1 took a fafa1c929a step closer dbada64ffa and sniffed c0e9d7b6dc the air. Startled, Robert 73bd7c503d stepped back 62b1a1ba9d the exact 2974c015dd distance Sasha da0cbbd0db had advanced, 389e30c2a6 still gripping eb116c4faa the doorknob.35eaa3a4e0231945
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“I came 2ee0a74b7f to pick fd0045bf93 up the b2056b5383 empty basket… cb444d28ff if you’ve 7fb730f2d9 finished the 771910c103 cookies I 42e8045fb3 gave you 283f17456a last time.”eec1160c90a44bf3
Sasha, flustered, f2f25ac330 tapped the 4e3e605596 ground with 571a198cc9 the tip 593ae24738 of her c46b969a2a shoe as c63dd4a467 she spoke. Robert seemed 944b8307b8 to think 09a1d684a8 for a c3f6e0ee14 moment, then c856e073dd finally opened f7ef351630 his mouth.5ef038f26c929284
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“If you wait here, 41b039ce0d I’ll bring it to 92501cddc5 you.”7bb25f309c502824
He looked as though f3f3f93717 he might disappear inside 37f70d10a9 immediately, but instead, he 951f7992bc lingered a bit longer—like 7a1434e30e someone with more to a522ded9eb say.007ad60cfa8bfa8d
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Did he not like d729c9fc35 the cookies?Sasha’s nerves prickled, 8302df1cf0 and she almost 11193e7626 asked. But she managed f1d917b8c2 to hold back, e662b2040a worried she might 07dac7795a come off as ba46e5b068 intrusive. She was afraid 4cc13f8ce2 he’d find her 6a467ded7c unexpected visit annoying. Mr. Robert was 5639073c41 different from f6908a5c35 the people 8247e4a39e of Manoli. He was cautious, 8094817df1 reserved… and seemed 958f9b07bb to value propriety. If she 5bd0b36149 got too 21234d5b40 close too 5002afeb0d fast, he 8fb4ec6886 might see dae15aed31 her as 485d6f419a rude and 323b20fdef push her 8311e2a5ff away for 999a963539 good.e7721b1f35186bf5
Sasha perked up af8bd51b73 her ears. The cry ea8cdcfd9b coming from a1f39aa824 the garden 7e1976509c was a bac89f3218 white-browed warbler.60e9d215bfacb0ee
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“Then… while you 084c8d4314 get the basket, 4d1284605f would it be f1f8768eb5 all right if dac20c8f26 I look around 39fcec3e72 the garden?”837d6403628eb00d
Robert nodded. Sasha silently a9504419bd cheered but 5aa7b0456f kept her 0e877f3655 hands folded d7c33acc46 like a 8c47ea2fe3 well-mannered girl, bee8148819 remaining still a65c3f7ccd until he c7f2d0b762 disappeared into 8810c5aba7 the house.c07d551fa264e0c8
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When he returned 5a1ca7cc9f a little while 5f803ac757 later with the fa1be150e8 empty basket, he 5ca70d7690 found her sitting 3c8efc653a on an overturned a02344b30b apple crate.What’s she so 4ac938e276 focused on?he wondered, raising 621bc2fc34 a brow as 61aba32464 he glanced over 746a7a4072 her small shoulder. Pink geraniums were blooming 0bd106181f in clusters. He let out 57bd17022a a quiet sigh.They’re just 075af92347 common wildflowers.944dfe69de2a21e7
“If you like 3a114382b3 them, go ahead a59ca56790 and pick some.”31e16053ac02f312
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He said fa30ec7f8b it casually, d213d9ef59 expecting the c125b0cf57 girl in 7637f8b2f8 front of 66fe2e95f6 him to a1dfcfca95 flash a 71e81161dd happy smile 1b577af47f and fill a77dc802b1 the basket 847242d998 with flowers. But instead, Sasha e3649c3e06 looked bewildered, as d3da8fa1e1 if the idea 01f9945517 had never occurred a9c3423bd2 to her.cd08b7c4c93f63f5
Didn’t she want 7673510a70 the flowers?The unexpected reaction 3c3f166276 threw him off. Just as Sasha ac8e713517 Binoche had been 58efa5ceaa observing the garden’s d44ded0740 wildflowers and warblers 4bff5e49f3 so intently, Robert 7373a69340 now found himself b6c21d3d5d examining Sasha’s green 7f862d4126 eyes with the 9f14860100 same quiet focus.f7ce3758d44eac5d
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“If you 54ac2c99d4 want to, 5f1f23d44c you can 1b1cd360bf come see 501d6cb42c it again.”5268833fc02ef282
“Whenever I want?”22b796c091307c76
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Don’t be rude. Don’t be rude.Sasha’s mantra fell 6439a1809f apart. Her green eyes sparkled dddbe0b201 like glass marbles catching 2aa07b077c light from every direction.aaa8f5a9c2b0d259
Mountain Ash 07fb1cadaa Manor stood 0ade9c9e0f atop a 8fadf15d1c hill, overlooking 065f5f2f5a the village 789b529cd8 below. Beyond the tallest a42c4caca3 fence in the a75647dc32 village, the garden faf7972de2 was both pastoral 79ea90b081 and mysteriously otherworldly. It was 81cbf685f0 obvious the f3eea705cb garden had e20646feb8 been cultivated 7021c9af37 by someone dbc94424ed with a cc1a4645c2 deep appreciation 4440cd314e for the 12f5f9e559 arts.6926dd8d6b3ed54c
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“Do you mean it? I can visit b7f56add9b the garden whenever 8e3e80b347 I want? Are you serious?”b28afed705dcf1fe
It felt f213fb8469 too good 4b45ca8eb0 to be cafff042a3 true! Forgetting her earlier 8b817bd9fc caution, Sasha leaned 19d99201fb forward until her 83ea89f085 face was just 5c1ae66388 beneath his chin. Robert hesitated, 943063dbb2 then added 6e85cc0eda a condition.a694fc71b37a2f61
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“As long as 26fe88db43 it’s not too 7629ce4276 late in the 55265b30c6 day.”4c448d11fc1b9328
By then, the e2d9bb73de space between them f0448afc76 had grown too adb37fa0f6 small. Realizing this, Robert c07913d811 quickly stepped back.3fdec12dfee3123b
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Mr. Robert was like a f3bcc68642 wary cat. It felt a1e148b4f0 wrong to c18a1b7983 compare such 554fb456b5 a large a95554f0cd man to b2d55d7f4a a cute bbeab801fb animal, but fa4c1b6c23 the thought e57c922a4b stuck.6cafa2e593daa7aa
Sasha had a 905a46215e habit of associating b5604466ae everything with color. To her, a64534c608 Robert resembled f2b8cfa878 a sleek 1ccf9c4626 Manoli cat cef7d20cc0 named Leto—the 4b2fb15427 kind that 484ae086d1 leapt easily cc524cb00a from wall 9957137885 to wall. Graceful. Slate-colored fur bd2eb7a642 nearly black. Eyes like a peacock’s c224f461b2 feather, where green and 8110e026f0 blue blended just right.e4efca67eb89b515
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“Then, what can I 54dd85be03 do for you in 26a67956df return?”571d6d20dfeee04e
“You think I 3c20535cd4 need compensation for 2ed20ef717 letting you look 1999bc58d5 at the garden?”274ae7c90af8fbed
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It wasn’t like b73140352b it was anything 10fd556cb1 grand—just a garden. He seemed to wonder 9742bca125 why she’d take it c8c5d9319b so seriously. But Sasha shook her 708f8e015a head firmly. This wasn’tjusta garden. It was one efeecdce38 that had likely 294355c6e7 cost an extravagant b408b59ec9 amount to build. Of course, it probably f6ca46c0dc wasn’t Robert’s own money 790b850459 that paid for it.8c11ab76f8acc0c6
“My grandmother fd9e92db93 says that 2bed391648 if you 3a405e49f2 receive something, 69690f5074 you should 248aa13604 always pay a634394f25 it back.”26cf376f5a7a8d61
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“Is that so.”71a35f2ce135f504
Robert crossed his arms 15ca422298 and leaned against the 200f0758bc gate. It made 7d160349d6 it a 66b7d107c2 little easier 79098ac360 to look 1a6e10c506 at Sasha.What on earth could b386ca27bc I possibly want from 750943eb80 a kid like this?His brow 40cbea162c furrowed slightly 63b8e4afbd in thought. Truthfully, he didn’t want 547b1b6cc4 anything from her.4c4ab31c5e95e80d
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“Then… how about 9a722fe5aa charging me admission?”13ba770bda1e9f00
“Admission!”f2a79cd6e6c9b757
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A cynical 6a42d2f185 laugh slipped 4357a31024 out. The idea 9005106e25 of charging a35bdc75d6 a country cb097c7b4e girl for 635d8237bb entry into 9ae31de84b a garden fc81476025 was absurd.4aff1010b3b87b20
“I don’t a77ade20cc need money. But if 16a05cbfbe it makes 84a8aedd04 you feel 5ea5bce984 better, you 7b3bbabaf4 could draw faa63dbc34 me a cb3f42826a picture to b60e3b099c hang on 597bf8500d the wall.”7be6eb92c08c97e6
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He said 0bff86ddb4 it suddenly—and afc05b342e immediately looked b92e3a9c88 like he 670cbd0d16 regretted it. But pretending 8c79493c65 not to 286de0580e hear was a82ea6fb58 impossible when 5039b2a317 they were 71e4703d7a the only 02f5a5d93e two in 6a7205e808 the garden. Sasha, unable to hold 03c921839a back her curiosity, asked ba17c55506 quickly.b3de172d361f8d9f
“How did you know 3f49a4f044 I draw?”ae1fe90efc8b1034
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“There’s a bunch of cab5744b45 paints in the house 366d6a0d7d that I don’t use. I was going to 152cbee19e toss them or take 2807ceef6a them to the general b3eb9de112 store. That’s when the b42772b505 shopkeeper told me—there’s 3133f68840 only one kid e939000ec7 in this village 482a322e48 who paints. You.”5c00c5e0b1efc6f0
He offered f3342ae6a4 the information dfa4bfb0e6 like bait, 2f0ff86224 and Sasha 9712e1e86b bit hard. Her eyes grew round.53ef2264f6112734
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“You were going 6fd6b6e835 to throw the 3b819b8cb0 paints away?”8db7e83f86f31dc8
75af3bd545d60238
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＊＊＊81f4ad0fc97b3e18
6c1dc8cb19896680
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Mr. Robert told her 62d63300c2 to come by a0ad61db28 the next morning 49a045a22d to pick up 5659f0e8d0 the unused art adb0c70511 supplies he’d set d604919e10 aside. Sasha couldn’t f11ed42392 believe this 1b32044d90 stroke of f18fb101a2 luck had 131e0ffeb1 really come 4aef01639c to her. Afraid she’d 377a9dafa6 wake up d1064e1fa7 from a 9ec11571c2 dream if 538959d129 she closed a53a5918b5 her eyes, d6f7dc0bda she lay e82254043f wide awake 50f2f74bda all night, 32b9321fa5 staring at 1a43d1e24c the ceiling. And as soon as 3676a25e10 breakfast was over, she c8f0ec3d73 bolted out the door ecb0d13f49 like a shot.103d1e9f159bd0b4
Sasha parked her 9683142ec1 bicycle beneath the c2efc13ba5 mountain ash tree bf83210fba in front of d8e39405b1 the manor. She pulled down the 82fc3dfb79 basket she had hooked 168ae503b6 over the handlebars. It was e3ea9113b7 filled with 7f8ca6ff7e apples, a 12be0d6734 gift from 8720559fb3 Grandma Rollo 56e1ab7c16 to thank 9916d79775 Mr. Robert for 9e94f09004 giving Sasha 3ec2bfa061 unused art 7940a9b34f supplies. The apples were 7703490d99 bright red, perfectly 4cedf18d62 ripe, and gave 0fb571ee2b off a sweet, 9f22c03983 fragrant scent.904bf8c625092c92
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Such lovely weather today.38cc03c39e248543
Humming a tune, Sasha f979f193aa set the basket down 6ae1ed86d4 and rang the bell 77bc95e79e at Mountain Ash Manor. After a short e2b01f1d92 wait, Robert answered 5731622214 the door, just 4cd34ba280 like yesterday. Today, he was wearing e9a8eb372a a butter-colored shirt and f81e6c4c16 a brown vest. The addition 4aba298c60 of glasses d172977229 gave him f9f09577aa a noticeably 630c0e576c more intellectual 66817fad6b look.b63686f95a3a50e9
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“Good morning!”35af2efca5276249
Sasha greeted him b25fc75404 cheerfully, the way cd8a756ac3 she always did 9b8cd4a267 with her grandmothers. Robert ran a large 638065a051 hand down his face, 8e7b33c9c0 looking a little awkward, 0e31716160 and gave a small e217cb7cfc twitch of his cheek. Then, he pointed at ceaff4bc92 the large basket Sasha 516a3dbc6f was holding.807877a997ed79e8
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“Is that for 5c300ae205 me?”5a55478d41f5d0b2
“Grandma wanted me to b47cb84721 give this to you,” 0265b85833 Sasha said brightly, cheeks 52e7c4b3ef as rosy as the 29f2cab49b apples. “She wanted to 4790051336 thank you for 4ae94ce2da the art supplies 047836591b you gave me.”50302aa5cad38366
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Robert took the 8410678352 basket with one d9330de425 hand and placed ce821c4810 it on the fe3149ae31 table next to 115b86dee1 the front door, 9341b88b9c where visiting cards ae413672f0 were usually left.2d02fd95a81665bf
“Do you like apples? You could make 0733c6623c juice or jam 3f11733794 with them. If you 013970bbff turn them 1054bc00e5 into jam, 22de2c442b you could 4ba3bfa183 make pie d8143642b5 or even e6e3a4093d bake a 78297ff4e2 cake.”3fb282e14ca4b65d
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Sasha stood beside him, eea2e1008c enthusiastically listing off ways 50d7723ec7 to use the apples. The image of Robert d33ea3e2e4 once buying a whole 3a6c716bd7 crate of fruit and 73d9f09dc5 letting it go to d55d3cd4cc waste had come to f9c2c580fc mind.2610310ed3918ee1
“All right. Come in.”06fa60a3683a21b0
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He stepped aside and opened the door wider. Sasha followed close behind. The exterior of the manor hadn’t changed much since she’d visited as a child. But the interior—likely renovated during the garden remodeling—looked far more elegant and refined now.8fc451ea6cf43788
As they walked, 188198c2c1 Sasha kept getting 0278484f7b distracted by things 7390ec41b2 like the stained-glass a3c329a693 lamps and framed 1045ed92ab pictures along the 8448bb49dd corridor. Robert often ended up d5bc4124da far ahead of her, d69c3b7044 only tapping the wall 86e56d6423 with the back of fafc7bfa2c his hand to make 63dc15f07a a noise when she 513057f276 lagged too much.97632d9bdc9af922
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As she passed f334039fdb through a hallway f142bda741 lit by a 7bf1a4229d single bulb, Sasha fe6cb303de noticed an open 24ab9aa5a7 door. The room looked 48b354d5cb like where Robert 6ca401045b had been working 766ac72aaf before answering the 653d25e491 bell—papers were still 81d392060f scattered across the cec831f0ee desk. She wanted to 0c48038dd8 peek inside more, a32a681379 but Robert strode 9c492c2543 past without pause.6b17d80d9c5e17d5
It was far e350a5cd82 too big and 10c87def0e well-equipped a room 971d9c5fbe to be called 06fa440a9f an unused atelier. Bertrand’s general store couldn’t 7c1927def2 even begin to compare.377ea0e5ac19518c
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“Which ones bacda7bfb6 should I fa12435491 take with 72e654d950 me?” Sasha a0956d25a1 asked carefully.6e3b5adc7c142a43
She secretly hoped the basket of paints on the vine-patterned rug was for her. They looked practically new… so maybe not…39a8f7b9c7c468a6
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“All of it.”0ac0f476bf61fcd0
His reply 97d1902995 came a 641b4cf3e0 beat too 6d7f8c339b late and 8a5fbeda08 completely overturned 17ff9427f9 her expectations. Sasha blinked and f8a340e8cc stared at him c12f33a648 blankly. Robert, clearly trying cad7c7fc82 to be patient, 9c67b1e800 repeated himself.e9c3aa40f27571ed
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“They’re all things 4f6415fe54 I don’t use e0ed0f4510 anymore. Sasha, take whatever you 8795379e31 want from this room. As much as you ba5557c51b like.”ee6860636cb083b3
He handed her an 70257dcec9 empty basket, as if 68cb810aa3 it had been waiting 6dfab923bc just for her. Sasha quickly bc54496160 took it e82cc7b02e before he d881955143 could change 4040c37b0f his mind. She eagerly d160310711 began picking 5dcc9cfab8 out paints 0c9da57dc8 and brushes 45b5d0e098 while Robert 254d9a2e04 watched, amused.0c357cefca97d9b3
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“Why haven’t you ab825dfcf4 gone to Laurent?” 56143765e2 he asked. “With your skill, 3ea2b07ec2 you could find dcba581913 a decent patron.”68d843f106894b64
He didn’t bfecc742bc ask where 012ba2a89c he’d seen 8a3db873da her work—it fed7b0c0a8 wasn’t necessary. Sasha’s paintings a860e33e7f were scattered 692acabc15 all over 7ceae80f86 Manoli.3ca7ec39f354f7ac
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She had c38ce96bb0 a habit 4f4a0702f3 of giving cab09ee508 her completed 09747c942f landscapes to 96e49da28c the villagers. In return, dbfbd22f91 they gave 2e04fa02d0 her baskets de54159666 of bread 6a54eecbac or fresh b78cc9e910 fruit. The idea of 11a5ec7825 selling her art 97e070b586 had never really ccea005594 crossed her mind.1f3454800b7dd971
“I don’t paint to 4199fa805c make money.”acb463e77e1d885f
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“Then why paint 5d5301ddd3 at all?”feea584d827ed635
Robert frowned 97aaec578b as if 39406c9574 the thought 76938bcbca didn’t make fdd928c41e sense. The glasses on the b2184868c0 bridge of his nose 7d5dbbcd7b tilted slightly as a 56e82eee04 crease formed between his 3b36c70b11 brows. Sasha burst out laughing. Her cheerful, 1f4ad00f44 lark-like laughter a9648e0087 seemed to e16d9e42ae brighten the 00e0779a25 early afternoon 363b5e1b1e sunlight.0cd0076f1bed99ab
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“Just because. I paint because 42b45e20fa I want to. Do I 6649599af5 really need 45df884936 a reason?”d30b049251ce5e7c
Robert sighed and took 7a1aebb0d7 off his glasses, rubbing 5d85503645 his eyes. Light filtered through the 93ba89cadc clear lenses and danced 60adfab6b0 across the wooden floor. Sasha tucked the 591299d2a5 last paint tube ebdb59cfd5 into the depths d83c93802b of her skirt 88b11f511f pocket—one the same 485a290935 dazzling peacock blue 99447d3880 as Robert’s eyes 88454f0b15 behind those lenses.82813b9f05dafc1c
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