Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SOPHIE
“Sophie,” a voice called my name. Then again. “Sophie!”
Someone sat beside me.
“Hmm?” I hummed, unable to open my eyes. A strange pain in my back made me shift, but the light from the kitchen made me shift back.
I opened my eyes slowly, trying to adjust. Viktor was within arm’s length.
“If you want, I can take you to your room.” He reached his hand out.
“I—I…” I sat up, looking around.
I was on the patio, sleeping on the floor in front of the tea table.
How embarrassing!
Viktor frowned, yet there was no hint of anger in his voice. “What are you doing here?”
What was I doing? Good question. Viktor had excused himself around ten the night before, so I thought it would be good to finish the book and prepare some notes on the highlights I’d made. Maybe even adding my own judgment on things I agreed with and, more importantly, disagreed with.
It wasn’t like I did this specifically for Viktor. It was one of my favorite things, preparing a full-length essay on the books or materials I read.
But considering Viktor wanted to discuss it after he returned from his business lunch, I wanted to be ready.
“Is that?” Viktor reached for one of my papers, and I snatched it from his hands in a split second.
In that split second when our fingers touched, an electric shock went down my spine. I rubbed my fingers, bringing my hand to my chest before my gaze snapped to his. Horrified.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t—” Viktor’s voice shook. “Are you okay?”
I wasn’t. But I wasn’t sure why. I looked back at my papers, embarrassment rising in my chest.
“I didn’t mean this as homework…” Viktor followed my gaze. “I just thought it would be nice to talk. Especially if you liked it. But I appreciate this.”
My eyes shifted toward the window. “I love to annotate and then prepare an essay on things I read.” My voice was raspy from sleep. “And when I start, I usually lose track of time,” I confessed.
“Ah. So into it that you can’t put it down till it’s finished?” I noticed his warm smile in the reflection in the window. “Can relate. I also hate when something is left unfinished. And to be honest, I’ve also fallen asleep in this room. It’s nice here.”
“I like it.” In fact, it was my favorite room in the home.
“It’s even better during summer. We usually fully open the windows on warm days, and it’s like sitting directly in the garden. But I think my favorite is sitting here on rainy days with hot tea.”
“Well,” I said. “In case you had partial memory loss, I’ve been living here since August. I managed to enjoy everything you mentioned.”
He chuckled at my sarcasm. “So, can I look at your notes?” Though his voice remained soft, there was a hint of excitement in it.
“I didn’t finish them yet.” I brought the papers to my chest. There was so much to do yet. I wasn’t sure when I’d fallen asleep, but I wasn’t even at half of what I’d planned to finish.
My stomach tightened. What if Viktor thought of me as incompetent?
“I don’t expect them to be.” His palm opened, shifted an inch toward me, then closed. “I gave you the book not even twenty-four hours ago. Yet you managed to fully read it, annotate, and partially prepare an essay. I don’t know many people who can do that.”
“It’s not like I have anything else to do,” I cut him off.
He shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. It was then I noticed another stack of papers on the coffee table.
“I had a few things to review before lunch,” he said, following my gaze. “Thought I could do them here quickly before breakfast.”
My eyes darted toward the clock. “It’s six.”
“Exactly.” He chuckled. “So do you want me to carry you to your room?”
“You want to work here?” I ignored the suggestion.
“I love to work here during early mornings. But if you want to stay here, I can go to my office. Though, really, it would be nice if you got some sleep. I can see some dark circles under your eyes.”
I covered my face, cursing. My breath probably wasn’t fresh either. And while there was some distance between us, I could smell the soap and toothpaste coming from Viktor.
I stood up, and before hurrying to my room, ordered, “Don’t touch anything! I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“How long did you sleep?” Viktor followed me to the foyer.
“Maybe a few hours? But I also need to finish my summary,” I said, going up the stairs. Then stopped, turning slightly. “If you don’t mind, we can work together.” It was then I noticed Viktor wore not his usual white shirt but a beige cashmere sweater that made him look so much warmer.
I blinked.
“I told you this wasn’t homework. You can do it later.” His voice was steady.
“And I told you I’m obsessed with summarizing my books. I’m not doing this to impress you.”
Viktor shook his head. “Okay, then I’ll prepare some coffee for us?”
“You can?” My eyes widened.
“What do you think you were drinking two days ago?”
“Ah…” So that was why it had been different. “It tasted great,” I confessed without missing a beat before hurrying to my room.
It took me more than a few minutes to take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and change my clothes, and even though I still looked like someone who needed some sleep, I looked at least somewhat human.
I hurried back and was right on time—when I entered the kitchen, Viktor was pouring coffee into small mugs at the counter.
“Here.” He pushed one of them toward me.
“It smells nice. You do this often?”
“Preparing coffee at six o’clock?” He took his cup but didn’t hurry to move toward the patio. “I like to review documents before work. In silence. And with coffee. But Ms. Hale’s usually still in bed, so I learned to do it myself.”
“Am I disturbing the silence?” I asked.
“You’re not disturbing anything.” He leaned against the bar chair. “And when I said I can see dark circles under your eyes, I didn’t mean you look any less beautiful.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. “Stop flattering me.” My lips trembled as I tried not to smile. “And start reviewing your reports.” I gestured toward the papers on the coffee table through the door. And only after taking the first sip, I added, “This is really good. Thank you.”
“If you have time,” Viktor said, setting a slim folder on the patio table, “take a pass at this. One page—objective, options, risks. You don’t need to rush.”
My back straightened. “Related to… work?”
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “It’s an old case.” He tapped the folder. “Nothing sensitive. I’m curious what you’d push.”
My fingers hovered, then closed on the folder. “I can try.”
“Perfect.” He nodded once. “If it’s useful, we can use it.”
A sharp thrill ran through my veins.
The last two weeks had slipped into a pattern: coffee before breakfast that Viktor would prepare since I’d mentioned I liked it; small gifts on some days, mostly in the form of books and writing supplies, which I appreciated most. And dinners that didn’t knot my throat, but knotted my stomach.
I leaned back, pulling the soft blanket onto my knees and studying the folder before looking up at Viktor.
It was warm and comfortable on the patio, behind its glass. And spending time here with Viktor during the weekend, talking or reading, was something I hadn’t expected to look forward to. But a few days of working here had made me realize the patio wasn’t ideal for it.
“Is everything okay?” Viktor asked, his voice soft as usual.
Surely he wouldn’t mind if I asked permission to work in his office. Not that he was using it anyway. I’d only seen him there twice, when he’d had some calls to handle.
I looked into his eyes, warm and steady. He wouldn’t mind at all if I asked.
“Can I—”
Maybe I could arrange something to work in the study in my room?
No! Not in my room. I felt as if someone’s grip tightened on my throat. I could work here. Not that it was uncomfortable.
And the view was great. As the snow outside was starting to melt, it felt as if the spring had come, though it was only the end of January.
“Sophie,” Viktor repeated calmly.
God, I really liked when he called my name.
Not Fifi. Not dove. Not anything else.
I took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time for me to go deep into my emotions when he was still standing in front of me. Once I proved I could handle real business-related issues, I would ask him to let me use his office. I nodded to myself.
Or maybe I could ask for my own? He would agree! I was sure of it.
“Nothing important.” I met his eyes again. “I’ll look into this today. Will you be at dinner as usual?”
His expression didn’t shift, his full attention on me. “Yes.” He waited another second before turning to the exit, but then stopped in the doorway, facing me. “You sure everything is all right?”
“Yes.” I nodded, shifting in my place, already diving into the project in front of me.
“If you want, you can use my office. It may be more comfortable.”
My head shot up instantly, confused. Was I that obvious?
“I enjoy working here, but it’s not ideal for longer work,” he clarified. “Till evening, Sophie.” He smiled softly before disappearing.
I waited until the sound of the main door closing reached my ears before grabbing the nearest pillow and letting a strange sound escape into it.