Heart of Light Read Online Free Page B

head back, looking up at a ceiling fan before her eyes settled on a second floor landing overlooking the living room. “Makes this room look bigger. Makes this whole place look bigger.”
    “It does.” Benny folded his arms in front of him, watching as Jolene walked through the living room and into the kitchen.
    She cautiously maintained her distance from him, running her fingers across the Mexican-inspired tile on the kitchen counter, the small island finished in the same way. “Is this the bedroom?” She made her way past the kitchen and toward a room with the door closed.
    “Nope. Well, it’s a bedroom, but the master is upstairs.”
    Jolene nodded and pushed open the door, surprised to see a beautiful piano sitting in the room.
    “Wow,” she remarked, turning to face Benny. “And you’re only charging me a hundred a week for this place? What’s wrong with it?” She opened the lid of the piano and ran her fingers across the delicate ivory, a calm feeling overtaking her as memories of her childhood came rushing back.
    “Nothing. It’s not about the money.” He looked at the playful expression on her face as she caressed the piano keys. “It’s just nice to have some warm bodies in here once in a while. It would be a shame to waste the sunrise on an empty house.”
    Jolene smiled at him, excited about being able to see her first sunrise over the beach. It was something she had hoped to experience years ago, but he took that away from her. He took everything away from her.
    “Let me show you the master bedroom.”
    Jolene’s eyes went wide and she immediately grew uneasy about being alone with a man in a place that was completely foreign to her.
    “I’m a good guy. I promise.” Benny stepped back. He could tell that she was hesitant, her momentary relief waning. The playful expression that was on her face just seconds ago was replaced with a look of complete fear, and he could only imagine what she had been through to make her have that reaction. “Or you can go upstairs on your own and check it out if you’d feel more comfortable that way.”
    “I’m sorry.” She gave him an imploring look. “It’s just…”
    He held up his hands, stopping her mid-sentence. “You don’t need to tell me why. Go on. Staircase is just off the living room.”
    Jolene met his gaze, the sympathy he appeared to have for her clear in the way he regarded her. “Thank you for understanding.”
    “You got it, Tomorrow.”
    “Tomorrow?”
    “You won’t tell me your name and I need to call you something. So I’ll call you Tomorrow in the hopes that tomorrow you’ll finally feel comfortable enough with me to tell me your name. Master is at the end of the hallway on the left.” He winked and allowed her to head upstairs before retreating into the living room.
    He tried to figure out what made her frightened to be alone with him and appear to be scared of anyone touching her. He didn’t want to think too much into it. Maybe she had a thing about germs. It was dark and she was in a brand new place with a man she had never met before. It was probably smart to be slightly cautious.
    “It’s perfect,” Jolene said, bounding down the stairs several minutes later, an excited glow about her.
    “I’m glad.”
    She reached into her bag, finding the cash she had stolen from him , and handed a few hundred dollar bills to Benny. “This should cover the first month.”
    He grabbed the cash and stuffed it in his pocket.
    “You’re not going to count it?” She raised her eyebrows at him.
    “No. I trust you.”
    “Trust. I wonder what that’s like,” she muttered.
    “What did you say?” Benny asked.
    “Don’t worry about it. My problem, not yours.”
    “Okay,” he exhaled, making his way to the front door. It was readily apparent that the tall brunette had no desire to divulge any personal information. He reached the door and spun around to face her.
    “Listen.” He handed her a business card. “This is my cell