Uncovering You 6: Deliverance by Scarlett Edwards Page B

. He’s a logical, calculating man. It’d be unreasonable to have such expectations knowing everything that he’s done to me.
    But it makes me uneasy. Somewhere, deep down, I have this niggling sense of… not guilt, exactly, but… pressure . Pressure that weighs me down. Pressure that feels like it won’t relent until I admit that his feelings are not one-sided.
    I roll over and stuff my head under the pillow. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I can never love Jeremy. Never. Not with all that he’s guilty of. Not for the things he’s done to me, to my father.
    I’m alone in the bedroom. I get up, go to the bathroom, and splash water on my face. When I’m there, I catch a lingering hint of Jeremy’s smell. The top of the mirror still has a tiny screen of condensation on it. He’d gotten out of the shower recently. I know he has to go to work, but maybe he’s still home?
    I run out of the room, to the hall, and lean out over the railing. Maybe it’s knowing I spent a peaceful night with him, in his house, for the first time ever, maybe it’s that amazing scent that does all sorts of things to my insides, I’m not sure. But, whatever it is, I want to see Jeremy.
    “Jeremy?” I call out. “Jeremy, are you still here?”
    I strain my ears in eager anticipation of his reply. Instead, a different voice greets me… though one that is no less familiar.
    “Mr. Stonehart left for the office about ten minutes ago, Miss Ryder.” I spin around and see Rose walking towards me. “I’m afraid to say that you just missed him.”
    “Rose!” I exclaim, and rush over to wrap my arms around her. I might not get Jeremy this morning, but seeing Rose is the next best thing.
    “Oh!” she grunts as we collide. She pats my back. “I’ve missed you too, my dear,” she says.
    I release her and step away. So much has happened in those last few weeks that somehow, I expected Rose to look different.
    Nope. She is the same as ever, in that black-and-white maid’s uniform and gray bun of hair atop her head. It’s almost shocking to see her exactly as before.
    A sudden stab of guilt pinches my stomach. Am I more excited to see Rose than I was to see Fey?
    “You look wonderful with a tan,” Rose says. She brings her hands up and touches my hair. “And the sun has lightened your hair.” She gives a coy smile. “No wonder Mr. Stonehart kept you there an extra week.”
    I blush suddenly, and then giggle. Maybe the reason I’m so excited to see Rose is because I don’t need to pretend to be anyone but who I am with her. I don’t need to watch how I act, or what I say. I can be… well, free .
    And freedom is a concept of the highest importance to me.
    Without warning, Rose’s good cheer disappears. She frowns a little, and then narrows her eyes.
    “What?” I say, still holding the smile on my face. “Rose, what is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    She shakes her head and looks away. “Nothing,” she says quickly. “Just surprised a little. That’s all.”
    “Surprised?” I crane my neck to the side. “By what?”
    Rose shakes her head again. “It’s… nothing.” She clears throat. Her eyes dart to the spot she’d once shown me which contained a hidden camera. “Nothing.” I get another smile. “Come,” she says, taking my hand. “Charles has breakfast ready for you, and I’m dying to hear about your trip.”
     
    ***
     
    Over a delicious breakfast of waffles and fruit, I recount to Rose everything that happened post-Portland. I don’t mention Paul, or the revelation that he is my father. If Rose knows about him, so be it. But I’m not about to volunteer that information yet.
    Something’s changed in Rose’s demeanor, though. She tries to hide it, tries to be as she is usually, but she seems… nervous. A tad uneasy. She smiles and nods while I speak, commenting at all the right places. But, her eyes are constantly shifting. She squirms in her seat when she looks at me, almost as if