Instantly my eyelids parted. I gazed at him
softly, dreamily. "I have never heard music like yours
before. It scares me. Why is it you didn't play professionally?"
He shrugged indifferently. His skin through the
silk of his thin white shirt glowed with heightened
color. The collar was open so that I could see the faint
sprinkling of dark hair on his chest. I closed my eyes
again, disturbed by all the sensations I was feeling. "I've missed your visits." His voice came to me
soft and hesitating. "I know I hurt your feelings the
night of your graduation, and I'm sorry, but I'm only
trying to protect you."
"And yourself," I whispered bitterly. "You
know I'm nothing but hillbilly trash and sooner or
later I'll embarrass you and your family. I've been
thinking I'd go away. I have enough money saved up
now to put me through my first year of college. And if
I find a job, I can work through the remaining years." Alarmed, he said something that I couldn't quite make out, though I parted my lids enough to see his
concern and alarm.
"You can't do that! Tony, Jillian, and I owe you
a great deal."
"You don't owe me anything!" I stormed,
jumping up. "Just leave me alone from now on, and
I'll not impose on your privacy again!"
He flinched, then raked his long fingers through
his mass of waving hair. His disarming, boyish smile
flashed. "My music was my way of saying I'm sorry
for leaving you alone in the garden. My way of
confessing I've grown too fond of you not to make an
effort to bring you back again. When you're not in the
cottage, I seem to sense you there, and often I turn