Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"What can you do in ten minutes?" The girl asked.

Corley's face was expressionless as he said, "Ever heard how curiosity killed the cat?"

"Sorry."

"Once the money's in your pocket, keep your mouth shut." Corley threatened.

After getting home and showering, Roseanne planned to review a few papers before hitting the sack.

Just as she sat down, she received a message from Corley.

[You left your gloves in my car.]

He attached a photo of the gloves. They were indeed the ones Roseanne wore that day.

It then dawned on Roseanne that she had taken them off after getting into the car because the heating was high. Corley had kindly taken them from her and set them aside.

She had forgotten them when she left.

[Can I drop by to pick them up sometime?]

house has a

an MBA course at Kingswell University. Since you're an alum, if it's not too much trouble, maybe you could show

meal. Roseanne felt their acquaintance hadn't reached that level of familiarity yet. But with him asking for a favor, and considering she had forgotten her gloves, making it her

texted, [I'm free next Friday at

and sent

...

had agreed, Corley parked his car

on a quaint street

a knack for decoration that appealed to the younger crowd, making

a seat by the window. Roseanne arrived a few minutes later, and a waitress

record player filled

with a soothing, foreign song, exuding a bohemian charm. Corley ordered an

He had packed the gloves in a brown paper

out to take them.

coffee beans, the ambiance neither too cold nor too dry, utterly

river, completely frozen over in the

over its edges,

in a

of snow from the