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

course at Kingswell University. Since you're an alum, if

if Corley had only offered to return her gloves or invited her to a 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 oversight, she felt even more obligated.

next Friday at 11 a.m. Does that work

no objections and sent an OK gesture in

...

the day they had agreed, Corley parked his car and walked to

shop was on a quaint street not far from Kingswell

decoration that appealed to the younger crowd, making it popular even on

by the window. Roseanne arrived a few minutes later,

record player

song, exuding a bohemian charm. Corley

the gloves in

out to

rich with the aroma of coffee beans, the ambiance neither too cold nor too dry, utterly comfortable. "Do you come here often?" Roseanne answered,

the floor-to-ceiling window, lay a river,

over its edges, dr

in a

layer of snow from