Two weeks had passed since that first trip into Edgar's workshop. For that period of time, (f/n) had been retrieving the items he needed from the colored boxes, while he worked on various toys. He had even finished the doll with the musical box. Curled brown locks and blue eyes adorned her head now, as a petite nose and smile highlighted the rest of her face.
To add to this, she had traveled over to the workers' house at the back of the main house several times. She would pick up orders and deliver them to Edgar, while also handing Howard the plans for the next toys. (F/n) knew that it would only get busier as the holidays continued to approach. Already the Halloween toys that were on the shelves of the store were going rapidly. The (h/c)-haired girl could only imagine what it would be like once it was the month of December.
In addition, she would have to make errands to the kitchen to refill his glass of water or some other beverage, so he wouldn't have to get up from his work. At other times, she would be forced to stay up well past midnight. Occasionally, this meant staying up until four in the morning. Honestly, she didn't realize how taxing all the running would be. Maybe, it wouldn't be so bad if the house weren't so huge. Sadly, that was something she couldn't change.
Still, she had expected to get to know the workers and the main house staff better, yet their relationship was still the same. Howard would talk to her, but whenever she tried to make friendly conversation, he would sigh and walk away. As for all the others, they would only answer questions regarding work. After they responded to her question, they would go back to being silent. If she inquired about anything besides work, they remained silent; acting like she had never spoke. Overall, it just created a rather cold atmosphere in the house for her. The only person she could actually have a conversation with was Edgar.
Thinking back on this now, while she sat on the bench in Edgar's workshop, she decided that she needed to get out of this house for a day or even a few hours. The only trouble was to get around Edgar. If she ever made a suggestion to go into town, he would insist on going with her. Such insistence nullified the point of heading into town. She just wanted to be away from the house and be alone for a little bit.
Granted, there was the time when Edgar traveled to the store to check the stock. Edgar had asked if she wanted to come, but she always decided against it. To her it seemed awkward to return to the place that she had been fired from. Technically, she hadn't been fired but was just secretly moved up in the system. Still, she just found that she didn't have the desire to return to the store. Besides, she did get to spend her day in a workshop, filled with toys, after all, so giving up the toy store wasn't too big of a deal for her anymore.
With this in mind, she had thought of going into town, while Edgar went to the store. There were multiple obstacles in the way, though. One, the only car driver would be in town with Edgar. Second, she would have to walk to town in the dark, and walking would take hours. Most likely, Edgar would spot her on the road on the way back from the store. Three, she didn't want to walk such a long distance in the dark, especially by herself.
Perhaps, she could see if there was another car in the house's garage. If there was, she could find the keys to the car and sneak off. She did have her driver's license after all, which she stored in her crème-colored crossbody. That crossbody was stored in the dresser with her clothes, since when Edgar had the maid move her clothes into her room; he had considered the crossbody a part of her clothes.
"Is something wrong, (f/n)?" Edgar questioned, breaking her from her thoughts.
"Huh? What do you mean?" she responded, looking over at him.
"I've asked you for a green ribbon several times, and you haven't responded," Edgar stated, putting his work down. "So, what's bothering you? You haven't done this before."
"It's nothing. I was just spacing out. I apologize," she answered, getting up to grab the ribbon for him.
When she walked past him, though, to the proper box, she heard him sigh. Her ears caught the sound of his chair moving across the carpet before she felt herself being turned around. His left hand rested on her upper right arm and vice versa. "Do you need a break?" he questioned, as he noticed a hesitant look appear in her eyes.
"No, it's fine. Like I said, I was just spacing out. There's nothing more to it. Besides, you have a lot of orders to fill, so let's just keep working," she voiced despite the fact that she did want a break. She had just decided, though, that she would take a break on her own terms. Tonight, when Edgar went to the shop, she would sneak into the garage and see if there was indeed another car.
It was obvious that she was hiding something from him, but he couldn't figure out what. Was she becoming bored by her job? No, that couldn't be it. She had clearly indicated on several accounts, over the past two weeks, how much she loved being able to work in his workshop. Of course, she hadn't stated that she loved working with him, but he would catch her staring at him from time to time. It was always adorable how she would look away instantly, when he caught her in the act. There would be that pale pink color on her cheeks, which he adored seeing on her.
Regardless, he would attempt to find out what she was previously thinking. "Let's go get a late afternoon snack. We'll go sit in the garden this time," he uttered, removing his hands from her upper arms. He proceeded to go towards the workshop door and open it. Afterwards, he walked out into the hall and made his way to the kitchen.
Sighing, (f/n) followed him. She had presumed that there was a garden somewhere on the property's vicinity, but she had never seen it nor had Edgar ever mentioned it before. Still, Edgar offering to take her there all of sudden meant something; (f/n) knew that it was probably not a good sign. He had something up his sleeve; he always did. From the many secrets he kept to the unexpected kisses he would give her. There was a high probability that he knew that she was keeping something from him. (F/n) hadn't meant to not pay attention for so long, but the warm afternoon sun, which shone on her back through the window, didn't help. It was so easy to get lost in her thoughts when in that room. With this in mind, it was surprising that she hadn't fallen asleep yet in the room.
Noticing that they had reached the kitchen, she waited in the hall, while Edgar told one of the chefs that he was ready for dessert. He further mentioned where he would be. Soon after, he exited the kitchen and motioned for (f/n) to follow him once more. Doing just that, she noticed that they were now heading for the front doors of the house. "So, why do you want to go to the garden all of a sudden? You usually like to eat in your workshop or the dining room," she mentioned.
"I thought you should see some more of the house, since you've earned it. Moreover, you look like you need a break," he replied, now holding the left front door open.
Exiting the house, she muttered sarcastically, "How considerate of you." She received no answer to this, so she added, "Are you sure that there's no other reason?"
"Yes," he spoke, closing the door after he left the house. "Now, you should stop being so suspicious of your employer when he is being so generous to you. I should at least receive some means of thanks."
"Edgar, breaks are a part of a job. They're expected, and I have a good feeling that you're up to something. So, you'll receive my thanks when you prove that you don't have some sort of a hidden reason for this."
They began to turn to the left of the house, going onto a small dirt path. It led into a miniature forest, where the trees stood tall. There was no way for her to see beyond the forest. Perhaps, there wasn't a garden at all down this path, and Edgar was just messing with her. Such an outcome wouldn't be a shock to her.
He halted his movement and turned to face her. Not too long after doing so, he walked over to her, so that he was only about a foot away from her. Lifting his right hand, he brushed some loose strands of hair away from her face. "What if I told you that I just wanted to spend some time with you outside? What if I wanted to show you something beautiful to demonstrate how lovely I think you are? What if I wanted to share the wonders of my house with you because I find you incredibly precious? Should you really question such motives?"
Standing still, she remained silent. How she wanted to believe those words, which sounded so wonderful to her ears. Why did he have to be so charming at times? She bit her lower lip and wondered how she could answer. He did only say "if" after all; he never admitted that they were true. Her mind seemed to melt under his words, though, and his fingers gliding lightly over her face only made matters worse. "I want to believe you, Edgar, but I ..."
Cutting her off, he replied, "Then let me show you. I promise that you won't be disappointed in what you see."
Locking her gaze with his, she let out soft sigh. "I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to have a small peek at this garden."