The following days after the dinner, Soren was in the house more often than before. However, he still seemed to be working in the study or on phone calls most of the time. Meanwhile, I had been busy reading the books Lola dropped off. Or, in other words… I had been busy keeping myself busy. “The Isles of Denali consist of over a hundred small islands, many of which have their own unique culture…” “…Although the islands do not have as abundant natural resources as the East continent, their comfortable climate, variety of sea products, and unique cultures still make them one of the best choices for those who are seeking a peaceful and relaxing lifestyle. They hold special appeal for those who are from the far deserts of the West continent…” I was flipping through the travel magazine on my warm cozy bed under the morning sun when I heard a knock on the door again. “Come in.” I called out softly, expecting to see Lola. She normally dropped off breakfast for me around this hour. However, no one opened the door. I waited for a few more seconds and decided to check who was out there. I opened the door and came face–to –face with Soren‘s bright smile. “Good morning, Ro.” He paused, as if he was trying to find a way to phrase what he wanted to say. “I happened to just be passing by, and thought to myself, ‘Maybe I should check on her. I just need a good excuse.“” He always had a way of starting fun conversations, I reflected. I looked at him with a smile and said nothing, knowing he was going to continue talking anyway. He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged with a smile. “It took me like ten minutes to get the courage to knock. Then I kinda forgot about my excuse.” I couldn‘t help but chuckle. “Do you remember now?” “Oh–” he replied with a jokey grin, “I was thinking about starting with, ‘I don‘t want her to starve,’ so I was about to bring you everything from the kitchen. But then I thought maybe it wasn‘t good for you to start your day with anything greasy, so finally I settled on bringing you this special blueberry jam.” He held up a glass jar, and I could smell the delicious blueberry scent even without the lid open. “So,” he continued in an exaggerated tone of voice that once again made me smile openly, “if you haven‘t had breakfast yet, I highly recommend giving it a try. It‘s a secret island recipe. The berries are from here, picked with love.” The jar itself was shaped like a cute bear, and it reminded me of the person who had just gifted it to me. No one could resist something adorable like that, so I accepted my newest gift from Soren as he handed it over to me. Sometimes his silly sense of humor made me wonder how he managed to handle such a big island as an authoritative figure. “You are just too kind. Um, would you like to come in?” I figured that was the appropriate thing to ask. “I was just wondering when are you going to ask me that.” He blinked a few times, but his lighthearted tone assured me that it was safe to be alone with him. He took a seat on a chair across the room, keeping a safe distance between us.copy right hot novel pub