A Look Back: Rennillia Series - Prequel by M. Sembera Read Free Book Online Page B

over.”
    Mr. Roberts took a step closer to my father and narrowed his eyes as he questioned, “You’re not going to offer your condolences?”
    Raising his voice, my father snapped, “Not to them.”
    Mr. Roberts tone turned angry as he questioned, “You have watched the boy grow up and you aren’t even going to go shake his hand?”
    Without waiting for a reply, Mr. Roberts stood tall and glared at my father before softening his expression and asking me, “Rennillia, would you like to walk with me?”
    I was so shocked, I couldn’t respond.
    Luckily, I didn’t have to. My father walked away without a word, leaving me there with Mr. Roberts. Giving me a reassuring smile, Mr. Roberts headed towards the front as I followed. Out of respect, I stayed at his side but kept my pace a step behind. I started to feel anxious the closer we got to Hert. Mr. Roberts went first. I watched him give Mrs. Herterand, who was standing behind Hert, a thoughtful look before holding his hand out.
    Hert greeted, “Mr. Roberts,” taking his hand with a firm shake.
    “If there is anything I can do, please do not hesitate,” Mr. Roberts assured.
    With a nod, Hert accepted saying, “Yes sir.”
    Turning to me, Mr. Roberts said, “I will give you two a moment,” then glanced at Mrs. Herterand again before stepping off to the side.
    I walked around Hert to Mrs. Herterand and hugged her, saying, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
    At first she seemed shocked, then patting my back she breathed, “Thank you.”
    Looking down at me, Hert’s expression was serious. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Forcing a soft smile, I shrugged my shoulder at him. As I started to walk away, he caught my arm.
    Leaning to my ear, he whispered, “Don’t come by.”
    Nodding, I couldn’t look at him.
    I met up with Mr. Roberts and followed him to his car. The driver opened the door for us and motioned for me to go first. Sliding in the back seat, I folded my hands onto my lap. My mind was racing with how sad Mrs. Herterand appeared, the way Hert looked and my father leaving me with Mr. Roberts. Staring at my hands, I pretended I wasn’t on the verge of bursting into tears.
    “Are you alright?” Mr. Roberts asked with a thoughtful tone.
    Giving a slight nod, I replied, “Yes sir.”
    “Would you like to go home?” he questioned.
    His tone was so smooth, I felt like it required an explanation, as I answered, “No sir, my father won’t be happy to see me.”
    Tilting his head to the side, Mr. Roberts inquired, “What does your father have against Scott?”
    Looking up from my hands, I replied, “He isn’t Emerson.”
    With a slight nod he shared, “Emerson is very fond of you.”
    “I like him a lot too,” I assured, wondering where this was going.
    Then the conversation took a strange turn as Mr. Roberts said, “Life is full of difficult decisions. You should be proud of the way you handled yourself today.”
    Unsure of what he was referring to, I questioned, “Sir?”
    After drawing in a deep breath, he replied, “You are very different than I expected you to be. I am glad my son has you in his life.”
    Feeling like I was missing something, I asked, “Mr. Roberts, are you okay?”
    Thrown off by the smirk on his face, apparently he found my question humorous, as he imparted, “By the time you get to be where I am, there is no way to answer that question.”
    Nodding, we silently continued to the Roberts’ house.
    At the Roberts’ house, I was happy to find Emerson already home from school. Mr. Roberts informed us he had business to attend to and would return later. Mrs. Roberts was at one of her Society functions and would also be gone for a while. As Emerson and I headed to his room, I looked forward to seeing how his day went and catch up on anything I had missed over the last few days.
    Sitting on the edge of his bed, I asked, “How’s the new one?”
    Shaking his head at me, Emerson corrected, “Emma is