Huib had slept badly. He couldn't get Margreet out of his mind. Though he'd noticed she was insecure and had a deeply negative image of herself, the first impressions he'd gotten had been special. Somewhere deep inside a fire had been kindled and that was completely new to him.

He had flirted with girls in the past, but it had never gone beyond kissing and playing with their hair a bit. He hadn't felt anything special about it. It had been more of a part of life. He hadn't felt the need to explore the women's world further. The girls around him had never evoked anything in him that could leave him wanting more.

But Margreet… With Margreet it was different. He'd already felt that click when reading her application, but had thought it was about business alone, that he'd only known to hire her. During their first conversation in his office, he had experienced it much more deeply. He was shocked by what he had felt and seen in her eyes. She had touched his heart without her noticing. And now he was at loggerheads with himself, longing for her much more than he should for a colleague.

He realized that he had to be very careful with that desire. She was a kind young woman, nice to look at, beautiful flowing hair and beautiful green eyes, but she was broken inside. So insecure about herself that he suspected, actually knew for sure, that there was a deep pain behind it. He should be careful with her, very careful. Most importantly, make her feel like she was okay, valuable and…

Pfff it had continued to haunt him in the darkness of his bedroom, what he could do for her, and what he should not do. He had to be careful to curb his growing desire for her. She wasn't supposed to notice, she wasn't ready for that yet. It would be better if she started to see him as a sort of brother. For the time being…

.

After a few hours of sleep, he had woken up with a headache. He had woken himself up with a splash of cold water in his face and was drinking his first cup of coffee in his own house. The headache became less severe, the little that remained was well tolerated.

He decided to have breakfast half an hour later than usual so that he wouldn't have to see the women for a while. His mother would understand, she had probably already realized more than he had yesterday. Even Anton Veth had seen it. He sighed deeply, stepped outside after his second cup of coffee, took a deep breath of the fresh autumn air, and walked leisurely to the guest house.

His first job after breakfast was to clean the living room. He put some leftovers in their place, ran a cloth over the tables, and picked up the vacuum cleaner.

When he was done, he looked at the result. He was satisfied, it looked quite nice again. The longing in his heart to be able to make more of it, by making new furniture, he hid deep. He didn't have time for that yet!

He got himself a mug of coffee in the kitchen, only gave the ladies a quick greeting, and went to his office.

“Well, well, my son isn't very talkative. He must have his head elsewhere. The administration bothers him, he hates that kind of work and it piled up quite a bit in the early days after Erik's death. Huib first had to get used to it, to understand how Erik had organized everything. That had cost him quite a lot of time. And only then he could start processing the entire pile of letters and bills.”

Margreet listened with a frown in her forehead. She thought… “Is it financially possible to hire someone for a few hours a week to do that job?”

“Huib and I have already discussed that, but at the moment it is still somewhat doubtful. First of all, we are happy that you joined us. All the housework that has to be done in the morning, I did it the past few months together with Huib. I've asked him to do the living room in the morning, and maybe help out, but for now I want to give him a little more time for the administration. If he had done that, we already may know more about the number of days that the rooms are booked for the coming months. Then we can determine whether we can give someone else the administration. It would indeed only be a few hours. But now, work to do! We have to tidy up the buffet in the dining room, clean the downstairs toilets and hang up the laundry. Then the bed linen can be washed… and then we've had the most important thing, I think. Then it must be almost time for our lunch. Do you already have an idea of ​​what you want to do this afternoon?”

As they worked together, Margreet told about her list, what she wanted to look for at the thrift store. Annerieke thought it was a smart idea, she knew the store well, and she also liked going there because they had so many things, so many beautiful things, for small prices.

“I got a call yesterday of one of their employees. She had left something for me, and she asked if I might be interested in it. I'll ask Huib to pick it up this afternoon. Now if you go together and take the pick-up, if you find some bigger things, you can easily take it with you.”

Margreet had actually felt like going to the store alone. Huib had been one of the subjects that had made it difficult for her to fall asleep last night. She too had been hit, different than Huib, but their contact had done something to her. It had pleasantly surprised her, but because of her deep insecurity about herself, it had been a coming and going of thoughts in her head. It had seemed as if all those voices had suddenly become extremely nervous...

On the other hand, it was useful if she could go with Huib. Then she would know the way next time.

Annerieke laughed: “You have to think about it for a long time! Did you have other plans? Would you rather go alone?”

“No, I had planned to do that at first, but it's okay, it's more convenient to go together, he knows the way. And if I have to carry bigger stuff, it's indeed easier in a pickup truck than in my small cart,” she said with a blush. Ugh, miserable that she always changed color so easily! Annerieke saw it, but wisely said nothing about it.

“If you go this afternoon, don't worry about the time. Today you don't have to help with cooking.”

They went on working quietly. Margreet enjoyed hanging out the laundry.

When everything was ready, Annerieke announced that it was time for lunch.

“Huib! Are you coming for lunch?" she called to the office.

“I'll be right there!”

To chapter 10. The thrift store, a party in itself!

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