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the heir to the Standard Oil name, and money
A week had passed since Estella arrived in Rhode Island. There were several things to fix with the old house. After all, it had been over 10 years since anyone had come to visit. Now Estella had to worry about fixing the leak in the master bedroom, so much for starting a new life.
She needed to go into town to find a repairman or suffer the consequences of the leak. She was in no mood to hear the drip, drip, drip of the leak. Luckily the nearest town was a short walk away
Traipsing into town, Estella peered around, hoping to find a repair shop. The town of Westerly was fairly small but it stretched out for a couple of miles, miles which Estella had to walk. As a newcomer, Este knew she had to ask for someone's help but her stubborn self wouldn't allow it.
Walking deeper into town, she came across much busier streets, bustling with people. Her rubber heels hit the ground and she kept walking on. Este would be home by nightfall if she didn't ask anyone where the repairman's shop was. Swallowing her pride, she asked a stout lady clad in a solid blue top and a white pleated skirt.
"Excuse me, ma'am. Sorry to bother you but would you happen to know where the repairman's shop is?" Estella asked, mustering up a smile. The lady smiled at her before answering the question. "Keep going straight and you'll find Henry Edwards' shop." She pointed to a small black building almost minutes away.
Estella followed the lady's directions and finally ended up in front of the building. It was a small building, with ebony brick making up its walls. Nothing like the repair shops in Missouri. She just hoped that the cost would be cheap, she didn't exactly bring an entire fortune with her.
Opening the door to the black building, the ring of the bell alerted the people inside. Peering inside, Estella couldn't see anyone in the shop. "Hello? Is there a man named Henry Edwards here? A lady told me that you're a repairman?" She called, hoping someone would answer.
A loud thump echoed throughout the draft building, startling Estella. A voice called out from what appeared to be a smaller room. "Sorry, yes, I'm here. Just give me a minute ma'am," A masculine voice groaned.
A fine-looking young man appeared from the small room. He had dark hair and was slightly tanned. A dimple was embedded in his right cheek. "Sorry about that, I hit my head on the ceiling, either this building is getting shorter or I'm getting taller," He smiled at Este, who had a puzzled expression. Was she supposed to laugh?
"Uh, anyway, I am Henry Edwards, the repairman here. What can I do for you today?" He said, with his hand out. Estella reluctantly shook the man's hand. Something felt oddly familiar about him.
"Estella. I have a leak in my ceiling, so I was wondering if you would be able to fix it. The noise is driving me crazy," She explained with her wild hand gestures.
"Of course, I can come by now if you'd like. I'm about to close the shop." He mentioned. Estella nodded in confirmation. "Yes, that would be lovely. I live upon the coast, the white saltbox house."
"Perfect, we can take my car, so it'd be a little faster. Unless you're into walking a few miles?" He joked. This man's jokes were painful, Estella couldn't bring herself to smile. "The car is good." She stated, following Henry out the building and into his sleek black car.
Estella wished the drive up to her home had been silent but it wasn't, Henry couldn't keep his mouth shut. She has just met the man, and he had a variety of things to talk about, although it was nothing that caught her interest.
They had finally arrived at her house. Estella led Henry to the source of the leak and he followed suit with his toolbox.
While working on the leak, Henry took a quick look at Estella. She was captivating. Her ebony hair flowing down, stopping right at her shoulders. "Say, are you new in town?" Henry asked.
"I guess you could say that. This is my family's vacation home. I've moved here permanently." She answered, eyes focused on the leak. "Quick question, I feel like I've seen you somewhere. Do I know you?" Estella asked hesitantly.
Henry laughed and stopped working on the leak for a second. "You might've seen me with my father in the papers. Does the name Standard Oil ring any bells?" He inquired with a slight smirk.
Her gaze widened with her mouth slightly ajar. "Your father's Nathaniel Edwards, the founder of Standard Oil, no wonder you look familiar. You're almost a splitting image of him," She announced.
Henry nods and finishes patching up the leak. "You're not wrong there, many people do confuse me with my father even though he's a crippling old man." Another dry joke, what fun.
"Well, the leak is patched up, and now you can finally sleep in peace." "Thank you. How much does the repair cost?" Estella asked, looking for her money bag.
"It's free of charge, consider this my house warming gift," Henry said, brushing her words off. Estella let out a sigh of relief but still felt a little guilty.
"Are you sure, at least let me pay half," She offered? Henry shook his head. "You can do one thing though. Come with me to dinner maybe? Tuesday night? If you're free, of course." He said with a sly smile. His eyes didn't meet Este's.
Este felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Dinner? With the heir to Standard Oil?
"We'll see. Now you should get going and let me sleep." Estella stated, not saying more. Henry smiled at Estella. "Have a nice night Estella." Estella led him to the door and shut it as he trudged down the steps.
It's only been a week and Estella already had a date. Now she just had to figure out what to wear.
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