Celine sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'd like that, Willem, really, but...you're sure? I mean...I haven't been too much of a bother?" She was the only woman, after all. She had to ask for her own peace of mind.
For what? she wanted to add, but didn't. If she confessed her slowly growing feelings for him and he rejected her, she'd be right back in the pit of despair that he was currently trying to pull her out of.
Then again, there were others. None of the men were quite like him of course, but there were others she could see herself being happy with. She suspected that this might be part of Willem's reasoning, and accepted that he might be trying to help her. Plus, the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, or so her mother had said, and she knew he liked her cooking, so maybe it was just a matter of time. And even if not, even if she never found love again, ever, she had grown to like it here.
That was reason enough to stay. The men could be her family now. If they all cared about her as much as Willem seemed to, they would make fine big brothers. She did miss her older brother Leon so, and she didn't really have a father figure anymore, although being that Barto liked to work with his hands, he reminded her of her father a great deal. She would have to tell him that, sometime.
"If you're sure about it, then I'd love to."