“Fine. Just ask me whatever you want to ask. I can’t concentrate on my driving if you keep staring at me from behind,” said Emery.
I chuckled out loud. “If you say so. But keep in mind that I have no interest in meddling with your private life. What happened between you and Alexander? He’s been courting you for so many years, and that proved his sincerity. If I were you, I would give him and myself a chance. Don’t you agree with me, Summer?”
“That mister is courting Aunt Emery?” Summer shot me a question instead.
“Yes.” I nodded in reply and joked, “What do you think?”
“I think he’s okay,” Summer replied rather briefly. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was mimicking Anthony’s attitude as a man of few words. Her reaction to the relationship between a man and a woman was way too calm.
However, before I could further explain Emery’s past with Alexander, she continued, “I think that mister can’t handle Aunt Emery. After all, every couple must have equal footing for the relationship to be long lasting.”
“But—”
“See, even Summer knows what’s wrong between us,” Emery cut me short.
I merely shrugged in reply.
Emery continued, “Honestly, he can’t handle his father and his family too. His relationship with his father hasn’t been too good ever since he became an actor and received an Oscar. If he gets involved with a divorced woman, their relationship will worsen. All prominent families are the same. It’s a sin for a woman to marry more than one time. I’ve seen such a situation so many times, and I’m not looking forward to going through that. Plus, I don’t need a man or a marriage to live my life.”
The entire time, Emery’s hand was loosely placed on the steering wheel as if she was talking about someone else’s story. However, I detected a hint of regret in her voice.
When we got to a crossroad, Emery hit the brake lightly, and the car stopped in front of the red light.
She continued, “The Zimmerman family has found him a fiancée. She’s a gentle and obedient girl from a good family. She’s suitable for a family of soldiers. He tried to hide the engagement, and he thought he did a good job. But unfortunately, the walls have ears. Everyone knows about the engagement now. In a movie, he’s someone else’s groom, and in reality, he’s someone else’s fiancée. So what’s that got to do with me?”
I never knew that Alexander had such a complicated family background. My heart was swarmed with mixed feelings. After a moment of silence, I only managed to say, “Maybe you’re too pessimistic. Alexander’s young, but he dares to pursue his dream. He might try to persuade his family for you too.”
“Treat it as me being selfish, then.” Emery raised her head and met my gaze through the rearview mirror.
From the reflection in the mirror, Emery looked beautiful and independent as always. Although time had flown by, her beauty remained the same. After all, time was kind to those who were willing to spend money on themselves.
“A family of soldiers has a lot of rules and principles. I’m not the kind of woman who would willingly abide by those rules, either at work or at home. Even if he’s willing to help me in dealing and explaining to his family, he will be tired eventually, and I don’t want to see that. For this reason, I should stay away. Plus, by keeping a distance, nothing will happen to the both of us, and we can still be friends in the future.”
In Love, Never Say Never
As she finished her sentence, the light turned green. Emery hit the gas and continued with the journey. “Life is just the same as the traffic lights. When it’s time to go, go, and when it’s time to stop, stop. You cannot hesitate.”
The car sped away as Emery floored the gas. Her breakup with Hunter was rather recent, and accompanied by her constant frown and straight face, most men would stay away. I wondered if Alexander would be one of them.
Arriving at the intersection near our house, I saw John and Emma in the car from afar. It seemed that they were heading in the direction of Coldbridge. They both carried the same sullen expression and didn’t talk to each other.
Emery left right after she dropped us at the front door. She declined my invitation to meet the kids, stating that she was tired.
Tired, or troubled, only she could tell. Given her personality, it would be a futile attempt for me to pry if she refused to speak about it.
Before I could get into the house, I heard Audrey commanding Shaun and Gregory.
“No, Greg! Not like this. You have to put it here! Don’t you agree, Shaun?”
When I heard her energetic voice, my spirit lifted. I walked in and teased, “What are you guys doing? Is Greg not doing as well as Audrey?”
“Mommy! Summer!”
When Audrey heard me, she threw away whatever she was holding in her hands and ran toward me. She then threw herself into my arms and let me pick her up.
“Good girl.” I smiled at her and brushed her nose gently. “What were you doing?”
“We were making lanterns!” Audrey announced proudly in a pitch higher than usual. “Audrey was the fastest to finish it!”
“Really? You’re so amazing! Let Mommy have a look,” I praised while walking toward the living room.
The couch and the coffee table were scattered with parts of the lanterns. There was also an item sitting there that barely looked like a lantern.
“Is this the one you made?” I tried my best to act surprised and carefully examine the lantern. I wanted Audrey to be proud of herself.
“Yes, yes! I did it myself. No one helped me! Praise me, Mommy!”
“Haha… Audrey is the best! You’re smarter than Mommy! Well, since there are so many materials left, why don’t I make one with you all? Can you teach me?”
“Okay.”
I gently patted Audrey’s head with a smile while watching them. However, not seeing Anthony anywhere, I put Audrey down and looked around the house. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s cooking.” Audrey had continued with her project. “Daddy said that the person who makes the best-looking lantern will get a cake!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her words. Audrey loved dessert very much, and she would do anything to get it.
I turned my attention to Shaun and Gregory. The boys weren’t concentrating on making a lantern. Instead, they were just having fun. It seemed that the winner of the day had been determined.
My gaze then shifted to the kitchen. I could see the light and hear some noises from the inside. Anthony had shut the kitchen door as he was worried about the greasy smell filling the living room. That was the reason why I couldn’t see him anywhere.
After putting down my purse, I headed to the kitchen.
My movements in opening the door were purposely slow, as I wanted to observe the person inside through the gap of the door. As the gap widened, Anthony appeared before me.
He was standing by the counter, making a salad. I watched him cut the vegetable, put them into a bowl, and mix them up. His movements were swift.
At the same time, a series of bubbling sounds were coming from a pot of soup behind him. The steam flooded the entire kitchen, making it misty. Now, the kitchen was warm and lively, more so when I noticed Anthony wearing a Disney cartoon apron.
The drawings were rather weird, as the lines were too bold.
I couldn’t help but giggle.
Anthony raised his head and noticed me peeking at him. He put down the bowl but didn’t stop stirring with the fork. He narrowed his eyes at me and asked with the corners of his mouth lifted, “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.” I cleared my throat and pushed the door open. A wicked grin was on my face as I walked into the kitchen. “You have a nice apron, Mr. Featherstone. Is it custom-made?”
Anthony lowered his head to look at the apron. “It is custom-made, baby daughter’s winter edition. It’s the only one available in the world. You won’t be able to get it elsewhere.”
“Really?” I pretended to be confused. “Which brand is it? Do they have so much time to release just one?”
“She does have time.” Anthony placed the fork on the counter and turned to check on the soup. “Today in art class, the teacher asked the students to make something for their parents. Among the other kids, they made pouches, stuffed toys, wallets, and other usual things, but Audrey made this apron for me.”
I could no longer contain my laughter after hearing Anthony’s explanation. Audrey’s love for her father was rather deep and it was proven when she seemed to have convinced Anthony to be their cook.
I really wanted to know where she had learned this. It was too funny. I took in a deep breath and stopped laughing. “It suits you, suits your aura.”
Anthony turned to face me with an evil smile. “Shall I ask Audrey to make another one for you?”
“No, thanks.” I quickly made a big cross with both of my hands. “You don’t understand. Audrey only gave you this apron because the kids love your cooking.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply