Due to how far away the flowers were in the cover picture, Noelle couldn’t tell exactly what kind of flowers they were.
Still, she found it a little surprising. Maybe Sebastian wasn’t as distant and aloof as he seemed. After all, a man who was distant and aloof would never choose a photo like that for his cover picture.
Barrett finished up his visit, smiling the entire time, before heading out of the Spencer residence.
Noelle noticed that everyone from the Cole family seemed to carry that same easy smile. It was unlike the Ashfords, where even the housekeepers looked perpetually grim, as if smiling was against the rules.
Once Barrett left, Mary began going through the wedding gifts the Cole family had sent over. She was a little overwhelmed as she went through the items.
Looking a little at a loss, she said, “These things are far too expensive.”
Noelle felt helpless as well. By local tradition, wedding gifts sent by the groom’s family couldn’t be returned. Sending them back would be taken as a sign of disapproval toward the groom.
Noelle tried to reassure Mary by saying, “Mom, I’ll be moving out eventually anyway. We can just put all of this in my room. If anything ever happens between Mr. Cole and me, we can return it then.”
Mary agreed to Noelle’s suggestion, and the thought made Mary feel much better. After all, it had been hard to take that much from someone without feeling indebted.
Standing in front of the mountain of wedding gifts, Mary suddenly realized something. “Wait… Noelle, don’t tell me you’re still calling Sebastian ‘Mr. Cole‘ even when you’re with him?”
Noelle nodded without hesitation. “Yeah, I do.”
What else was she supposed to call him? She felt that addressing him by his first name felt a little too casual, almost impolite.
Mary rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Noelle was wonderful in so many ways, but she was painfully clueless when it came to interpersonal relationships.
No matter the circumstances, Mary thought it was far too formal for Noelle to be calling him “Mr. Cole“.
However, Noelle didn’t think there was anything unusual about the way she addressed Sebastian. She frowned and asked, “If I can’t call him Mr. Cole, then what should I call him, Mom?”
Mary explained patiently, “You two are about to get married, and his family has treated us with such warmth. Calling him that formally could make things feel distant.”
Hurting the relationship was only part of her concern. What Mary really worried about was that this side of Noelle wouldn’t score her any points with the Coles. She was afraid Noelle might have a tough time with the Cole family later on.
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But at her age, Mary felt it wasn’t really her role to be giving Noelle advice on how to grow closer to a man.
After a moment’s thought, she said tactfully, “Just call him Sebastian. You’re only a year or two apart. It’ll
feel less formal.”
Noelle hesitated and asked, “Mom, do I really have to address him like that? Wouldn’t it feel a little too
casual?”
Mary frowned. “Too casual? Sebastian calls you Noelle. Do you think he’s being inappropriate when he
does?”
Noelle thought about it and realized she didn’t find it inappropriate.
Still, being naturally reserved, the words just wouldn’t come out of her mouth. She lifted her head and
looked at Mary. “Mom… do I really have to?”
Mary gave her a firm look and nodded firmly. “Yes, you have to.”
Noelle could only agree. She was just about to help Mary move the wedding gifts when there was a stir at
the front door.
Both of them assumed it was Barrett coming back for something he had forgotten. However, when they
looked up, they saw someone they didn’t want to see.
A man came in furiously, his expression burning with anger.
Chicks
Chapter 65