Chapter 143
She’d always been a little slow when it came to matters of the heart.
It was Lauren who picked up on the awkwardness. Nudging Edith with her elbow, she complained, “Edith, why are you piling all the food onto my plate? I’m running out of room here. At least give Mr. Hawksley some, too.”
Edith glanced up at Justin, feeling awkward.
She honestly had no idea what kind of food Justin liked, so she could only mumble, “Justin, you should eat more.”
Lauren felt like she could almost cough up blood in frustration.
The more food that found its way onto her plate, the more pressure she felt.
Her only option was to eat as fast as she could.
But the faster she ate, the quicker Edith was at refilling her plate.
Lauren nearly choked.
Catching Lauren’s panicked look, Edith immediately poured her a glass of tea and handed it over, chatting as if nothing was wrong. “Sis, seriously, how do you always run into the weirdest people? Who even sneaks into the ladies‘ room these days? Total creep.”
Lauren shot Edith a resentful look, feeling like even Justin, who was sitting across from her, must be drowning in jealousy by now.
At this point, the pervert in the women’s restroom didn’t even seem that strange compared to her cousin. Edith was the real oddball here.
Was she really that blind to all these signals?
Justin, perhaps noticing Lauren’s discomfort, tried to smooth things over, though there was a tinge of sourness in his voice. “Don’t rush, Lauren.
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Take your time. It’s fine.”
Lauren could only interpret that as a subtle warning from the man of the hour.
She quickly set down her fork. “Edith, I’m full. Don’t give me any more. Pass something to Mr. Hawksley instead.”
Justin raised an eyebrow. He’d already felt more than enough jealousy tonight–did he really need another dose?
He most certainly did not.
He let a bit of that bitterness slip into his tone. “It’s alright. I can help myself if there’s something I want.”
But Edith’s attention was still fixed on her cousin. Seeing Lauren stop eating, she immediately suggested, “Sis, how about I go back to the hotel with you tonight? We haven’t seen each other in ages–I have so much to tell you!”
Lauren could only offer a helpless laugh. “Heh… heh…”
Everything she’d tried to explain to Edith in the car earlier felt completely wasted. Clearly, her cousin hadn’t listened to a word.
She shot a furtive glance at Justin. Thankfully, he didn’t seem upset.
Lauren gently refused, “Edith, now that I’m back for good, I’ll be working in Northcrest from now on. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”
Edith clung to Lauren’s arm, a hint of childlike pleading sneaking into her voice, “But sis, I want to stay with you tonight! I hate the idea of you just checking into a hotel all alone on your first night back. It’s so lonely.”
Lauren pried her arm free, feigning annoyance. “I’m perfectly happy having a hotel room to myself. If you come along, there won’t be any room to breathe!”
“Fine…”
Edith let out a reluctant sigh, clearly disappointed, but she had no choice
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but to accept that she wouldn’t be sharing a hotel room with Lauren
tonight.
By the time dinner ended, night had completely settled over Northcrest.
Edith wanted to drive Lauren to her hotel, but Lauren waved her off without hesitation. “The family has a driver, remember? He’ll take me. Your driving’s not exactly the most comfortable experience.”
Edith wanted to protest, but once Lauren brought up her questionable driving skills, she had nothing left to say.
Of course, only Justin knew that Lauren’s refusal had nothing to do with Edith’s driving—she just didn’t want to take up more of her cousin’s time.
Justin lingered with Edith at the door, watching as the car carrying Lauren disappeared down the street and out of sight.
Only then did he finally speak, his voice gentle. “Your cousin ran into some creep at the airport. Are you alright? Nothing happened to you, did it?”
Chapter 144
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.