Gregory briefly explained the cold war between Deanna and Lance.
Julia listened and was speechless. She even felt that her friend and Lance were more childish than kids.
"Don't worry, little one. Your mommy and Uncle Lance are just having a jealous spat. They'll be fine in a while."
"But it's been almost a month. I'm afraid mommy won't talk to uncle anymore," Chloe said worriedly.
Gregory, feeling down, added, "My sister and I wanted to help mommy and uncle make up, but it seems we've made things worse. Godmother, do you have any ideas to help them reconcile?"
"An idea?" Julia pondered for a moment on the phone and then had a plan. "How about this? This weekend, I'll invite your mommy out for a trip. My workplace gave me tickets to a resort, and we can bring family. I'll take your mommy, and you can invite Uncle Lance. We'll meet at the resort, and with more opportunities to interact, they will surely resolve their misunderstandings."
The two kids agreed, thinking it made sense.
The next day, Julia came to the Jones family to implement their plan.
"Deanna, my workplace gave me tickets to a resort. Let's go there this weekend," she said, pulling out several tickets from her bag and inviting Old Ashley as well. "Grandma, you should come too. I heard the scenery there is beautiful."
Deanna was tempted by the idea. She had been feeling very bored at home lately and thought it would be nice to go out.
"Alright," she agreed.
Old Ashley, however, shook her head and declined. "I won't go with you. You all have fun."
"Why not come with us, grandma?" Julia coaxed, sitting beside the old lady.
But the old lady had made up her mind and smiled, "You young people go have fun. These old bones of mine won't be going."
Hearing this, Julia didn't press further and turned to discuss with Deanna what to bring for the weekend.
Meanwhile, she took the opportunity when Deanna wasn't looking to wink at the two kids, signaling success.
The kids were thrilled.
Of course, they didn't forget they had their own task. While their mommy and godmother discussed the trip, they sneaked into a room and used their smartwatch to contact Lance.
"Uncle, are you free this weekend?"
"What's up?" Lance asked curiously.
Gregory explained honestly, "I want to invite you to a resort this weekend with mommy."
"Please come, uncle," Chloe added sweetly, fearing Lance might refuse.
In the end, even though Lance knew this was likely orchestrated by the kids, he couldn't bear to refuse and agreed.
...
Soon it was the weekend. Early in the morning, Julia came to pick up Deanna and her children.
Their destination was actually an ancient town about an hour's drive from Cloudmere.
Upon arrival, Deanna was amazed by the poetic and ancient charm of the town. The entire town was surrounded by green waters, with blue-brick houses, stone arch bridges, and a few boats gliding on the water like an ink painting.
Deanna's mood lifted significantly as she took in the scenery, her smile becoming more genuine.
Unfortunately, her good mood didn't last long as she saw someone approaching.
"Mr. Mercer, why are you here?" she asked unwelcomingly as she looked at the tall man in front of her.
Lance smiled at the two kids and said, "Gregory and Chloe invited me."
Hearing this, Deanna realized what the kids were up to and that Julia was their accomplice.
Thinking of this, she glared at her friend in annoyance.
Julia smiled sheepishly in response. "Well, the more, the merrier," she said with a laugh while giving the kids a pleading look.
The kids got the hint and immediately hugged Deanna's hands, pleading, "Mommy, don't be mad. Uncle invited us to Hot Spring Resort last time, so we wanted to give something back. You taught us to be grateful!"
Deanna was left speechless by their reasoning.
Finally, she relented. "Alright then, where are we going next?" she asked Julia while ignoring Lance as she had done before.
Seeing her friend no longer resisting, Julia quickly outlined their plan. "We'll take a boat to the inn first to drop off our luggage and then go shopping."
So they took a boat to the inn while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the ancient town along the way.
The picturesque views gradually lifted Deanna's spirits, dispelling much of her earlier gloom.