Chapter 27
“There must be a bunch of photos of Paula when she was little too, right? She’s so pretty now, so she must’ve been adorable as a kid.”
Nelson paused and snorted slightly. “What’s the point of being cute as a kid? She’s been a headache right after she grew up.”
He said it like a joke but made no move to get the photos.
Patricia dug her fingernail into her palm.
“Come on, girls are always cute. Just let me see.”
Nelson gave in eventually and brought out the albums.
The packed albums contained everything from Paulette’s life after age eight, and Nelson was in almost every shot.
The more Patricia flipped through them, the heavier her breath got.
Paulette had no shame.
Even at fourteen or fifteen, she was still jumping on Nelson’s back.
She suddenly shut the album.
Nelson looked confused. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Patricia forced a smile. “Just a little tired. My eyes need a break.”
Nelson checked the time. “Alright, get some rest then. I’ll go handle some work. If you need anything, call me, okay?”
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Patricia nodded.
“Alright.”
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It was getting late. Maxine had the housekeeper tidy up a guest room for Patricia.
She didn’t particularly like the girl. She was not awful, but not good either. Still, since she was Nelson’s girlfriend, they had to show some
manners.
When Monty came back from a dinner gathering, he saw Maxine going to the guest room with a humidifier.
“Who’s staying over?” Monty asked with doubt.
Maxine sighed, feeling tired after a long day.
“Paula came home today. Elnora figured she quarreled with Nelson, so she had him come back too.” She glanced at Nelson’s room not far away. Patricia was still there. “It turns out he brought his girlfriend home.”
Monty suddenly got it. “Wait–is it that first love of his?”
Maxine shrugged.
She wasn’t sure how deep Nelson felt for that girl. It was probably just a teenage crush, all blown out of proportion.
But it wasn’t her place to judge.
Once the guest room was ready, Patricia came out of Nelson’s room.
“Maxine,” Patricia said warmly, walking right up to her like they were close. “Nelson showed me some old photos. Honestly, you’ve barely changed at all! You take such good care of yourself.”
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Maxine shook her head and sighed. “No matter how well you take care of yourself, time catches up. Oh, Ms. Carver, your room’s all set. If you’re tired, feel free to rest.
“Don’t be so formal!”
Patricia held Maxine’s arms with her like Paulette would. “Just call me Patricia. I don’t have many friends in Fromond, and I feel close to you already. Can I treat you as my sister?”
Maxine looked into her eyes, a bit thrown.
She didn’t want Patricia clinging to her.
Patricia picked up on the hesitation right away and smoothly changed the subject. “Where’s Paulette?”
“She’s downstairs with Elnora, making soup.”
Maxine was relieved and nodded politely. “Alright then, I’ll call you
Patricia. If you’ve got time, you are welcome to visit anytime with Nelson.”
It sounded nice, but it was clearly a polite brush–off.
Why was Paulette so naturally loved by them?
Patricia’s smile froze a little, but she followed Maxine downstairs without missing a beat.
Maxine noticed that Elnora was quite cold to Patricia.
Thinking she had to at least be a decent host, Maxine offered, “Want to take the dogs out for a walk? It’s quiet outside this time of night and good for some fresh air.”
Patricia was clearly surprised but happy. “I’d love to!”
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Chapter 27
Maxine called into the kitchen, “Paula, do you want to come too?”
Paulette had heard their whole conversation. Since Patricia was going, she saw no need to join. “Thanks, Maxine, but I’ll stay and help Grandma with the recipes.”
Patricia took Maxine’s invitation as a sign of goodwill and beamed. She turned to Elnora and said, “Mrs. Chapman, how about you come along?”
Elnora waved her off. “That dog sees my face every day. You’re new. Take her out and give her something fresh to look at.”
The words sounded normal at first.
But the more Patricia thought about it, the less right they felt.
Her smile tightened, but she still politely said, “Alright then, we’ll head out.”
As they were out the door, Elnora pursed her lips. “When are they leaving? I really don’t like that girl.”
Paulette was confused. Her grandma wasn’t exactly easy–going, but she’d never been this direct before.
Elnora didn’t explain but went on about how different ingredients needed to be prepped.
Once the soup was ready, she ladled out a bowl and handed it to Paulette.
“Your dad’s working late again. This soup’s good for him. But I don’t want to see him right now. He’s been annoying me. You take it up.”
Paulette didn’t reply.
She wanted to say she felt the same way.
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But between her frustration and Elnora’s, she figured she would suck it
- up.
She took a deep breath and carried the tray upstairs.
The study was at the end of the hall. The soft yellow light stretched her shadow along the floor. She stood at the door for a while before knocking on it.
“Come in,” Nelson’s voice sounded.
She opened the door, and their eyes met instantly.
She blinked and looked away. “Grandma asked me to bring you this soup.”
“Okay.” Nelson was on a video call. He nodded and looked back at the
screen.
Seeing that he didn’t say anything else, Paulette set the tray down and was ready to leave. Nelson glanced at her and added, “Wait for me to finish. You can take the bowl down after I’m done.”
She paused and sat nearby.
He was in a meeting anyway.
There was no point arguing with him.
Nelson noticed how quiet and calm she looked. He raised his eyebrows slightly but didn’t say anything.
After presenting two projects, half an hour had passed. The soup had gone cold.
Paulette said, “Want me to warm the soup up?”
