"All right, let’s head in too," Jones suggested as he watched Damon and his crew depart, swinging open the gate to my hostead.
I called out, "Dad, Mom!"
Quick as a flash, my parents hurried out. There was a surprised look on their faces as they took in my limp.
They took charge of pushing the kids in, while Jones supported .
Once we settled into the living room, Serena and Brandon had already drifted off to sleep. I relayed the events of the evening at the beach to my parents and Jones, sparing no detail.
Upon hearing that Serena had almost had an accident, my dad paled, "I told you not to take the kids out so late at night. It gets crowded there. You need to always set the brake on the stroller when it’s parked. How could you just leave Serena there and walk away?"
His affection for , once boundless, then seed divided between Serena and Brandon. Yet, I felt no jealousy. I knew that the love my parents held for their grandchildren was simply a natural thing.
"Absolutely," my mother chid in, "Next ti, one of us must accompany you!" She imdiately went to check on Serena. Her heart ached with concern.
anwhile, Jones had fetched so ointnt, urging to take off my shoes so he could apply it.
Staring at my swollen ankle, he sighed, "Try not to rush while walking. Twisted ankles can get worse over ti and affect your ligants."
I nodded, accepting his advice despite the frustrating inevitability of my missteps.
When Luna and her group returned, it was late into the night. Jones had prepared a feast for them.
"Damn! This slls good!" Cooper lavished praise without reservation. "Jones, how co I never knew you were such a great cook? Have you been honing your skills lately?"
"You never made ti for it before," Jones retorted, peeling a shrimp and effortlessly placing it in my bowl. "Eat up."
Luna smirked at the exchange, "Putting on a lovers’ show for us, are you? A man as devoted and upright as Dr. Jones is rare these days. How envious!"
Mitch sat up straighter at her teasing, quickly peeling a few shrimps into Luna’s bowl, declaring with a serious face, "Whatever other won have, my woman should have too!"
His cheesy and dramatic declaration almost made everyone burst into laughter.
The lively and relaxed atmosphere dispelled the bitter mood from earlier. After tucking everyone in, I limped towards the gate to see Jones out.
He stopped , "Go to sleep, I’m just next door. You don’t need to see out."
"Thanks for applying ointnt for and cooking for everyone," I sincerely thanked Jones.
"No problem. I enjoyed it," Jones replied with a wry smile, "It’s been a while since I had a al with Cooper and Mitch."
I felt guilty, knowing that it was my situation that had distanced Jones from Mitch and Cooper.
They stood by Damon, believing that Jones had crossed a line by being interested in his friend’s wife, regardless of my marital status with Damon.
"Mitch and Luna will be here for a while, working on a project with Whitmore Co. If you want to nd your relationship with them, now’s the ti," I suggested.
"I’ll keep that in mind. Now, get so rest," Jones replied simply, urging to sleep.
"All right, you should rest too," I said. Then suddenly I recalled sothing and asked, "By the way, how’s your father?"
A flicker of unease crossed Jones’s eyes before he looked away, replying casually, "He’s fine. Just so minor health issues that co with age."
After staying for a couple of days, Luna and her crew moved to a house they had rented nearby, as they planned to stay longer.
Clara and Sofia’s family returned to the City.
My parents took Serena and Brandon out for a walk, leaving the once lively house quiet. I almost dozed off on the couch.
My phone buzzed, jolting awake. It was Mitch.
I picked up, puzzled, since we rarely contacted each other directly. Usually, we communicated through Luna.
Mitch’s pitiful voice ca over the line, "Eliana, I need a favor..."
"What is it this ti? Did Luna hit you again?" I asked, suspecting the most probable cause.
"Not this ti. But if she finds out, I might get a real beating," Mitch sounded nervous.
I was curious, wondering what could have possibly made Mitch so anxious.
Mitch then explained the favor he wanted, after which I also felt like hitting him. How could he have been so forgetful?
Mitch had left a USB flash drive at my house. It was in the drawer of the room he and Luna had occupied. He was supposed to deliver it to Damon, but had to rush back to the City to fetch sothing
"Could you do a favor? Can you please deliver this flash drive to Damon’s place? He has a eting in an hour, and he needs it. I wouldn’t make it even if I sprouted wings and flew..." Mitch sounded like he was on the brink of tears. "If my wife finds out, I’m toast."
"Mitch, are you getting senile in your youth? You’re as forgetful as a goldfish!" I was fuming, not because I didn’t want to help Mitch, but because I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of seeing Damon or delivering so random flash drive.
But at that mont, it seed like I was the only one who could have helped him out. It didn’t feel right to refuse.
So, after so more pleading from Mitch, I reluctantly agreed to take the flash drive to Damon.
My folks weren’t at ho, and my sprained ankle was pretty much healed. So, I could set off imdiately.
Damon was downtown in city X during that ti, and it would have taken half an hour to get there by car.
Upon reaching my destination, I looked up at the towering skyscraper. Entry and exit required a card swipe. So, I had no choice but to call Mitch, "Can you tell Damon to co down? I can’t get in."
"Sure thing. I’ll call him now!" Mitch hung up after speaking.
I waited a few minutes, before Mitch called back, "Eliana, Damon isn’t picking up. Can you wait a bit longer?"
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