John then turned to glare at Ashton. “Shouldn’t you be getting a rest too, Mr. Fuller?” he mocked.
Ashton smiled. “I’ve always been healthy, you know.”
John stormed off, infuriated. The moment he left, Ashton squinted at me. “Where’s the prescription?”
I pursed my lips and gripped the prescription tighter. “There is none,” I replied calmly. “The doctor told me to have a lot of rest and drink plenty of water.”
“Scarlett,” he emphasized.
Annoyed, I left the hospital without saying a thing. He followed me into the car and put the matter of the prescription aside. “Joe invited you to South Metro for a meal. Are you going?”
I was going to say no, but I paused. “Why did he invite me?”
Ashton started the car. “For the thing we discussed over the call last time.”
I was surprised to hear that. So he’s going to apologize?
There was a saying that a man’s love could be measured by how his friends treat you. I considered it for a moment and nodded. “Sure, I’ll go.”
It was still early when we came to South Metro. I thought we had come too early, so I asked, “Don’t you think it’s a bit early?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you get to rest.”
Right…
When I saw the trio in the room, I felt like laughing. I looked at Ashton. “I thought this is supposed to be an apology. Didn’t think it’d be a trap.”
A frown creased Ashton’s forehead, and he narrowed his eyes at Joe. “What is the meaning of this?”
Joe stood up and fidgeted. “Ashton, it’s been a while since Rebecca could go around since her hospitalization. She’s just here with us. I’m sorry for not telling you about this, but I promise it’ll be fine.”
Jared sipped his tea, pulling himself away from the drama. Ashton glanced at Rebecca calmly. He didn’t care if she was putting up a pitiable front, and he looked at me. “You still want to do this?”
Joe looked at me apologetically. “I’m sorry, Scarlett. I—”
Rebecca interrupted. “What am I, a chopped liver?” She looked as arrogant as usual with a hint of grievance. “Since I’m obviously unwanted, I’ll leave then. Bye.” She took her bag and tried to leave.
Joe gave me another apologetic look. “Sorry, Scarlett. I’ll send her off.”
“It’s fine. Everyone’s already here whether we like it or not. Let’s get on with it.” I gazed at Rebecca mockingly. “You don’t mind sharing a table with me, do you, Ms. Larson?”
Joe took the chance to invite Rebecca back and happily made the orders. Ashton had always been a man of few words. So he simply sat beside me and chatted with Jared, looking cool as a cucumber.
Once everything was served, Joe stood up and gave me a toast. “A toast for you, Scarlett. I apologize for my rude behavior. Now that you’re Ashton’s wife, you’re a part of the family.” He gulped the wine down graciously.
I peeped at Ashton again and found that he was still as inscrutable as ever.
Jared looked at me and paused for a moment. “There’s a rule in our group. You have to down ten shots for it to be an effective apology.”
I looked at the ten glasses of wine before Joe, and I was taken back to the time when I was the one who had to drink. They’re really something, aren’t they? Ten shots would be fine for a good drinker, but someone with a problem could end up injured or dead.
When Joe was going for the second shot, I shot up and looked at him calmly. “I’ll be leaving if we aren’t eating anytime soon.”
“What is the meaning of this, Scarlett? Haven’t your parents taught you about manners?” Rebecca shot up and barked. She was already angry enough with me, and my obviously rude behavior lit the flame within her.
Her face darkened. “Joe went out of his way to apologize, and this is how you treat him? Are you trying to ruin their friendship?”
Frowning, I answered calmly, “Ms. Larson, are you standing up for them? Because it sounds like you’re venting to me.”
“Why you little…”
I cut her off. “I have no parents, so I’m not sure what they would have taught me. You, on the other hand, have parents, don’t you, Ms. Larson? They should have taught you to mind your own business and that sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong is rude.”
“Who are you calling rude, Scarlett?” Seeing that she couldn’t win against me in a banter, she gave Ashton a puppy-eye look. “Ash, are you going to just let your wife insult me like that?”
My, my, this woman is shameless.
Ashton frowned at her in cold silence. Obviously, he thought she saw everyone else as an idiot.
