Suddenly, my palms felt warm. To my surprise, Hannah had shoved a hand warmer into my hand without me realizing it. She chuckled and said, “Chandler was worried that we would be cold, so he got these for us. It’s cold outside so it’s better to keep warm!”
I nodded and looked at Chandler, who was at the driver’s seat. “Thank you!” I said to him.
Chandler smiled candidly and replied, “You’re welcome. Hannah has cold hands and feet all the time. You girls seem to have colder body temperatures than men, so it’s better to pay more attention to keeping warm.”
Feeling amused, Hannah said, “Chandler, how many girlfriends have you had in order for you to come to such a conclusion? Am I supposed to be thankful to all your ex-girlfriends?”
Upon hearing that, Chandler immediately parked his car at the roadside and turned around to look at Hannah. With a serious expression on his face, he said, “Hannah, I swear that you’re my first girlfriend. I know that you’re afraid of the cold because it was April when we met. Even though the weather was already getting warmer, you always carried a hand warmer with you. You would also keep a blanket and mittens in your car. I know that you are capable of taking care of yourself, but I still hope that I can take care of you in my own ways. I want you to know that you can always rely on me. I pay attention to every detail of your life because I’m constantly learning to be a better partner to you. I didn’t acquire all these knowledges because of other women!”
What a way to confess. Hannah was momentarily stunned by the man’s speech. A moment later, she burst out laughing while hugging her hand warmer. Fixing her gaze on Chandler, she replied, “Chandler, what was that all about? Can’t you see that my friend is here too? You should have controlled yourself and told me in private.”
Feeling embarrassed, Chandler scratched his head. With his face flushed red, he said, “I just didn’t want you to misunderstand so I was in a rush to clarify!”
Controlling her urge to laugh, Hannah looked at him and replied, “Just drive. We’re so hungry!”
Observing the lovey-dovey interaction between those two, I suddenly realized that it was true that to care about someone meant giving her enough affection and reassurance such that she would have a sense of security, just like how Chandler treated Hannah. If a man loved a woman, he would do anything for her and protect her from any harm. No excuses.
After we arrived at a restaurant in town, Hannah looked at me and said, “It’s almost time for Ashton to knock off. Do you want to give him a call to ask if he wants to join us for dinner?”
I had almost forgotten that my phone was kept in my bag and in silent mode all these whiles. When I took it out, I saw a few messages from Hailey. But first, I rang Ashton.
The call went through after a few rings, but it was Stella who picked up. In a polite tone, she said, “Mrs. Fuller, Mr. Fuller is in a meeting right now. It will be ending soon. I’ll let him know that you called. Or would you prefer me to pass on a message for you?”
“It’s OK. Just ask him to call me back!” I said simply and hung up.
Hannah looked at me with a quizzical look and asked, “Is he still occupied with work?”
With a faint smile, I nodded and replied, “He’s still in a meeting.”
I only opened the messages from Hailey after we found a seat and sat down in the restaurant.
I’m busy handling the company’s matters!
After this busy period, let’s find a time to catch up.
A while after she sent those two messages, she texted me again.
Is your daughter still looking for a suitable kidney?
How old is your daughter?
Are you guys intending to seek Armond’s help?
After I finished reading all her messages, I replied: Do you know something about Armond?
Hannah passed me the menu and said cheerfully, “Just order anything you like! It’s Chandler’s treat. You don’t have to feel bad for him!”
I smiled and put down my phone. I wasn’t very familiar with Koandria cuisine. As such, I just chose a random dish. When I was passing the menu back to Hannah, I noticed that she was staring at the direction of the entrance. “Scarlett, isn’t that Ashton’s aunt, Sally?” She asked.
I followed the direction of her gaze and froze for a moment. It was Sally indeed. Perhaps it had been such a long time since I last saw her that she seemed to have changed so much. She was dressed in a pink coat and had tied her hair into a ponytail, looking extremely youthful.
Hannah looked at me and asked curiously, “Do you know the man she’s with?”
I shook my head. That man looked around fifty years old and was donned in branded clothing. He was tall and skinny. That, together with the black-framed glasses he was wearing, he looked like someone who dabbled in the arts.
“I think I know who he is!” Chandler, who was looking at the menu a moment ago, suddenly spoke. “He’s Jim, a professor from K University. He’s also an author and had written several books. He was even nominated for the No*el Prize when I was in school. However, he was also known for being a nerd and not interested in romance. He was never married and the word was it that he’s quite rich. If I’m not wrong, gardening is his only hobby.”
I was actually quite surprised. I remembered Cameron telling me that she had previously bumped into Sally at the hospital and saw her with a man. I thought she had seen wrongly at that time. But judging by the way the both of them were behaving, they did seem quite intimate.
When they entered the restaurant, Hannah asked, “Did they just get into a relationship at this age?”
