My heart skipped a beat in shock, but I immediately shook off his hand and returned to the dining room.
Channing was done with his meal and was having a chat with Leedon when he saw me enter. He smiled and said, “Where did you go? You didn’t really eat, so Ashton ordered you some clam chowder.”
I was stunned for a while, then saw that there really was a bowl of clam chowder on the table.
I gave him a faint smile and replied, “Thank you!”
Then, I sat down to drink the soup. Around ten minutes later, Ashton arrived with Rachel by his side.
“Wow, you have only left for a while, but the two of you are already holding hands and have even changed your clothes. Where did you go?” said Channing as he laughed. Since he always loved to joke around, the rest of the table was unbothered by his comments.
I was drinking my soup with my head down but subconsciously looked to the two as Channing spoke. Indeed, just like he said, they were holding hands and had both changed their clothes.
They looked a lot more intimate now.
Although I knew that they had changed because they fell into the water, the others did not.
Thus, I had expected Ashton to explain himself to the others. However, he simply smiled and kept quiet.
Rachel stood beside him shyly, without a word as well.
At first, the others had misunderstood them. However, looking at them now, everyone felt that they were indeed a couple.
I lowered my head and continued eating without paying too much attention to them. After all, when I was done eating, I still had work to do in the afternoon.
Leedon had previously given me a heads up, saying that I would be busier in the afternoon as many jobs in the base required manpower, but we were short-handed. Thus, it would be especially tough to do those jobs.
To me, that was quite a good thing since physical exertion could help take my mind off of my troubles.
At the base that afternoon, I squatted as I helped to select the equipment and organize the materials. Just then, Leedon carried a large box into the base. When he walked past me, he jokingly said, “Ms. Stovall, it’s the first time a woman has ever entered the base. Everyone intended not to let you do any work, but you’ve been helping us for most of today. Thanks for your hard work!”
I smiled slightly then looked up at him. My legs were numb from squatting and my shoulders hurt. “This is my job. Didn’t I say that there’s no distinction between men and women in the workplace?”
Everyone laughed. That afternoon, Ashton would take Channing to see the construction of the base. Basically, it seemed as though he wanted the Oberick family to participate in the project as well.
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