"I'll get you a chair and a parasol. Don't want you getting a heatstroke now." The neighbor called his family and told them to prepare a chair, a table, and a parasol for Frank.
Frank took the offer and thanked him.
The neighbor laughed. "Oh, don't need to thank us. We've been neighbors with the Taylors for decades. Amy's half my child. We hope she'll find her own happiness. Sure, she has a… peculiar hobby, but she's a fine lady besides that. If you do marry her, just remember to invite us to your wedding."
Frank quickly said, "Of course, sir."
"I'll be waiting then. Well, gotta go, Mr. Mendelson. Things to do."
"Thank you, sir."
"Sure thing. Just take good care of Amy." The guy got into his car and left.
Kendall went to her father. There was a file that needed his signature. Her phone rang when her father was in the middle of going through the file. "Can I take this call, Mr. Parker?" Kendall called her father 'Mr. Parker' whenever they were at work, or Kelly would be mocking her.
Adam grunted. "Do it outside."
"Thank you, Mr. Parker." She exited the office and turned to the VIP room. Then she took the call. It was from Amelia."
"It's me." Amelia smiled. "Hope I didn't disturb anything."
"You sound happy."
"Oh, you know. Vacation, good food, good scenery, it makes tossing the annoying stuff back easy." Amelia was in a good mood after having a few days of vacation.
"Are you still out there?"
"Came to Nuander. Just checked in. Haven't gone shopping yet, so I thought I should call you."
"Thanks for remembering me, I guess. Called your folks yet?"
"Only my mom. Dad and Ethan will tell him where I am the moment I call," said Amelia.
Kendall smiled. "Still can't reach a decision?"
"I don't want to talk about this, Kendall. All I want is to just go wherever I want and do whatever I want. I'll go back after the Spring Festival is over. So, when's your wedding? I'll come back early." I'm her bridesmaid after all.
"Before the Spring Festival, but the date hasn't been set in stone. I'll tell you eventually. You really are gonna vacation until that time? Don't you miss him? Aren't you worried about him? He's suffered for you," Kendall teased.
A moment of silence later, Amelia said, "Well, I do miss him, but I don't want to face him so soon. And he's not suffering at all. Please, it's just a session of splitting the sesame seeds into their own color groups. Besides, he was cruel to me. Even if you can let it slide, I can't."
Frank used to dump food on her head and did not stop his dogs from running after her. Even now she was still mad at that. She wanted him to suffer more. I'm not his slave who'd do his every bidding. And before he apologizes for what he did, I will not accept him. Amelia was delighted she could finally get back at him.
Kendall smiled. "You said that, not me."
"Oh, Kendall, you know I don't blame you for that. I have to thank you. Thanks for letting him go. Both you and Dylan." Amelia knew Dylan only spared Frank because Kendall was her friend.
"Do you know what he did just to find out where you are?"
"No. And I don't want to know. He can kill himself for all I care. I won't go back."
"Please. You're not that cruel. If you don't care about him, you wouldn't call me. Not even once." She only calls me because she wants to know how Frank is doing.
Even though she was exposed, Amelia wasn't embarrassed. Instead, she chuckled. "You know me so well."
"He's waiting right outside your house. Every single day. Wouldn't leave even when there was a rainstorm last night. Got drenched and came to our place late at night. Dylan was fuming."
"That sounds just like him," Amelia said. He's obsessive and stubborn. All he cares about is himself and no one else. "Dylan should have thrown hands with him."
Kendall chuckled. "He didn't bother. Frank was drenched. Dylan would get himself wet too if he fought Frank. He guzzled down a pot of tea and left when dawn broke. Bet he's down with a cold, a fever, and a splitting headache. Lost sleep, of course." No way he could sleep after having that much tea.
Amelia was a little worried, but she refused to show it. "Next time he disturbs you guys, tell Dylan to toss him out." I just know he won't ever take his medication.
Amelia was seized by an urge to call Frank and yell at him, but she resisted. She wasn't ready to accept him yet. Let him suffer for a bit longer. This is in exchange for what he did to me.
If Frank were here, he'd apologize profusely. If he had known this would happen, he would never have done anything to Amelia, but alas, Frank was no seer.
"You sure?"
"I'm not the one tossing him. You can toss him around the globe and I won't care."
Kendall chortled. "Fine. Next time he comes, I'll tell my men to beat him up, toss him out, and upload a video of it to YouTube."
Okay, that's a bit too much. "Don't you have anything else to say? Why do you keep bringing him up? He's an obsessive freak."
"Alright, alright. I don't want to talk about him either. Every time he's mentioned, I feel like punching someone. Just take more photos and buy some more local stuff for me, alright?"
Amelia smiled. "Sure thing. I bought everything I think you would like." She had similar tastes to Kendall. When they used to attend parties with their mothers, they'd hide in a corner and gobble up all kinds of food.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love Knows No Bounds novel (Kendall and Dylan)
Beautiful story....