After I Stopped Loving Him (Isabella and Ethan) novel Chapter 713

“Jesse has no idea I’m doing this. He doesn’t know I’ve secretly taken so many photos of him. If he ever found out, I’d never hear the end of it. He’s always said he wants to win your heart on his own, just by being genuine, without any of us getting involved. I know I’m meddling, but I couldn’t help myself. That’s why I came to see you today.”

Laura smiled. “I believe you.”

If Jesse wanted to brag about what he’d done, he would have told her himself. He wouldn’t have waited for Janetta to show up and say it for him.

“Laura, thanks for trusting me.”

Janetta felt a little guilty. Nobody in her family knew she was here, and Jesse definitely didn’t. She’d kept it to herself because she couldn’t stand watching Jesse make zero progress with Laura. That was the only reason she’d sneaked over today.

The truth was, she drove by this street all the time and knew Laura and Isabella ran these two shops together. But Jesse had told her not to interfere, so every time she passed by, she never had the courage to come in. She was worried about upsetting Jesse. She was also afraid she’d make things awkward for Laura.

They ended up talking for ages. Janetta did most of the talking, basically pitching Jesse like she was his personal PR manager. The whole conversation lasted almost two hours.

Janetta glanced at the clock. It was almost closing time, and she knew Jesse would show up after work, so she had to tear herself away, even though she didn’t really want to leave.

Laura packed two boxes of pastries for her to take home.

The Mason family definitely didn’t need more desserts, but Janetta accepted the boxes with a huge grin.

Laura stood at the shop entrance and watched as Janetta’s car disappeared down the street. Only when the car was gone did she go back inside. She sat down at her computer, took a few quiet moments to herself, then got back to writing.

A little while later, Isabella showed up.

She came in carrying two insulated food containers. When she spotted Laura typing away at a table in the corner, she headed over.

“Still not done with your update?”

Isabella sat across from her, setting the containers on the table.

“Just let things play out. Even if last night hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t give up on you that easily. Hasn’t he always said he wants to win you back, even after the divorce? Sometimes I honestly have no idea what goes on in his head.”

“Let’s not talk about him. Let’s just eat.”

Isabella let out a sigh. She put some food on Laura’s plate and asked, “Was it busy in the shop this afternoon?”

“Not really. It’s not a holiday, so we didn’t get a lot of customers. The bookstore was packed though. Lots of people reading over there.”

“Janetta came by,” Laura said out of the blue.

Isabella paused, then asked, “She didn’t give you a hard time, did she? I heard from Barbara that the Mason family elders are actually pretty nice. They’re not like Jennifer, always looking down on people.”

“Your family runs a business too. You’re in the same league as the Masons. Me and Ethan, though, we were always in totally different worlds.”