Divorced the Cheat Married the Fleet (Camilla and Lance) novel Chapter 18

After all that searching, none of the houses felt quite right. Then, just as Camilla was starting to feel discouraged, her phone rang. It was the kennel owner, letting her know that Snow’s vaccinations were all done and he was ready to come home.

Jasper practically exploded with excitement when he heard. That night, he dragged Camilla out on a shopping spree. They picked out the softest dog bed, stocked up on dog food, and loaded their cart with way too many squeaky toys.

For the past few days, Jasper had been keeping to himself, going out early with Camilla and coming back late. He hadn’t run into Daisy at all. But today they came home a little earlier and found Daisy hanging out in the living room.

As soon as she spotted Jasper, Daisy ran over with that bright, bouncy energy. “Jasper, what’s all that? Are you getting a puppy?”

Jasper couldn’t help smiling back. For once, he didn’t bother hiding anything. “Yeah. My mom got me a puppy. We’re picking him up tomorrow.”

“Really? I love puppies, but my mom never lets me have one. She always says—”

Before Daisy could finish, Davina stepped in and pulled her aside. “Daisy, enough. Don’t say things like that here. This is Jasper’s house. If he wants a dog, he can have a dog. It’s not your place to comment.” Davina gave Camilla an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Camilla. Daisy’s just chatty. I’ll take her to play somewhere else so she doesn’t disturb you and Jasper.”

It had been days since Camilla had even exchanged a word with Davina. This was the first time they spoke after what felt like forever. Something about Davina seemed different, more polite than usual. Camilla noticed it but decided not to dwell. Maybe Davina was just trying harder to fit in.

The next day, Camilla took time off work so she could go with Jasper to pick up his puppy. Finally getting to hold Snow in his arms, Jasper was all grins and giggles at the kennel. Camilla couldn’t remember the last time she saw her son so happy. She took photo after photo, trying to capture every smile.

Back at home, Jasper’s excitement only grew. He called for Snow wherever he went, showing off his new puppy like it was the best thing in his world. Snow, the friendliest pup of the entire litter, had already had a bit of training from the kennel owner. Every time Jasper called, Snow would come running, stumbling on his oversized paws with his little tail wagging.

For Jasper, it was easily the best day since Daisy and Davina had moved in.

But that happiness didn’t last long.

During dinner, Daisy suddenly started scratching her arms and face. In just a few minutes, red rashes were blooming everywhere. Barnard saw it right away. He frowned and asked what was wrong. Meanwhile, Davina was trying to tug down Daisy’s sleeves in a hopeless attempt to hide the rash.

Barnard realized arguing with Jasper was pointless. Instead, he turned to Camilla with a hard stare. “Look at Daisy. Are you just going to let your son act this selfish? Talk some sense into him. Make him give up the dog.”

He didn’t even glance at Jasper. His voice was cold, impatient, and made it seem like Daisy was his only child.

Camilla let out a quiet laugh and placed herself between Jasper and Barnard. “Why should I?”

Barnard’s face went rigid. Camilla’s tone was so cold he nearly choked. “Daisy is having an allergic reaction right in front of you. Are you really saying a dog is more important than her health? You always let Jasper get his way, but this goes too far. When you brought the dog home, did you even bother to check if it was okay?”

Daisy’s coughing fit filled the awkward silence between Barnard’s angry words. It was so easy for him to dump all the blame on Camilla’s shoulders.

Camilla shot a frosty look toward Davina, who was conveniently keeping her distance, trying not to be noticed. Camilla couldn’t help but scoff.