Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1500

"Why did you buy us so many things?" Diana asked with a frown as he came back inside. Lowell seemed not to hear him. He asked again, "This is your dad?" Diana looked at him with suspicion. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Of course there was a problem! If the man they were looking for was Diana's father, didn't that mean the trail had gone cold? Diana's father was dead. How were they supposed to find out about the 8th generation virus now?! Lowell forced himself to calm down and said casually, "No problem. I was just curious because you two don't look much alike." "My brother and I both take after our mom," Diana said. "Oh, you do look like her. I heard from the doctor that the crazy guy went out to see the world when he was young. Did your father ever leave the village?" Diana shook his head. "No." Lowell was confused. If he never left, then he couldn't have been the one to bring the virus back. So what was the deal with the photo Tarquin had? Seeing Lowell's frown, Diana asked warily, "Did you know my dad?" Lowell snapped out of it and quickly shook his head with a smile. "No." The driver came in carrying more gifts. "Is it okay if I put these here?" "I don't want them. Take them with you," Diana protested. "Just leave them here for now," Lowell said. "Thanks for your trouble." The driver ignored Diana and set the things down. "There's more. I'll go get the rest." After the driver left, Diana stared at Lowell suspiciously. "What are you doing, buying all this stuff?!" Lowell smiled. "My boss, Evan, asked me to. The snacks are for your younger brother. The raw meat is for Jove. And these are for you. I didn't know what you like, so I just bought a few things." Diana glanced at the beer and cigarettes Lowell had bought and was about to speak when Lowell cut him off. "This is all a token of Evan's goodwill. Please accept it. If you don't, the little guy will think you don't want to be friends with him. Evan's a good kid, optimistic and friendly. He likes you guys." Diana was silent. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "What time is Evan free in the morning?" Lowell quickly replied, "Whenever works for you and Jove. Evan's schedule is wide open tomorrow." Diana thought for a moment. "Then seven in the morning. I'll be taking my brother to Mr. Sutton's for his training. We can have the video call from his house." Lowell nodded immediately. "Perfect!" The driver came back in with the last of the items, looking apologetic. "Something urgent just came up at home. I'm afraid I have to head back now. It might be very late before I can come back to pick you up." Lowell said, "That's alright. Diana can give me a ride. He's going to pick up his brother anyway." The driver immediately looked at Diana. "Then I'll have to trouble you." Diana couldn't really refuse. "It's no trouble. You go take care of your business." The driver left. Diana glanced at the time. It was still too early to get his brother, but it was lunchtime. He asked politely, "Are you okay with stew? I can go make us lunch." Lowell wasn't picky. "Sounds great to me!" The stew was pre-made and frozen in the fridge, so all Diana had to do was heat it up. Lowell chimed in from the side, "My boss is a wealthy man. While he's here to learn your skills, he also wants to do some charity work. Are there people in your village who need help? You could recommend some, and I'll report back to him." Diana glanced at him. Lowell's smile was warm and friendly. "You don't have to be so resistant to us. We're not scammers, or the locals wouldn't have even bothered with us. I'm not just saying this to butter you up, either. We came here with the intention of doing some charitable projects where we can. Just helping out whoever is in need." Diana said, "There are a few older folk who are really struggling to get by. Their children moved away and haven't been back in years, and they don't send any money." Lowell said, "Then write down their names and addresses for me, and I'll show them to my boss." A flash of awkwardness crossed Diana's face. He replied, "When you're ready, you can just find me. I'll take you to them."