The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 319

“Let’s take a road trip this weekend,” Charley suddenly suggested while they were waiting at a red light.

“A road trip? Where to?” Lavinia asked.

“Jimmie Jennings leased an orchard up on Windward Peak in Nix City to grow Emperor Tangerines. The fruit is ripe this month, and he’s been begging me to come pick some and grab a home-cooked meal while we’re at it.” He paused. “We could invite Saul and Jocelyn. Haven't you been trying to set them up?”

Lavinia was feeling a bit stressed and originally wanted to find an excuse to decline, but the moment she heard that, she immediately put her own feelings aside.

“Sure! I was actually just thinking Saul needs to step up his game. If he keeps dragging this out in this awkward talking stage, he’s going to ruin a good thing.” Lavinia sounded thoroughly exasperated with her cousin’s lack of initiative.

Charley’s fingers subconsciously tightened on the steering wheel. He shot her a side-eye. “Are you trying to drop a hint for me right now?”

“Yes! I am dropping a hint!” Lavinia glared at him.

“You think... I should be more proactive?” he asked.

Lavinia nodded emphatically. “Exactly! With a cluelessly dense personality like Saul's, when is he ever going to figure it out? As his good friend, you should be actively creating opportunities for him and Jocelyn to spend time together. Tell him to stop burying his head in his stupid glue research and focus on getting a girlfriend—that’s the real priority!”

Charley went quiet for a long moment before letting out a dry chuckle. “You two really have a beautiful sibling bond.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll text Saul and Jocelyn right now.” Lavinia looked down and started typing.

Charley glanced at her, smiling helplessly. “As long as you’re happy. You were looking so miserable just a minute ago.”

He paused. “Getting out of town will be good for you. Try not to think about the divorce trial so much.”

Lavinia kept typing as she replied, “I’m not stressed about the trial, it’s a project at work. You have no idea how ridiculous some of these executives can be.”

“What happened?”

“One of the company owners we're investing in is from Fluvia State. He wants to build a factory in Blossom City and needs a plot of land. I begged Joel to pull some strings, and we finally secured a prime spot in the development zone. The owner flew in last week to look at it, but he brought two spiritual consultants from the Ley Line school with him. The Bureau of Commerce was so busy catering to the owner that they neglected the consultants. As a result, those two experts completely trashed the location’s energy. Now the owner is hesitating and says he wants to look elsewhere. I’m pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to explain this to Joel.”

Charley smiled faintly. “I can’t help you with that one. I’m just an employee myself, after all.”

The two cars arrived at the base of Windward Peak one after the other. The five of them grabbed their backpacks, loaded up a camping wagon, and started hiking up the mountain.

After just a few steps, all the women’s bags had magically migrated into the wagon.

Jocelyn walked at the very front, completely empty-handed, while Lavinia only held onto Nemo’s leash.

Charley and Saul took turns pulling the wagon, inadvertently falling behind the rest of the group.

“Lavinia says you need to step it up.” Charley kept his voice low. “If you don’t put in some effort, she’s going to blame me for not helping you.”

Saul scoffed. “Why are you only pushing me? Why don't you step it up yourself?”

Charley raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying you want me to step it up?”

Realizing what he meant, Saul quickly backtracked. “No, that’s not what I meant. You should definitely take your time. The slower, the better.”