The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 226

Suzie watched them carefully from a distance. Once she was certain that Jamie, his brothers, and Ruby were all preoccupied with their food and conversation at the long table, she dusted herself off.

“Martha,” she said gently, “I’m going to take a quick break. You carry on here, and I’ll be back in a little while.”

“If you’re tired, you should rest longer,” Martha replied kindly. “You have to take care of yourself.”

Suzie managed a faint smile. “The chair is comfortable enough, so I’m not too tired from sitting. I’m just going back to my room for a bit.”

As Suzie stood and walked away, Chester’s eyes followed her until she disappeared from view. He leaned closer to Jamie, not bothering to be discreet. “Hey, who's the woman working the grill? Did you see her hands? They look like they belong in a jewelry ad. She keeps her head down, though, so I haven't gotten a good look at her face. But from what I can see, she's probably gorgeous.”

Hearing the way Chester was scrutinizing Suzie, Jamie felt a surge of irritation. He kept his expression neutral and answered calmly, “Don’t even think about it. She’s married with three kids. She never had much schooling and has to work to help support her family. Who else would take a job like this at her age?”

Chester swirled the wine in his glass, clicking his tongue in disappointment. “Married so young? And with three kids? What a shame. Looking at her hands, you can tell she’s never done a day of hard work in her life. She must have had it good before. People always say marriage can change a woman's life. Looks like she ended up with the wrong man.”

Jamie’s brow furrowed, his annoyance finally showing in his voice. “She takes one shift here and suddenly you’ve figured out her entire life story? How do you know she isn’t happy?”

Chester was ready for the argument. “Happy? How happy can she be with a man who makes his wife work a job like this? If you had a wife, would you let her do this? Because that’s a hard pass for me.”

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