Noelle was just about to step out when the door swung open, and there stood Sean, easily grinning and with curious eyes as he took in the scene before him. His gaze lingered on Noelle, a playful arch to his brow.
She had not expected Sean to be the one showing up. Charles had assured her it was fine to come, which probably meant he had filled Sean in.
Sean's eyes crinkled with a smile, that mischievous twinkle in his almond-shaped eyes. He leaned against the doorframe, hands in pockets, and teased, "Hey, where're you off to in such a hurry, Ms. Shaw?"
Jade, spotting Sean, rushed over with a flurry of excitement. "Mr. Smith, you're here! Noelle was just getting antsy and wanted to come out to greet you."
"Really?" Sean's eyebrow quirked up as he locked eyes with Noelle. She bit her lip, holding back words. Jade, desperate, pinched Noelle and hissed just loud enough for them to hear, "Get it together and say hi to Mr. Smith, will you?"
"Mr. Smith, take a look at Noelle here. She came all this way just for you. Come on in and take a seat. Don't just stand there!" Jade tried to usher him in, but Sean sidestepped her grab with a sly grin. "Ms. Shaw, after you."
Noelle managed a tight-lipped smile. "Mr. Smith, please come in."
Jade watched as Noelle finally played along and breathed a sigh of relief. She shot Noelle a fierce glare when she thought Sean was not looking. "Keep it together, will you?" she hissed. Then she spun around to pour Sean a cup of tea.
Sean raised his hand to stop her, so Jade passed the teacup to Noelle instead. "Hey Noelle, aren't you going to pour Mr. Smith some tea? You said you had tons of things you wanted to tell Mr. Smith before he got here, right?"
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