On the chessboard, Ashton was down to his last few pieces. Gazing at me, he asked in a gentle tone, “What are your plans for this afternoon?”
“I don’t have any plans,” I replied. Then, I attacked his knight.
He didn’t seem to mind and openly surrendered to me.
Emery walked away, probably tired of witnessing Ashton’s obvious submission. Meanwhile, Cameron stood by the side and rebuked, “Didn’t I tell you both to visit the aquarium in the North District today? Summer has been going on about it for a long time.”
“That’s a good idea. The weather today is suitable for an outing,” Ashton answered with a nod.
I refused flatly, “I can’t. I’m busy.”
Both Cameron and Ashton looked at me, and the former asked quizzically, “Busy with what?”
My eyes stayed focused on the board and I only lifted my gaze after taking Ashton’s king. “Didn’t I tell you I’ll be visiting Uncle Louis today? I haven’t seen Hannah for a long time too. I wanna see her baby.”
Cameron was momentarily taken aback, but she managed to squeeze out a smile. “But Mr. Fuller is here. It’s a good time to take Summer out to play.”
“Oh.” I paused, then countered, “But I’ve already called my brother and made dinner plans with him tonight.”
Trying hard to patch things up between Ashton and me, Cameron proposed, “Well, that’s great too. You can all go together. Summer has never seen Hannah’s baby. Since Summer likes babies, I think it’s a good idea to-”
“Let Summer stay at home and play with Xavier. He’s a baby too and she likes him. It might be troublesome to bring her along. It’s better if I go alone.” I stood up and was about to go upstairs.
Right then, Summer bounded down the stairs barefooted and ran toward me. “Mommy, Uncle John is calling!”
Speak of the devil…
As soon as I answered the call, his voice drifted across the phone. “You’re back in K City?”
“I see you’re well-informed,” I replied.
He clucked his tongue in a playful manner. “Of course. Let’s have dinner together tonight. I haven’t seen you in such a long time. I miss you.”
I hummed in response. “Sure. I was coincidently planning to see Hannah and the baby, then visit Uncle Louis.”
John fell silent for a while before clarifying, “I meant just us.”
I pursed my lips, slightly stunned. “Why?”
When he didn’t respond, I speculated, “Did you and Hannah fight?”
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