“I’ll take you back. That way, your Alexander won’t have to make the trip,” Rory said.
“That’s too much trouble for you,” Evie replied, a little embarrassed.
“It’s fine. I’ve got time. Besides, you and your Alexander are like newlyweds. Missing a day feels like three years. Let him pick you up. You’ll see him sooner,” Rory teased.
“No, no. He said to call him when I’m done. He’ll come get me,” Evie stammered, her face turning red.
“I see. So Alexander wants to see you sooner. Okay, call him. See if he’s free. If not, I’ll drive you,” Rory said with a smile.
Evie felt even more awkward. She didn’t know what to say.
“Evie, let Alexander pick you up. Women shouldn’t be too independent. If you are, men forget you exist. It’s good to be a little dependent. At least he’ll remember his wife isn’t home yet,” Laila said.
“Laila’s right,” Rory agreed, clapping her hands.
Evie blushed and nodded. She walked away to call Alexander.
“Evie is so lucky,” Rory sighed.
“Falling in love early isn’t as good as falling in love at the right time,” Laila said, patting Grace’s shoulder.
Grace smiled but said nothing.
Evie came back after her call. She said Alexander would pick her up after work.
They continued eating and chatting.
Alexander arrived just as they were about to leave. He called Evie from the lobby.
Evie answered and said to the others, “Alexander is here. Should we go down together?”
“Let’s go,” Rory said.
As they went downstairs, Evie offered to pay the bill. She thanked them for inviting her to the hot springs. She had a great time.
“Evie, you’re still being polite with us,” Rory said.
“No, it’s rare for me to go out with you. I had fun. Let me pay this time,” Evie replied.
“You don’t have to.”
“Please,” Evie insisted. She went to the front desk to check out.
The front desk said the bill was already settled.
Evie turned around, confused. “Who paid?”
“Not me,” Rory said.
“Not me,” Laila said.
“It must be Alexander. He’s waiting over there,” Grace said.
Evie followed Grace’s gaze. Alexander was standing up from the waiting area, buttoning his suit jacket. He walked over. Evie laughed. “He paid. It’s the same as me paying.”
“Have you been waiting long?” Evie asked as she walked to him.
“Just got here,” Alexander said. He turned to the others. “Thank you for taking care of Evie today.”
“You’re welcome, Alexander. We had a great time with her,” Rory said.
“Yes, we did,” Evie agreed.
“How are you getting back?” Alexander asked.
“We’ll drive ourselves. You just take care of your wife,” Laila said with a smile.
“We’ll go first. Goodbye,” Alexander said, nodding.
“Goodbye,” Evie echoed.
They walked hand in hand toward the lobby door.
Laila, Rory, and Grace watched them go.
“Do you think Alexander came to pick her up just to show off in front of us?” Laila asked.
“Now that you mention it, it does seem that way,” Rory said.
“He doesn’t need to show off to us,” Grace said quietly.
Grace and Laila turned to look at her. “Let’s go. We should head back too,” Grace said.
She walked toward the parking lot.
Laila and Rory followed. “Even if he wanted to show off, we’re not the target. We’re just bystanders,” Laila said calmly.
“Maybe they’ve both moved on. We outsiders shouldn’t worry about it.”
“If they’d really moved on, one of them wouldn’t have noticed the other the moment they walked in. And the other wouldn’t have avoided looking at them the whole time,” Laila replied.
Rory turned to look at Laila. What she said made sense. But it wasn’t easy for outsiders to judge these things.
On the way home, Evie excitedly told Alexander about the different hot spring pools.
“The fish therapy was so fun. Lots of little fish nibbling at my feet. Grace said she has a phobia and wouldn’t go in. Laila said she’s ticklish. So she just sat and watched. It was just me and Rory soaking our feet. It was cold, but so much fun,” Evie said.
“I’ll dig a pool in the backyard of Sterling Manor. I’ll raise some fish for you,” Alexander said as he drove.
“No, then it won’t be special anymore,” Evie said, shaking her head.
She sneezed.
Alexander glanced at her and turned up the air conditioning.
“Is someone talking about me?” Evie muttered.
“No one’s talking about you. I’m just afraid you’ll catch a cold.”
“No, the water was warm. We put on bathrobes as soon as we got out. It wasn’t that cold,” Evie said.
“I hope you don’t get sick.”
“I won’t,” Evie said. But she sneezed again.
Her heart sank. She hoped she wasn’t getting sick.
She probably caught a cold when she answered the phone.
“There’s hot water in the thermos. Drink some,” Alexander said.
Evie picked up the thermos, unscrewed the lid, and poured a small cup. She drank it.
It was still warm. Just right.
After two cups, she screwed the lid back on and held the thermos.
“What do you want for dinner?” Alexander asked.
“Barbecue,” Evie said.
“You’re always thinking about barbecue.”
“Not really. I just suddenly remembered how good those roasted rabbit legs were.”
“The ones on Elmwood Lane?”
“Yes. But forget it. They’re probably still closed for the holiday.”
“Let’s go check. If they’re closed, we’ll eat something else.”
“You’d drive all the way to Elmwood Lane?”
“It’s not that far.”
He turned right at the next intersection and headed toward Elmwood Lane.
The barbecue shop was closed. It wouldn’t open until after the tenth day of the new year.
“What do you want to eat now?” Evie muttered.
She wasn’t hungry. She’d eaten a lot with Rory upstairs.
But Alexander had come to pick her up. He probably hadn’t eaten dinner yet. He must be hungry.
“Let’s go home and have noodles.”
“No, we’ll have to cook when we get home. Let’s eat out. There’s a porridge place nearby. It’s good,” Evie said, shaking her head.
She wasn’t afraid of cooking. She just didn’t want Alexander to wait.
Alexander had no objections.
They walked to the porridge restaurant.