I shook my head.
He smiled lightly, “Therefore, take everything you read with a grain of salt.”
I ceased to speak.
It was late when we got back to the villa.
It was beginning to get cloudy again in City P. “Maybe it’s going to snow again,” Yara said. There were several heavy snowfalls in City P every year.
Sure enough, as Yara had said, it snowed heavily on the first day of the New Year.
The white snow lit up the whole room.
I woke up early, or more accurately, stayed up all night. Dennis looked at me and said in a low voice, “Under the weather?”
I shook my head and looked at him, “It’s snowing. Be careful when you go out.””
He nodded, checked the time, got up and went to the bathroom.
I got up and went to the balcony. The snow was so heavy that more than half of the trees in the yard were crushed.
Going out today didn’t seem like a very good choice.
My body was drawn into a warm embrace. There was a faint smell of familiarity. I looked back at him, “Dennis, is Mario picking up Clarie in a couple of days?”
He nodded, his chin resting on my shoulder, “Clarie is on vacation and is staying at home these days, but we don’t have time to take her out for fun. It’s also good for her to go to H Town with Mario.”
I looked down, knowing he was right. But it was hard not to feel lost when the child I had always had under my nose was suddenly gone.
he thought of Clariana being gone for longer and longer made me feel even worse. Looking at him, I asked in a heavy tone, “Dennis, let’s have another baby, okay?”
He stiffened slightly, then looked at me with his deep eyes and smiled, “Okay! We’ll make another one tonight.”
I blushed for a moment and avoided his eyes. Then I pushed him and said, “Go change or you’ll be late.”
“When did you hear that the boss was afraid of being late?” He put his arms around me and kissed me on the cheek with a smile.
After a long time, he went to change clothes and I went to take a shower. When I came out, I saw him still in the bedroom, so I said, “The holiday is coming soon, so get your work done early. Didn’t you say you were taking me out? When can we got out if you’re like us?”
He smiled, “Whenever you want.”
I ignored him and went downstairs to find that Finn had already made breakfast. Clariana got into the habit of getting up early when she was in HL Area.
When Dennis and I came down, she looked up at me and said, “Mom, since I’m on holiday, when can we go back to HL Area, I miss Joey so much!”
I froze for a moment, then half crouched down to look at her, “Clariana, I may not be able to take you back to HL Area this holiday season. I promised Uncle Mario to let him take you to H Town.”
When Clariana heard that, she got upset, “But, I made that deal with Joey when I got here that I’ll go back to see him during the holidays.”
I looked back at Dennis and didn’t know what to say.
Dennis walked over to Clariana, looked at her and said, “Clariana, how about this? You can go to HL Area with Uncle Mario for a few days. After you meet Joey, you can go to H Town with Uncle Mario. In this way, both mom and you don’t have to break your promise, ok?”
She bent her head to think, sighed, and said with dignity, “Okay!”
After a pause, she looked at us and asked, “But why can’t you come with me?”
Dennis smiled lightly, “Because I must work, and your mother’s not well enough to walk around. But Clarie, you’re a kid. When you grow up, you don’t just read books. You need to see the world. So, we gave uncle Mario the job of showing you the world.”
Clariana probably didn’t understand what he was saying, but it made sense to her, so she nodded and said, “Alright then.”
I looked at Dennis and said to myself, “Crafty scoundrel!”
After settling Clariana and eating breakfast, Dennis sat on the living room couch and was in no hurry to leave.
I had to go out. After telling Finn to take care of Clariana, I turned to Dennis, “Aren’t you going to the office?”
He raised his eyebrows, “I’m waiting for you.”
I was stunned, “I’m not going to the George Group.”
He nodded and walked over to me, “I know. It’s on my way. I’ll take you to the hospital, and then I’ll go to the office.”
“But I can drive myself and it’s not far!”
“It’s snowing outside. It’s not safe!”
There was no reason. He was determined to send me.
I nodded slightly, and did nothing to retort.
In the hospital.
Dennis pulled up under the hospital building and got some nutrients out of the trunk.
I was stunned, “When did you get this?”
He smiled, “I had Toby get it last night. Let’s go!”
It looked as if he was going up with me.
After a slight hesitation, I followed him, feeling suddenly moved. He was too delicate, which made me look too dull.
Luna’s anesthesia was over six hours after she came out of the operating room.
But she had a cut to her stomach and needed a few days off anyway.
Samuel Lewis, who had probably stayed up all night, was sitting there dozing.
Luna was lying in her hospital bed, probably thinking about something, and she was staring at the ceiling.
She looked sideways at the noise. She was slightly stunned when she saw Dennis and me.
Then she clapped her hand on Samuel Lewis by the bed, looked at us and said with a smile, “Hey!”
Samuel Lewis woke up and sat up straight. When he saw us, he stood up for a moment, still conscious. Then he said, “It was snowing heavily outside. What are you guys doing here? It’s so cold!”
Dennis smiled, put aside the nutrients he offered and said, “It’s not cold on a snowy day.”
After a pause, he looked at the inpatient room and then at Samuel Lewis, who was sleeping faintly, “Mr. Lewis, have you had breakfast yet?”
Samuel Lewis nodded, then shook his head again, and said, somewhat uncertainly, “Not yet.”
Then he sighed and said, “Well, we’re getting too old for that.”
Luna looked at him and said with concern, “You go back and get some rest. I’m okay here. The babysitter will be here later. If there’s a problem, she can fix it.”
Samuel Lewis shook his head, “No, I’d feel better if I was here.”
Luna sighed, “At your age, you are still acting like a child.”
Dennis seemed to be texting Toby and I guessed it was about the business. So, I tugged at his coat and said, “You can go to the office and do your job. I’ll be fine here.”
He put the phone away and smiled, “It’s okay!”
Then he looked to Samuel Lewis and said, “Mr. Lewis, why don’t you go home and get some rest? Clara and I will be here, and there are no use keeping so many people here.”
Samuel Lewis was stunned, then he looked at me, as if seeking advice.
I said, “You better go back. Me and Dennis are good enough here.”