Sir Hershey agreed, “Yes, it’s already dark outside. We have a guest room ready for you. Please stay the night, and I still need to thank you properly.”
Nanci declined with a smile, “It’s okay. My home isn’t far from here. It’s quite convenient, so I won’t stay and disturb you. Goodbye.”
Antony wanted to persuade her to stay when Kaia knocked on the door and said, “Ms. Ross, someone is here to see you.”
The three people in the room were puzzled, not knowing who would come at such a late hour. Nanci quickly thought of someone and shook her head, thinking, “It can’t be him, can he?”
Nanci looked at the two and said, “I should leave. Sir Hershey, make sure to take your medicine and rest well. If you feel any discomfort, contact me anytime.”
Sir Hershey said, “Antony, please see Ms. Ross out.”
The two walked out of the room. When Nanci went downstairs, she saw Edward sitting on the sofa and exclaimed in disbelief, “Edward?”
Edward turned to her with a gentle smile and said, “Are you done? I’ve come to take you home.”
Nanci didn’t expect him to come personally and couldn’t hide her smile as she quickly walked towards him and took his arm. “Yes, I’m done. Let’s go.”
Antony saw this scene and said, “Since someone is here to pick you up, I won’t see you off. It’s quite dark outside. Please drive safely and let us know when you get home safely, Ms. Ross.”
“Alright then, we’ll head back now. I hope Sir Hershey can get well soon. Goodbye.” With that, Nanci pulled Edward towards the door. Antony watched them get into the car and drive away, sighing inwardly, “Why didn’t I meet you earlier?”
After they left, he went back upstairs to find his grandfather. Sir Hershey saw his grandson’s disappointed look and asked, “Why are you back so soon? Who came to pick Ms. Ross up?”
“Her boyfriend, Edward Clarkson.”
Sir Hershey was also surprised that Edward was her boyfriend and said in astonishment, “Ms. Ross is so outstanding. It’s not surprising Edward pursued her. They both are excellent!”
Seeing his grandson’s sadness, he quickly comforted him, “It’s okay, Antony. There are many girls around you. Why don’t you like any of them? I know Ms. Ross is indeed excellent and I’m satisfied with her too, but her man is not someone we can provoke. You will find a girl you like in the future.”
Antony nodded absentmindedly and said, “Grandfather, I’m a bit tired. I’ll go back to my room now.”
Watching him leave, Sir Hershey could only shake his head helplessly and thought to himself, “They haven’t known each other for long. I hope Antony can move on soon.”
In the car.
Nanci asked various questions happily non-stop.
“Why did you come to pick me up? Why did you get off work so early today?”
“Is Issac busy? You drove here yourself after a day’s work. It must be tiring. Why don’t you pull over and let me drive? If you’re tired while driving, both of us will be in trouble.”
Edward finally spoke up, “You asked so many questions at once. Which one should I answer first? You’ve been busy for a day. Aren’t you tired?”
“But it’s slightly easier than your work.”
“Don’t worry about me. Open the glove compartment in front of you. I bought some snacks for you to tide over until we get home for dinner.”
Nanci opened the compartment and exclaimed in amazement, “Wow! So many snacks! I didn’t expect you’d be so considerate.”
Edward smiled. He had spent quite some time researching online what girls liked to eat before buying them. He looked at Nanci dotingly and said, “If you like them, eat more. They’re all yours anyway.”
Nanci opened a pack and started eating while occasionally feeding Edward too. She asked him if he hadn’t eaten dinner yet and suggested they eat out.
Edward bit Nanci’s finger by accident while eating the snack she fed him. She quickly withdrew her hand and said jokingly, “I told you to eat the snack, not me!”
“Sorry about that. I haven’t had dinner yet either. Feed me more snacks.”
Despite her fingers still aching, Nanci was still concerned about him being hungry and continued feeding him snacks.
Edward smiled and said gratefully, “Thank you, Nanci! What would you want to eat for dinner?”
Nanci thought for a moment before saying excitedly, “Let’s go to a Western restaurant.”.
“Sure!” Edward agreed without hesitation.
“You don’t have to accommodate me all the time,” Nanci protested gently.
“But what makes you happy makes me happy too,” Edward reassured her.
Nanci laughed as she searched for a highly-rated restaurant nearby on her phone while Edward navigated them there.
At the restaurant.
Nanci perused through their menu before handing it over to Edward, who added a few more dishes before handing it over to the server.
Once the server left, Nanci wrapped her arms around Edward. “I’m so tired,” she sighed, startling him with her uncharacteristic affection. Usually, he was the one initiating such gestures.
She continued, “My arms are sore. I spent all day holding those acupuncture needles, terrified I’d make a mistake. I was so focused on the treatment that I didn’t even feel hungry. But afterward, my stomach was growling, and my hands were shaking. Antony-Sir Hershey’s grandson-brought food upstairs, but I could barely eat.”
Edward rubbed her back soothingly. “You did amazing. Saving another life, doesn’t that feel rewarding?”
“Absolutely,” Nanci said, her voice brightening. “It made me realize I need to study acupuncture harder. Today showed me I’m still rusty, but I’ll get better.”
“You’re brilliant. You’ll master it in no time,” he reassured her.
When their food arrived, Nanci perked up. “Finally! I’m starving, but…” She held up her trembling hands. “Too sore to handle utensils. Maybe you could… help?”
Edward chuckled. “Of course. Just sit, and I’ll feed you.”
“Perfect!” She opened her mouth like a baby bird, grinning as he fed her. “I feel thirsty. Orange juice, please!”
He obliged without complaint, and Nanci sighed contentedly. “You should eat too. I’m almost done.”
“I’ll eat when you’re finished,” he said.
She picked up a piece of meat, blew on it, and held it to his lips. He took it with a smirk. “Tastes better when you feed me. Maybe I’ll just let you do this forever.”
“Since you served me so well, I’ll return the favor,” she teased. “Open up. Careful. It’s hot!”
They lingered over the meal, savoring the warmth between them.
Back home, Nanci flopped onto the bed, exhausted. Edward hovered in the doorway. “You should shower first. Sleeping like that’ll be uncomfortable.”
“No! I’m done for the day,” she groaned into the pillow.
He arched a brow. “I fed you dinner. Need me to bathe you too?”
She bolted upright, cheeks flushing. “N-no! I’ll manage. You go first-I’ll rest a bit.”
As the shower ran, Nanci lay back, her mind drifting to… inappropriate thoughts. She slapped her cheeks. “Ladies don’t think like that!”
Her phone rang. As she picked up the phone, a gruff voice came through. “It’s been over half a month. Is he cured yet, or are you deceiving me?”
“Mr. Simonds! Today was the final treatment. Sir Hershey’ll fully recover in ten days. I’ll bring you to see him then, okay?”
“Last chance,” he grumbled. “My patience isn’t infinite.”
Hanging up, she chewed her lip. How would she explain to Sir Hershey that she’d arranged this meeting without his consent? So lost in thought, she didn’t notice Edward return until his arms circled her from behind.
“What’s wrong?” he murmured, nuzzling her neck. “You’re frowning again.”
She leaned into him. “You know, I borrowed those acupuncture needles from Mr. Simonds earlier, and I promised that I would take him to see Sir Hershey once he was better. Now that Sir Hershey’s condition has improved, I feel like I should follow through on that promise. But if I just bring people to meet him without giving him a heads-up, wouldn’t that come off as rude?”
“You healed him. He’ll be grateful, not angry,” Edward said, spinning her to face him. “Stop worrying. Tomorrow, let’s go out-just us. It’s been too long.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up. “But your work-”
“All handled. Your only job is to have fun with me. Now sleep.”