In the morning, Nanci opened her eyes to see Edward sleeping beside her, a wave of sweetness spreading in her heart. She leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth before turning to get out of bed. Just then, his voice came from behind her. “Just one kiss? Is my charm not enough to tempt you?”
Nanci turned around to find him awake, a blush creeping onto her face. She quickly replied, “I’ll go wash up first. You can sleep a bit longer. I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.” With that, she dashed into the bathroom.
Edward rubbed his eyes and slowly got up. Just as he finished getting dressed, Nanci emerged from the bathroom. He chuckled, “Nanci, why do you look like I’m going to eat you alive?”
Nanci feigned innocence, saying, “Well… I’m just hungry and want to go eat quickly!”
Edward smiled but didn’t say anything more as he watched her leave. He went into the bathroom for a quick wash and then grabbed a tie from the closet. He put it around his neck but took it off again, placing it back in the wardrobe.
In the kitchen, Nanci was chatting with Jenny. She asked, “Jenny, did Rhys finish the dinner last night?”
Jenny replied with a smile, “He finished it all! Nothing left! What a good boy! It’s just a shame that he has always had poor health.”
“I’ll help him get better. Also, can you make an extra portion for breakfast? He must be starving. He barely ate yesterday, and he looks so fragile.”
Suddenly, a youthful voice chimed in, “It’s not right to talk about others behind their backs! I can hear you!”
Nanci turned to see the boy puffing out his cheeks, hands on his hips, his little chest rising and falling with indignation. She laughed and said, “When did you come out? How do you know I was talking about you? Don’t you want me to help you get better?”
“Of course, I want that! When will my mom be back? Do you know any news about her?”
“She’ll be back when your eyes are fully healed, so until then, you must listen to me. And when I’m not home, you should listen to Jenny. If you get hungry, she’ll make you lots of delicious food. If you misbehave, there won’t be any good food, and you won’t see your mom. So think carefully.”
The little boy nodded and said, “I’ll be good, but I bet Jenny’s cooking isn’t as good as my mom’s! My mom’s cooking is the best in the world!”
“Well, you’ll find out soon enough. You don’t have any food restrictions, do you?”
“I don’t eat green onions or cilantro. I’m not picky about anything else.”
“Hey, just like me! Good, good! Now Jenny is going to cook, so you should sit at the dining table and wait. If hot oil splashes on your skin, it’ll make you cry!”
Rhys exclaimed, “I’m a man! I won’t cry! Don’t talk nonsense!”
“Alright, alright, my bad. Can you sit at the table?”
“Why do you get to stand?”
“Because I’m an adult! I know how to protect myself.”
Rhys kept arguing back, and Nanci finally said, “Then let’s go wait at the table together.”
Edward came down to see the two already seated at the dining table. He pretended to cough to get Nanci’s attention, and sure enough, she turned around and asked, “You’re coughing. Did you catch a cold yesterday? After breakfast, I’ll make you some medicine to drink. Come sit down.”
With his goal achieved, Edward slowly walked to the seat beside her.
Nanci reached out to feel his forehead and sighed in relief. “Good, you don’t have a fever.”
Edward feigned indifference and said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Just then, Rhys piped up, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. It’s a shame you’re a doctor. You can’t even see through his fake acting. Don’t make me doubt your skills, okay?”
Edward shot him a fierce look, warning him to mind his own business. Nanci, understanding the situation, reflected on her own oversight. She hadn’t even realized he was pretending to be sick and felt foolish for being genuinely worried about Edward.
Nanci looked at him angrily and said, “Do you think this is funny? I was really worried about you! It turns out you were just messing with me…”
Seeing her upset, Edward felt flustered. He quickly softened his tone, saying, “I’m sorry, Nanci. I took the joke too far. Can you forgive me?”
Nanci didn’t reply, and he continued to plead, “I really didn’t mean it. Please don’t be angry. You’re not beautiful when you’re angry. If punishing me can make you feel better, I’m fine with that!”
Nanci didn’t want to talk to him. Her appetite diminished, and she took a few bites before heading upstairs. Edward followed her, but when he met her gaze, he stopped in his tracks, feeling dejected as he returned to his seat, inwardly chastising himself for using her concern against her.
Rhys observed the tension and realized his words had caused a rift between them. Seeing Edward’s guilty expression, he awkwardly said, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say that and cause you two to argue…”
Edward now understood the consequences of joking around, even if it had started with the little boy. He didn’t know how to respond but didn’t blame him either. Finally, he said, “There’s a time and place for jokes. I upset her, and I can’t blame you.”
The boy thought for a moment and said, “Mom said that when girls are angry, you need to comfort them quickly. Look, she barely touched her breakfast. Why don’t you hurry up and take her another plate? You should also ask for her forgiveness.”
Edward found this advice reasonable and quickly grabbed an extra breakfast plate from the kitchen. He headed upstairs, ready to knock on the door, only to find it locked. He knocked and said, “Nanci, open the door! I’m just bringing you breakfast. Don’t let anger make you starve. That’s not worth it!”
“I’m not hungry! Leave me alone!”
“Then I’ll leave it at the door. You can come out and get it when you feel hungry.”
Hearing footsteps descending the stairs, Nanci felt even more annoyed. How dare he leave just like that! She opened the door to check what food was there, only to find Edward’s familiar face.
She was about to slam the door shut when Edward quickly caught it with his hand. Nanci, worried about hurting him, reluctantly let go and huffed back onto her bed.
Edward walked over, speaking softly as he massaged her shoulders and legs, using all the flattering words he could think of. Nanci wanted to laugh at some of his compliments, but the current situation made it impossible. She held back her laughter.
“Nanci, I’ll feed you.” Nanci turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Today, Edward didn’t dare to kiss her domineeringly. He feared doing that would make her angry. Seeing her serious expression filled him with guilt, and he raised his hand as if to hit himself. Nanci quickly grabbed his hand, saying, “What are you doing?! Do you think this will make me forgive you? That’s irresponsible behavior towards your body! As a doctor, I detest seeing this kind of thing!”
Realizing he had upset her again, Edward looked troubled and apologized, “I’m sorry! Just tell me how I can make it up to you so you won’t be angry anymore. I really know I was wrong.”
Nanci had genuinely worried about him earlier. Now, knowing he was pretending had made her upset. But his sincere words had touched her heart.
She pulled him up from the floor and made him sit on the bed. Turning to him, she said seriously, “I care about you, and that’s why I worried when I thought you were sick. But you deceived me, making me feel foolish for worrying about nothing. Promise me you won’t pull such pranks on me again, and I’ll forgive you.”
Edward swore, “I swear if I do this again…”
Nanci quickly covered his mouth, saying helplessly, “Don’t say such ominous things! Just do better next time. That’s enough.”
Edward firmly replied, “I won’t do it again!”
Nanci adjusted his clothes and noticed he hadn’t tied his tie yet. She asked, “Why are you so scatterbrained today? You forgot to tie your tie.”
“Can you help me pick one out? I’m having trouble choosing.”
Nanci stood up and opened the closet, seeing a row of ties in similar colors. She turned back and asked, “Can you tell me what the differences between them are? Why can’t you decide?”
Edward shrugged and said, “Each one comes from a different place, so of course they’re not the same.”
“Why do I feel like you bought them all in bulk?”
Nanci was speechless and finally picked one out. Edward stood up from the bed, moved in front of her, and bent his neck, waiting for her to tie it.
Nanci smiled as she adjusted the tie, saying, “Look up.”
She carefully tied a good-looking knot and patted it with satisfaction, saying, “See? I really am skilled. Now hurry off to work. You’re running late.”
Edward looked at Nanci, still serious, and said again, “I’m sorry, Nanci. I won’t do it again. Please don’t be angry anymore…”
“It’s alright. I’m not angry anymore. I’ve long since calmed down. You can go now. I’ll wait for you to come back for dinner.”
As Edward left, he looked back three times. Nanci accompanied him down the stairs, where Rhys was sitting properly at the dining table. When he saw them come down, he said, “Ms. Ross, I’m sorry.”
Nanci was surprised he would say that but still comforted him, “It’s okay. You did nothing wrong, and I’ve forgiven him.”