Stanley noticed the changes in Summer’s emotions and comforted her. “You’ll slowly recall things.”
A thought came to mind, and she asked, “What about my friends?” She had seen none of her friends since she came out of her coma. Did she not have friends?
Stanley’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly not surprised by her question. “We didn’t stay together last time, so I don’t know any of your friends.”
Summer’s mindset had always been that her relationship with Stanley was not that close. Hearing his words, she suspected nothing at all. Stanley told her that she met with an accident abroad, and when the doctor informed him about it, he had only seen her alone. She lost her mobile phone and could not remember all of her social media accounts and passwords. She plunged into a depressed state when she thought of this.
“Don’t think about it too much. Whatever will happen, will happen.” Stanley patted her on the shoulder. “Are you hungry? Let’s go out and grab something to eat.”
“Okay.” Summer looked up and smiled at him. Despite their feelings not being as deep as expected, she felt that Stanley was genuinely concerned about her. But with her current condition, she and Stanley could not interact like a normal couple. They could only treat each other as friends. That was what she and Stanley had agreed on before she was discharged.
…
Stanley drove her to a vegetarian restaurant near the apartment. Three months of coma landed Summer with a weak digestive system. The various functions of her body were slowly recovering, and she did not have much of an appetite. Hence, eating a vegetarian meal was a good start.
After they sat down, Stanley said, “I have been here once. They make great dishes; you’ll like it.” He pushed the menu in front of her. “Order whatever you like. I’m going to the gents.”
“Okay.” Summer started to browse through the menu. There was a variety of choices, but there was nothing she liked in particular. Besides, the food was on the pricey side, so she slowly browsed through it.
Just then, a group of people came into the restaurant.
“Should we get a private room or just dine in the hall?”
“Let’s just sit in the main hall. The private room is a little tight.”
“There are few people here. We may as well just sit in the hall.”
While they discussed, those people sat down at the table next to Summer’s.
Summer glanced over, and she met eyes with one of the men. He looked young, fair, and good-looking, like the kind of man who would flirt with women. Judging from his simple but expensive clothes, he was definitely a rich kid from some wealthy family.
When their eyes met, the man was wide-eyed. He pointed at her yet could not say a word. He got to his feet abruptly and accidentally bumped into the table, producing a grating sound as the table legs slid across the floor, nearly turning it upside down.
“Jarrett-Jarrett… I can’t believe I’m seeing you here!” Carl stammered and finally managed to call out her name. “Summer, you’re here! When did you come back to Hoover City?”
A week ago, his mom told him she had found a restaurant selling great vegetarian dishes and would bring him there to test it out. It happened that he was free today and decided to tag along.
At first, he did not feel like tagging along because his family had been pressuring him to get married for the past two years and arranging blind dates for him. But today, he was thankful that he had come.
When he came in and sat down earlier, he thought he was hallucinating when he saw Summer, the woman he and his men had searched for a long time yet found no trace of on the island.
At first, he continued to search for a month. After Jessica learned about the case, she searched for Summer for nearly half a year and spent all of her savings, but it still came to nothing. They nearly turned the island inside out, but there were still no signs of Summer.
“You know me?” Summer looked at Carl in surprise. She wondered why she knew a man like Carl, who definitely looked like a rich kid. She may have forgotten the past, but when she saw the menu, her first reaction was how pricey the food was. That showed she came from an average background. She knew she was light-years away from what this man possessed, let alone Leonardo, the man who appeared on TV the day before.
“What… What? Carl frowned when Summer treated him as a stranger. “I’m Carl. Don’t you remember me? What’s going on?” Only then did Carl notice that Summer had become too skinny, and she looked frail, as though she had just recovered from a major illness.
“Carl?” Summer repeated his name to herself.
Just then, Stanley came back. He stood behind Carl and spoke in an unfriendly voice. “Hey, Mister, you’re too close to her.”
Carl had been too excited just now. When he went up to Summer earlier, he leaned forward with his hands on the table as if he was looking for trouble with her—at least that was what outsiders would perceive.
Carl looked back at Stanley and said in irritation, “Who are you?”
He already felt uneasy when Summer did not recognize him. Coupled with the appearance of a busybody, he quickly lost his temper.
Stanley glanced at Summer and said, “She’s my friend, and who are you?”
“You’re her friend? Why is it that I don’t know you?” Carl stood with his back straightened and arms crossed as he looked at Stanley like he was about to start a fight.
The corner of Stanley’s lips curled up in a sneer. “What a coincidence, I don’t know you either.”
“You…” Carl could not find the words to respond. Turning to Summer, he said, “Summer, where have you been all these years?”
“I—”
Just as Summer wanted to say something, Stanley interrupted. Looking impassively at Carl, he said, “She’s weak. Let her first eat.”
Carl knitted his brows together and said nothing. They looked at each other in a way that only both of them knew what the stare meant.
“Fine.” Carl turned to Summer. “Summer, let’s talk again after this.”
As he returned to his table, his mom asked, “Tim, who is she?”
“A long-lost friend.” Carl knew what his mom was going to say, so he continued, “Don’t even think about it. Nothing is going to happen between me and her.”
He was a sought-after bachelor when he was out there, but he was a man who could not find a girlfriend.