Before Carl could finish his sentence, he cried out because Jessica had kicked him again.
This time, it was much harder than before, and Carl could not bear the pain, squealing in agony.
He carried his leg and jumped up and down on the spot while Jessica glared at him with her chin raised. “Who’s the idiot, eh?”
“It’s me. I’m the idiot.” Carl fought back the pain and tried to calm down.
Jessica scoffed and turned around. She pressed her ear against the door as she tried to make out the sounds inside the house.
Perhaps the soundproof feature was so superb that she could not hear a thing. As such, she peeled back her ear and stood upright before she turned to leave.
…
In the house.
After Jessica and Carl left, it was all but silent.
At first, she thought she became very embarrassed due to Jessica and Carl’s presence. Little did she expect that she now felt even more embarrassed when they were not around.
She did not know what to say. She did not even know where to place her hands.
In contrast, Leonardo appeared cool, calm, and collected as he took his sweet time to enjoy the meal.
“You’ve known how to cook all this while?” he suddenly asked.
Getting a rare compliment from Leonardo surprised her.
However, those who knew how to cook would feel a sense of crisis when flattered.
The reason was, once a person praised your cooking skills, it could mean the person was secretly hoping that you would continue cooking for him or her.
Summer did not know how to answer the question. “I’ve known… all this while.”
Leonardo said nothing again as he looked away and continued to dig in.
Summer already had her fill when Jessica and Carl were still there. The dishes felt cold while she nibbled on them.
She got to her feet. “The dishes are a bit cold now. Let me reheat them.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Leonardo did not even look up but just continued to eat.
With the exception of onions, Leonardo was basically not picky about what he ate.
He had an army of maids at home, so his cook was definitely a pro. Hence, Summer did not expect him to think highly of her cooking skills.
Yet, it did not matter if it was past or present-day; Leonardo seemed to like the dishes she cooked.
“Why do you like the food I cook?” She spoke her mind.
“Take a guess.” Those seemingly lighthearted words sounded serious with his voice.
How? She was not in the mood to play games with him. She got to her feet and cleaned up the utensils that Jessica as well as Carl had used. She only sat back down opposite him once that was done.
There was a pattern to how Leonardo ate; he would take turns eating every dish. Due to that habit, people had a hard time identifying his likes and dislikes. Everything was a calculated move to the man.
Nevertheless, Summer laughed quietly as she found that this man was not as deliberative as he seemed before her.
“Could you please leave me alone so I can have my dinner in peace?” he suddenly asked.
“Huh?” She was not sure why he said that.
“Even though you’re especially looking forward to having me stay here for the night, you need to let me finish my meal first, don’t you think so?” His voice was soft toward the end of the sentence.
His words were flippant, but his expression was serious.
There was no way she was going to believe that he did not mean it.
Had Leonardo found joy in teasing her after that incident much earlier? Was that why he talked the way he talked?
“Please enjoy yourself, then.” She got up and returned to the bedroom.
After he heard the closing of the door, Leonardo put down his chopsticks and looked at the tightly shut door.
He started to find this woman, who wanted to remarry him, interesting. But he could not tell why she was so interesting.
All he knew was he liked to talk to her, and he liked her cooking. When she came to see him, he could not help but want to tease her, whereas he would feel a bit angry whenever she did not see him.
It had to be her constant pestering that made him weird.
…
Meanwhile, Summer was pacing back and forth inside her bedroom.
She had no idea how long it had been. By the time she realized it, she received a notification on her mobile phone.
Picking up her mobile phone, she read the message and saw that it was a list of dishes with a sentence at the bottom end. “Dinner menu for tomorrow. I will be there by eight.”
It sounded so blunt, making her unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Thinking back carefully on the times she and Leonardo met, they were coming together because he loved her cooking.
It was still a good sign no matter what. Leonardo no longer rejected her, and she had the patience to wait for him.
With that spirit in mind, Summer suddenly felt better.
She replied to Leonardo’s message, “Don’t be late. Otherwise, the food will be given to the strays.”
Leonardo had just entered the elevator. He sneered when he received her message.
Women were truly the type that wanted a nursery when given a flower.
“Try me.” He was also in the mood.
Summer got his reply and started to imagine his expression when he composed the message. He must have had that stony expression.
She did not reply again. Putting down her mobile phone, she opened her bedroom door and went out, looking at the empty living room.
The dining room shared the same space with the living room, and she could see that no one was at the dining table now. The bowl and chopsticks that Leonardo had used were the only things left behind.
The bowl and the chopsticks had been placed neatly on the table. It was Leonardo’s habit to put everything perfectly back in place after a meal.
Was he treating her place like a restaurant by sending her a menu and telling her he would come over tomorrow night?
Summer cleaned up the dishes while she hummed a tune.
…
The next morning, Rosie woke Summer up.
“Mommy!” Rosie banged on the door.
Summer checked the time; it was seven something.
She had dreamed intermittently last night. It was not until the latter part of the night that she fell into a deep sleep.
“Mommy is coming.” Summer got out of bed and went to open the door.
Rosie was standing outside the door, her hair a mess and voice soft. “Mommy, I’m hungry…”
“I’ll make you breakfast right away, sweetie.” She carried Rosie up in her arms and headed to the washroom. “But before that, we have to brush our teeth and wash our faces.”
After they cleaned up, Summer ripped open a carton of yogurt, then set off making breakfast.
She made sunny-side-ups and reheated some dim sum.
While they were eating, something seemed to cross Rosie’s mind, and she pointed at the chair beside her. “Where’s Aunt Jessica?”
It looked like Jessica and Carl had been on Rosie’s mind since the night before.