Dorothy hung up the phone, her mind whirling as she tried to come to grips with the reality of the situation.
Karen and Jeffrey - the thought of them together was, well, unexpected.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtEverett rose from his seat and sauntered over to her. With an ease that spoke of years of intimacy, he wrapped her in a comforting embrace. "Don't worry, Jeffrey isn't just fooling around.” Dorothy sighed, her voice tinged with concern, "It's just that Karen has done so much for me over the years. | want to repay her, but she doesn't need money or love. | just don't know where to start. | feel guilty... like all | can do is protect her from getting hurt." "If Jeffrey dares to mistreat Karen, he'll have me to answer to," Everett said with a grin. "Abigail and Langston aren't just your children. They're mine too. So we owe the debts together.” Dorothy looked up at him, "Will Jeffrey treat Karen right?" "Jeffrey chased Karen with all his might. As for what happens next... Dorothy, | can't make guarantees.” No one could predict the future, not even someone like Everett.
"I'm not expecting them to go the distance, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. | just hope that if they do part ways, it's not because Jeffrey broke her heart," Dorothy mused.
"I'd never let that slide," Everett assured her.
Dorothy laughed, her hand playfully encircling his neck. "Would you cut ties with Jeffrey for me then?" His lips curved in a half-smile, his response immediate and sure, "l would." "If he heard that, he'd accuse you of choosing love over friendship!" "Maybe he would've in the past, but not necessarily now." "Oh?" Everett just smiled.
Isn't it different when one has a sweetheart and when one doesn't? As soon as Karen ended the call with Dorothy, she noticed two missed calls from Jeffrey.
Why was he so clingy? "I'm heading over to your parents’ place now." Jeffrey's voice was buoyant and excited when she answered.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I haven't even told my parents yet." "Didn't we agree yesterday? | gave you a whole day!" Karen thought for a moment and then scrambled out of bed. "You're not bringing your parents with you now, are you?" She had a vague memory of Jeffrey saying he wanted to bring his parents over the day before.
"No, | didn't want to pressure you," Jeffrey admitted. He had considered it, but then thought it wouldn't be fair, like he was forcing her into marriage. So he decided to give Karen more time. "Today it's just me visiting, and I've bought gifts for your parents.” "I still haven't told them about Levi's incident." Karen found it odd that her parents hadn't asked about Levi since she'd been home.
"Don't worry about it. I gave Levi a sum of money to tell his parents he got hurt on his own, no mention of you." Jeffrey chuckled, "Trust me, your parents won't know what happened. Even if they find out Levi got hurt, they'll think it was just an accident.” "You're using your money to solve problems again." "What's the point of having money if not to fix troubles?" Jeffrey retorted.
Karen didn’t know what to say.
Well, he wasn't wrong! At least her parents wouldn't blame her now.
"So, how much did you give to Levi?"