Chapter 387
“I’ll end up raising a little money-eating monster who’ll spend all my cash,” Lyman joked, grinning.
Effie snapped out of her daze and gave Lyman a playful smack, blushing as she protested, “You’re ridiculous! Who calls their own kid a monster?”
“So what would you call them then?” Lyman’s lips curled into a teasing smile as he looked at her.
“Baby,” Effie declared.
“Alright, baby it is,” Lyman replied without missing a beat.
Effie stared at him, momentarily thrown off, then, realizing what he’d said, swatted him again, this time with even more indignation.
But her blows were so light they barely registered on Lyman, more like a tickle than an attack.
The two of them bickered and laughed together, while Effie’s grandmother looked on from the side, her face lighting up with delight at their antics.
Later that day, Effie had to attend Old Mrs. Lawrence’s birthday dinner. Knowing Mrs. Lawrence’s fondness for all things handmade and natural, she decided to pick out a thoughtful gift.
Old Mrs. Lawrence loved artisanal scents.
So Effie made her way to Zenith Aroma. As soon as she stepped inside, a shop assistant recognized her. “Miss Bagnold! What brings you here today? Are you looking for the teacher? She’s in the garden.”
“I thought I’d drop by to see Mrs. McKenzie-and maybe pick out a gift for a friend,” Effie replied.
“Of course, right this way.”
Out in the garden, Mrs. McKenzie was sitting alone at a chessboard, deep in concentration. When she spotted Effie, her eyes lit up. “Effie! You haven’t visited me in ages. I’m stuck on this endgame-would you take a look?”
“Sure thing,” Effie said, settling beside her.
She studied the board thoughtfully. “What about this move?”
“Tried it already-leads to a stalemate.”
“But if you follow up with this one?”
Mrs. McKenzie’s eyes widened. “Oh! That just might work-suddenly everything makes sense!”
Seeing how absorbed they were, the shop assistant quietly stepped back inside. At that moment, Mitchell and Suzan arrived in the shop.
Suzan immediately eyed a batch of sandalwood incense, freshly made by Mrs McKenzie that month. But when she asked about it, the assistant hesitated. “I’m sorry, but there’s only one set left.”
“Perfect, I’ll take it,” Suzan said at once.
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, ma’am,” the assistant replied apologetically. “That
last set is already reserved for another customer. I can’t sell it.”
Suzan’s tone sharpened. “What do you mean? The other assistant said you had some in stock, and now you’re telling me it’s not for sale? Are you playing games with us?”
Her voice rose, drawing curious glances from nearby customers.
The assistant bowed her head. “I’m really sorry. We only just found out ourselves.”
In truth, the assistant was thinking: Effie mentioned she wanted to buy a little gift, so she’d decided to hold this set aside for her.
“I want to see Mrs. McKenzie! I’ll ask her myself what’s going on,” Suzan insisted.
“You know Mrs. McKenzie?” The assistant regarded Suzan with suspicion. They all knew exactly who Mrs. McKenzie’s regular visitors were, and Suzan definitely wasn’t one of them.
“I don’t, but my boyfriend does,” Suzan said, tugging Mitchell forward. Mitchell, already irritated, felt his annoyance spike as he was dragged into the spotlight. But he couldn’t let it show.
Now he truly understood what it meant to be the lesser half in a relationship.
Ever since Sužan’s uncle had become the wealthiest man in town, the balance of power between them had flipped. Mitchell had no choice but to put on a good face for her, and he didn’t dare let his reab feelings show.
Lately, it felt like he was suffocating.