Chapter 249
“Oh, you know how relationships go nothing’s ever set in stone,” Xena said with an easy laugh, then turned and waved toward the little boy playing blocks with Jodie across the room.
“Hey, Caleb, come here,”
The boy set down his blocks and trotted over,
Nena reached into the fruit tray and grabbed a handful of candy, placing it in Caleb’s hands with a smile, “How’d your finals go, huh? What’s your rank in class?”
Caleb was the youngest son of the curly–haired aunt and was lanown to be a bit of a rascal. He was in sixth grade and regularly in trouble at school. His grades were usually near the bottom of the class, and parent–teacher meetings were a frequent occurrence.
As soon as Xena asked about his grades, the chatty aunt’s nonstop talking came to an abrupt halt. Her face froze in an awkward smile.
Caleb didn’t care in the least. He answered honestly, “Aunt Xena, I got forty–five in math, thirty–six in language arts, and fifty–one in English. My class rankis”
“Okay, that’s enough! You might not be embarrassed, but I am,” the aunt cut in sharply.
“Why be embarrassed? I’ve improved!” Caleb defended himself, “Last semester I was third from the bottom. This time I moved up to fifth from the bottom.”
A burst of laughter rippled through the room.
“Kids really do say the funniest things.”
The curly–haired aunt pulled Caleb back toward her and glared at him. “I told you to stay and play with Jodie. Why’d you come over here and humiliate yourself?”
Xena said nothing more, but the smile on her face said it all–mission accomplished.
Desmond shot a worried look at Charlotte. She gave him a sinall smile and a slight shake of her head to say she was fine.
After lunch, Chariotte stepped out for a walk in the nearby garden and, out of nowhere, ran into Sean.
The wind whipped through the trees, cold enough to sting. They stood facing each other in silence, frozen in place by more than just the chill in the air.
Charlotte was the first to break the stillness. “What are the odds.”
“Happy holidays,” Sean said softly. It was the first thing he had said to her in a long time.
Charlotte’s eyes immediately welled with tears.
She lowered her gaze, blinking quickly. Her eyes landed on the watch on Sean’s wrist, and her breath caught,
“You….” She wanted to ask why he was still wearing the watch she gave him. The words hovered at the edge of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say then. Even her voice wavered
Sean followed her gaze and looked down at the watch. A dull ache bloomed in his chest.
It was the very first gift she ever gave him. It hadn’t been particularly extravagant–around sixty gind—but he had worn it ever since. Even after the breakup, he never look it off.
Whenever he knew she would be around, he would make sure to keep the watch out of sigh. He had done so on New Year’s Eve and again at the golf course in South City
But today, he had come out for a quiet walk on his own. He hadn’t expected to run into her like this.
And now the watch was right there in plain view,
He knew exactly what she wanted to ask
He wanted to tell her he missed her. That he couldn’t bring himself to take it off. That he still cared.
But after a long pause, all he could manage was a strained, “Oh.. 1 forgot to take it off.”
