Chapter 234 The Gathering
At Whispering Pines Estates, Dean and Elizabeth were hustling around the living room.
Elizabeth was finally stepping out of the shadow of losing Nancy, and she decided to have her friends over for dinner tonight.
Christmas had come and gone, but with Nancy's passing, Elizabeth hadn't had the chance to properly catch up with her friends.
It was these friends who had been there for her, helping her get through the tough times.
Elizabeth was busy tidying up the living room.
Dean was mopping the floor.
Meanwhile, Nolan and Pearl were organizing their toys with the help of their robot, Falcon.
As Dean mopped, he said, "Elizabeth, we never used to do housework. Nancy always handled it, and she made it look so easy. I didn't realize how exhausting it is!"
He paused, suddenly aware of what he had said.
He glanced cautiously at Elizabeth.
But she kept on tidying up, putting everything in its place, seemingly unaffected by his words.
Dean continued mopping and changed the subject, "Elizabeth, neither of us can cook. Why don't we just book a restaurant? Who's going to cook if we have dinner at home?"
Elizabeth replied, "I already thought of that. I hired a home service chef. He'll take care of everything. Just wait for the feast. He's a five-star chef."
Dean sighed in relief. "That's good, I thought you hadn't arranged anything."
Elizabeth shot him a look. "Am I that unreliable?"
Dean laughed. "I'm really looking forward to the five-star dinner tonight. I'm already drooling."
Elizabeth smiled too.
The doorbell rang, and Dean glanced out the window. "Elizabeth, it looks like our five-star chef is here."
Elizabeth looked outside. "Yep, I'll go open the door."
She opened the door with the touchscreen button.
The chef walked in. "Hello, Ms. Jones. I'm Walter Phillips from Epicurean Home Services Company. I'm here to prepare dinner for you."
Elizabeth led him to the kitchen.
As evening approached, Elizabeth's friends started arriving at the villa.
Sarah brought Elizabeth a basket of pastries.
She said, "Elizabeth, I'm terrible at baking. These were made by my housekeeper. Try them. She's really good at making pastries."
Elizabeth smiled and took the pastries. "Thanks, Sarah," she said, hugging her.
Louis brought Elizabeth a bouquet of lilies.
Elizabeth trimmed the lilies, put them in a vase, and placed them on the table by the window.
She stared at the lilies in the vase as the sunset's afterglow shone through the glass, bathing the blooming flowers in a layer of golden light.
She remembered how, years ago, in that old rental apartment, Nancy used to replace the flowers in the vase on the table with fresh ones.
Nancy had said that having fresh flowers at home would make them feel happy.
Elizabeth remembered that she had promised Nancy to buy flowers regularly and keep them at home.
But later, they went abroad, and in those early days, they lived frugally.
They lived in a rented house, surviving on Elizabeth's research lab stipend.
Later, with the birth of Pearl and Nolan, life became even more challenging.
Fortunately, with the help of Louis and Emily, they managed to get through those tough times.
Back then, Elizabeth was busy taking care of the children, balancing her work at the research lab, and later, the startup of Innovatech Solutions.
She had completely forgotten her promise to Nancy to buy flowers regularly. It had been ages since she last visited the flower market to bring Nancy a bouquet of fresh blooms.
Now, looking at the vase of lilies, Elizabeth's eyes welled up as she thought about Nancy, who had loved her so much and had always been infinitely tolerant, but was no longer there.
Elizabeth quickly wiped away her tears.
She turned around and smiled at Louis. "Thanks for the lilies, Louis. I really like them."
Louis gently hugged her. "Elizabeth, no matter when or where, if you need me, just call, and I'll be there."
Elizabeth said, "Thank you, Louis."
At this moment, Walter had already brought the dishes to the table.
Elizabeth called to her friends, "Come on, everyone, let's sit down and enjoy Mr. Phillips's cooking."
After all the dishes were on the table, Walter asked Elizabeth, "Ms. Jones, would you like me to help with the dishes after dinner?"
Elizabeth smiled. "No need, you've worked hard tonight. Thank you very much for your help."
Then, Walter took his leave.
After seeing him to the door, Elizabeth returned and walked into the dining room.
Sarah called her, "Elizabeth, come and try Mr. Phillips' dishes. They're really delicious. I want to invite him to cook at my house next time."
Elizabeth smiled. "If you like it so much, eat more tonight."
Since Nancy's passing, Elizabeth and Dean had been eating whatever they could find.
Pearl and Nolan hadn't had a proper meal in days either.
Elizabeth sat down and said, "Pearl, Nolan, is there anything you particularly want to eat?"
Pearl looked eagerly at the plate of shrimp, but she couldn't peel them.
Elizabeth smiled and helped Pearl peel the shrimp.
She placed the peeled shrimp on a plate and put it in front of Pearl.
Then she glanced at Nolan, who was skillfully cutting his steak.
Meanwhile, Sarah poured wine for Dean. "Dean, have a drink."
Dean clinked glasses with her, and they both drank it all.
Dean asked, "Why don't you let Louis drink with you?"
Sarah responded, "I saw that Louis drove here, so I definitely can't encourage him to drink."
Louis offered an apologetic smile and said, "I'll substitute juice for the wine. It's just as good."
They then drank another glass.
Louis, wearing gloves, peeled a few shrimp and placed them on the plate in front of Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, I remember you also like shrimp."
Elizabeth turned and smiled. "Thanks, Louis. I can do it myself."
Louis watched her and said, "I noticed you've been busy all this time and haven't had a chance to eat a single bite."
Elizabeth picked up the shrimp in front of her and ate it, nodding repeatedly. "Indeed, it's delicious."
Louis said, "Speaking of shrimp, I remember Carter's parents live by the sea, right? He told me he wants to invite you to his house for fresh seafood."
Elizabeth asked, "How is he recovering lately? Is the rehabilitation effective?"
Louis nodded. "The results are significant. His hand-eye coordination is getting better and better."
Elizabeth responded, "That's good. Let him continue the rehabilitation for a while."
Louis said, "Elizabeth, Carter's family has contacted me many times. They insist on thanking you in person."
Elizabeth shook her head. "No need to thank me. The treatment plan was made by Ms. Johnson before she passed away. I was just the executor."
Louis smiled at her and said, "I knew you would say that. So, from the very beginning, I politely declined on your behalf. However, they still insist on giving you the surgical fee."
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