Chapter 183 I Can't Just Throw in the Towel
Michael rolled up, grinning. "Just moved in today. Didn't think I'd be neighbors with you and Mr. Sinclair."
Lillian caught the vibe in his words and smirked back.
"Well, I won't keep you. Bet you're swamped," she said.
Michael gave his bike's handlebar a tap. "Almost done. Emily snagged the property manager's bike earlier and now won't give it back, so I gotta return it."
'Emily? That brat from the park?' Lillian thought.
"Ms. Hill, let's catch up later," Michael said, then pedaled off.
Kelly nudged Lillian. "Lillian, let's bounce too. Who was that dude?"
Lillian shrugged. "Alexander's business partner. Remember I told you I dinged someone's car? It was his."
Kelly chuckled. "No way, what are the odds?"
"Yeah, wild we're in the same hood," Lillian said.
Over at the Anderson place...
Shae plopped down next to Paula, reluctantly asking, "Paula, Alexander said he wouldn't come to your birthday bash, and you just let it slide?"
Paula fiddled with her phone, smiling. "If he doesn't wanna come, should I hogtie him and drag him here?"
Shae's other cousin, Esme Anderson, chimed in, "Paula, if you don't let Alexander come, Shae's gonna be bummed."
"Mind your own business," Shae snapped.
Esme awkwardly added, "Since Amy passed, he's been distant. When Amy was around, he never missed a thing."
Paula's heart ached thinking about her late daughter. "Let's drop it. It's understandable."
"But Paula, I heard from my dad that Colin invited some big shots to your birthday. Brent's starting a company in Ridgewood, so connections matter. Colin said Alexander would be there to attract them," Shae asked suspiciously. "Did Colin and you not discuss this? Colin doesn't know Alexander won't come?"
"What did you say?" Paula asked, surprised. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I heard it myself." Shae nodded. "You should call Alexander. If he doesn't come, Colin will look bad and be called a liar. Brent's business in Ridgewood will suffer."
"They're doing things behind my back again!" Paula said angrily.
'Aren't Colin and Brent always like this?' Shae thought.
Paula calmed down, grabbed her phone, and dialed Alexander. He picked up quickly.
Shae watched nervously, biting her lip, until she heard Paula say, "Alexander, you gotta come early that day." Only then did she relax.
Paula ended the call, sighed, and said, "I didn't want to force him, but those two really tick me off."
"Paula, don't be mad. Colin is thinking about Brent's future. Since Alexander agreed to come, even if he just shows up, it'll impress those people." Shae felt pleased and started planning for the birthday.
Esme said, "Shae, let's roll. It's almost time for work."
Paula added, "Get back to work on time. Next time, come during your break instead of lunch to avoid rushing."
As they bailed from the Anderson place, Esme couldn't help but tease, "You're something else, dragging me out to buy gifts for Paula just to get Alexander to show up. Haven't you given up on him yet?"
"Why should I? Amy's out of the picture, so I can't just throw in the towel, right?" Shae said with a smug grin.
Esme raised an eyebrow. "But what about that chick in the online video kissing Alexander? Even if you don't give up, he doesn't seem into it."
"Whether he likes me or not depends on my game plan. The one who laughs last wins!" Shae twisted her wrist and flashed a sly smile.
Lillian took a nap in the afternoon, and when she woke up, Alexander and Luke were back.
"Lillian, we're home!" Luke burst in first, saw her still lounging in bed, and said, "Lillian, I'm so jealous. You get to nap all day and skip studying."
Lillian rolled over, tapped his nose, and said, "I'll hit the books with the baby in my belly tomorrow."
Alexander strolled in and told Luke, "Go change and wash up."
He came over to the bed, touched her cheek, and asked, "Did you take your prenatal vitamins today? How are you feeling?"
"I took them, and I'm feeling good." Lillian felt her face warm up from his touch.
She slowly sat up, saw Luke darting to the bathroom, and said, "I checked the account today. It's loaded, like seriously loaded."
"Who complains about too much cash?" Alexander laughed. "Just roll with it. I found a top cardiologist for Oscar and already set up an appointment."
"Really?" Lillian said, eyes wide. "Can he do the surgery on Oscar?"
"Why else would I book it?" Alexander asked, amused.
This was huge. Having a specialist do the surgery was way better than they had hoped.
Alexander changed into loungewear right in front of Lillian, totally casual. She turned her head, still not used to it.
Seeing Luke come out of the bathroom, Alexander said to Lillian, "Let's go. Dinner's ready."
Kelly whipped up delicious meals for Lillian every day, and she had put on a few pounds lately.
"I don't want any more soup. I'm gaining weight." Lillian pushed the bowl of fish soup away.
"Fish is good for you, high in protein,," Kelly coaxed. "Drinking fish soup won't make you gain weight."
The fish soup smelled amazing. Not wanting to argue, she picked up the bowl again, saying, "For the baby, I'll drink it."
"Luke, you have some too," she reminded him.
Lillian chilled on the living room sofa, scrolling through her phone, while Luke tackled his homework in the study after dinner. She searched online for tips on how to calm Luke on his first night alone.
