Chapter 155 It was her
Seeing Willow up, Mrs. Jonah cheerfully greeted her, "Willow, you're awake! There's still breakfast in the kitchen, and Willow, that girl, is there too. You go eat something first; don't starve yourself."
Her familiar tone was just like that of a mother to her daughter.
Actually, Mrs. Jonah had always been quite fond of Willow. She would come over to their house from time to time, was well-mannered, obedient, and had a likable personality. Mrs. Jonah had once probed Daniel's opinion, only to be told that Willow had someone she liked and not to meddle. This prompted her to match Daniel with Marigold then, thinking it was always better to choose a well-known person.
Willow, now in cotton slippers, replied, "Okay, thank you. I'll go to the kitchen and catch up with Willow." With that, she headed towards the kitchen.
The moment she turned around, the smile on her face collapsed.
Willow walked into the kitchen, where Daniel was busy making pancakes. "Willow, what are you up to?" he asked, spatula in hand, turning around.
"Willow, you're awake. How are you feeling? Is there any dizziness left?" he inquired with concern.
"I'm fine. What delicious thing are you cooking? Do you need any help?" Willow offered as she walked further into the space.
"Just soup, it's really simple. It'll be ready in no time; you only need to wait to enjoy it," Daniel replied with ease.
He then said with a smirk, "Sis, isn't that obvious? Our kitchen is behind the living room. I had to walk through it to get here. What, was I supposed to fly over?"
"I had no idea she would come to our house today. I really should have let my brother drive us to your apartment last night. Then we wouldn't have had this awkward encounter so early in the morning." Daniel regretted bringing Willow back last night. He didn't expect to run into his brother's blind date first thing in the morning. He wasn't sure what his brother thought, but it was clear that their mom was overjoyed, even though Willow certainly wasn't.
Willow devoured the last spoonful of soup, "So tasty, I want more of this next time."
After finishing his own meal, Daniel reassured her, "No problem. I'll take care of your soup from now on."
Daniel opened the fridge and poured each of them a glass of fresh milk, then continued to lounge in the kitchen.
Laughter and conversation flowed from the living room as Mrs. Jonah and Marigold chatted. Mrs. Jonah was quite pleased with the potential future daughter-in-law.
Daniel asked Willow with a hint of worry, "Are you okay?"
Willow took a big gulp of the cold milk, easing her irritation. Turning to face Daniel with a smile, she assured him, "I'm fine, really. Relax. Now that I've seen her up close, she seems quite pretty."
"Beauty is subjective. We've got our own Willow beauty, after all," Daniel quipped.
Willow chuckled softly without delving further into the conversation, finished her milk in two big swigs, and set down the glass. "Mm, I should get going."
"Why the rush? Stay for lunch. You're not working today anyway," Daniel attempted to persuade her.
Willow glanced towards the living room. "No thanks. I haven't even digested the pancakes yet, and I just drank a whole glass of milk. There's no way I can eat lunch."
In the living room, Mrs. Jonah was regaling Marigold with stories of Mitchell's childhood. Meanwhile, Mitchell sat opposite them, silent, immersed in his phone.
Mrs. Jonah was increasingly convinced the pair was a good match. A couple of days ago, she'd called her son to bring someone home for a meal, and today, they were here.
Mrs. Jonah was having a great time chatting with Marigold when she glanced up and saw her son sitting on the sofa without uttering a word. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at him and commanded, "Go pour Marigold a glass of orange juice, will you?"
Mitchell lifted his eyelids and saw that there was clearly a drink on the table. He knew his mom was probably just nitpicking, but he didn't say anything. Thinking about Willow and Daniel still in the kitchen, he stood up and headed there.
After Mitchell left the living room, Marigold hesitated before asking Mrs. Jonah, "Who was the girl that just came downstairs?"
Mrs. Jonah, in her casual and carefree way, introduced Willow with a smile: "Oh, Willow? She's Mitchell and Matthew's cousin. They all grew up together, thick as thieves. Mitchell's got two older siblings, and Willow is quite a character—quirky and lovable. She often hangs out with Mitchell and the gang. Last night, I reckon she was out with one of the young girls; I'm not sure what time they got back."
Mrs. Jonah rambled on, and Marigold nodded thoughtfully after listening, smiling along and echoing, "Oh, I see. She does seem pretty cute."
A woman's intuition told Marigold that there was more to the relationship between the girl and Mitchell.
*
In the kitchen, Willow was about to head out when she looked up and saw Mitchell walking in.
Taken aback for a moment, Willow greeted him flatly, "Hey, Jonah."
Daniel, seeing Mitchell enter, stood up straight and cheerfully said, "Hey, bro."
Mitchell nodded at them and asked, "What have you two been doing in the kitchen for so long?"
Willow pursed her lips and didn't speak while Daniel hastily chuckled awkwardly, "Just discussing where to go hang out today, you know, taking advantage of the weekend."
"Have you had breakfast?" Mitchell asked, his gaze fixed on Willow as if waiting for her answer.
In a soft voice, Willow replied, "Yeah, I've had breakfast, Jonah."
Only then did Mitchell move to the refrigerator, open the door, and pour a glass of orange juice to bring out.
Once he was gone, Willow exhaled a sigh of relief, overhearing Daniel muttering, "It must be for Marigold. My brother doesn't even like orange juice, hmph."
Willow felt the irritation that had settled with her milk rearing up again.
"Let's go, Willow. I'll just step out to say hi to Auntie, and then I'll be right back." Daniel knew Willow was certainly not inclined to stick around. Taking her by the arm, he suggested, "Alright then, let's go out for a bite. How about we go for some goulash?"
"I'm really fine, you're always so busy. On a rare day off when you have time to spend with Uncle and Auntie, they wouldn't be happy if we just went out to play. How about we make plans another day?"
"Oh, come on, I've been pretty much living at home recently..."
They continued their conversation as they headed towards the living room.