Chapter 84
Garrett tapped on his tablet, face blank, and checked the evening schedule. "Yep, you've got a meeting with Mr. Bailey to meet a partner. Time and place are all set."
David's smile dimmed a bit at the mention of Marcus. "Okay, got it."
Esme scarfed down her food and leaned back on the sofa, waiting for Alice. Alice, on the other hand, was eating slowly, looking a bit spaced out. Esme's curiosity got the better of her. "Alice, what's on your mind? Spot a cute guy or something?" She glanced around but saw only couples, no cute guys.
"Cute guy? Didn't see any." Alice snapped out of it and looked at Esme. "Are you thinking about dating someone?"
Esme raised an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"
"Why else would you bring up cute guys?" Alice laughed, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her mouth. "Aren't you always surrounded by cute guys? If you want to date, just go for it."
Esme propped her chin on her hand and forced a smile. "You're not gonna bring up James again, are you? Give me a break! How could James be good enough for me? I like the gentle type."
Seeing Alice about to speak again, Esme quickly added, "And he's way older than me! There'd be a generation gap!"
Alice felt a bit let down. She was going to mention Felix, but Esme was too quick, so she dropped it.
Alice said, "I'm full. Let's head back to school."
Esme sighed in relief, worried Alice would try to set her up on a date again. Alice was more concerned about her love life than her own mom.
When Ophelia came out, Alice and Esme had already left. She looked a bit disappointed, glanced at the cake in her hand, and smiled bitterly. She put the cake back in the cabinet, said goodbye to her boss, and changed clothes to head back to school.
Ophelia was late getting to school, but because of her top-notch grades and tough family situation, the teachers cut her some slack.
The finance class knew about Ophelia's situation. Clara used to lead the bullying, and some classmates didn't like her. But after Clara left, even though some still wanted to pick on Ophelia, they decided to leave her alone.
Ophelia enjoyed the peace. Even without friends, as long as she could graduate smoothly, she could make friends after school. Thinking of this, Ophelia couldn't help but think of Alice and Esme. If she could be friends with them, maybe no one would bother her anymore. Plus, she might see that guy from the restaurant again. Ophelia's cheeks turned red, and she quickly looked down to take notes.
Before school ended, Alice got a message from David, knowing he had plans for the evening, so she dragged Esme and Simon to find Nathan Brown for a free meal.
Nathan had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, counting money at the register, frowning. He glanced at the three in front of him and said with a sigh, "Seriously, you rich kids, why do you always think you can mooch dinner off a poor guy like me?"
Simon had crumbs all over his mouth. "Nathan, you don't get it. When you've had too much fancy food, you just crave some good ol' barbecue."
Esme laughed. "Too bad we met Nathan late. We missed out on so much good food!"
Alice leaned back in her chair, her hand on the backrest, looking sideways at Nathan with a fork in her mouth, smiling casually. "Nathan, when are you getting married? I'll come over for dinner then."
Nathan rolled his eyes and shut the cash register drawer. He walked over and kicked Simon's leg. "Scoot over. Save some for me!"
The four of them crowded around a small table loaded with delicious food. Nathan grabbed a plate and a fork, eating spaghetti while glancing at Simon and Esme, finally locking eyes with Alice.
Alice squinted, feeling Nathan's intense gaze. She looked up and saw him staring. Alice raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Nathan chewed his spaghetti and chuckled, "How's it going with your 'guardian'?"
Alice's expression said it all, and Nathan's smile faded. "Seriously, you're too slow. In this day and age, why are you still so conservative? If you like him, go for it. He's not your real guardian, just temporary. He's single, you're single. What's the problem? Can you be a bit braver? You're as timid as a mouse seeing a cat!"
Simon and Esme had mixed feelings hearing Nathan's blunt words.
Simon thought, 'I like Alice too. Nathan's being too harsh!'
Esme thought, 'What's wrong with this guy? He doesn't get David at all and is pushing Alice to be more proactive? If she gets more proactive, she'll totally fall for David!'
Alice lightly bit the straw, the cold cola sliding down her throat, feeling a refreshing coolness. She gently let go of the straw and exhaled softly. "Be proactive? Nah!"
Alice curled her lips into a sarcastic smile, casually placing the cola can on the table. "Nathan, don't you know? Proactive girls are just waiting for a response. If a girl makes the first move, guys think they're the lucky ones and start making all sorts of unreasonable demands. I'm good at hitting people, but pursuing someone? Not my thing."
Esme silently cheered for Alice in her heart. 'Good job! That's the way to make David experience the feeling of unrequited love!'
Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but after thinking it over, he found it seemed reasonable. Nowadays, there were indeed many guys like that. When a girl took the initiative, they became overly confident and ended up disappointing the girl, Such guys shouldn't be indulged.
Nathan wanted to tell Alice that if her guardian were like that, she probably wouldn't like him either. In the end, it all came down to confidence. But he only glanced sideways at her and kept his thoughts to himselfdidn't say what was on his mind.
Nathan sighed lightly and took out his phone. "Let's order some more takeout. What do you guys want to eat?"
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