chapter2234

Cecilia followed Lucille out of the mall; together they stepped into the chilly evening air.

Nathaniel used the moment to wait outside as well.

Seeing Mason trembling in the wind, he teased, "Leaving work early, huh?"

Mason shuddered as though he'd seen a ghost when Nathaniel appeared.

"Boss, please don't start rumors again. I wasn't early; I clocked out on the dot."

Clocked out on the dot?

Nathaniel's mouth twitched; what employee thought a boss enjoyed hearing that?

Just then Cecilia and Lucille walked up to the two men.

"Why are you together?" Cecilia asked Nathaniel.

He lied smoothly, "I finished work and came to find you, happened to run into him."

Mason, unaware he'd been tailed all afternoon, nodded. "Yeah."

"Let's head home," Nathaniel added.

"Sure."

Cecilia slipped to Nathaniel's side and waved goodbye to Lucille.

Behind them, Lucille pinched Mason's hand. "Quit whining."

Mason muttered, wounded. "Am I not even allowed to complain?"

"Forget complaining; you have zero rights. Come on-home, kids, now." Lucille seized his hand and marched ahead.

Mason trotted after her, still trying to explain. "Lucy, the night before last I really headed out right after the boss. I was on my way to pick you up-quit being mad, okay?"

"I don't believe Mr. Nathaniel would lie to me on purpose."

"Lucy, you're still too naive. Boo-hoo..."

Mason never expected his wife to trust the boss that completely.

Others might find the boss stern and humorless, but Mason knew the man was devious to the core.

Nathaniel always pulled stunts nobody could have predicted.

Cecilia and Nathaniel walked ahead and could still hear Lucy and Mason horsing around behind them.

After getting into the car, Cecilia

said, "You should clear things up for Mason The poor guy followed the schedule, and you insisted he'd left early."

Nathaniel yawned. "Not going to."

Who told Mason to tease him? Let the guy suffer for a while.

Cecilia hadn't expected him to be that childish and stopped trying to persuade him.

The long day of shopping had worn her out, and she closed her eyes to rest.

When she dozed against the seat

back,

athaniel's gaze lingered

100

her face. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. .

Cecilia was not fully asleep. She opened her eyes slowly.

"It's too warm. Let me go."

"No," Nathaniel said, stubborn as ever.

She really had no way to deal with him and simply let him hold her.

They arrived home.

After Madeline and Lucy moved out, Sven left, and Charlotte married and

wente

the Smith residence felt empty and cold.

The two little ones even found mealtimes tasteless.

"I really miss when Aunt Maddie and the others were all here," Elliot sighed.

Jonathan looked at him. "Seems to me you just miss Amy."

Elliot's face turned red at being exposed. "I do not."

Then he glanced toward Cecilia.

"Mommy, when will Aunt Meredith come over to play?"

Jonathan spoke first. "You'd be better off asking when Dahlia is coming."

Meredith had adopted Dahlia and often brought her by on weekends.

The little girl was cute and sensible, so both boys adored her.