Chapter 267
Vesta paused for a moment, then replied warmly, “No worries, if you’ve got something going on, focus on that.”
Granger nodded in agreement.
After Vesta drove off, he got into his own car. Instead of starting the engine right away, he pulled out his phone, looked up Charlene’s number, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed it.
Charlene was still at the office. Seeing his call, she picked up casually, “Mr. Harden?”
Granger was about to speak but paused when he heard the noise in the background on her end. He swallowed his words and asked, “Still at work this late?”
“Yeah,” Charlene replied. She assumed Granger’s call at this hour must be personal. “I’m free tomorrow. What’s Daisy planning?”
Granger fell silent.
Charlene, not hearing a response, prompted, “Mr. Harden?”
He knew how busy her week had been. It was past nine, and she was still working late hours. Without needing to ask, he could tell she was exhausted.
Jasmine had gone back to the Henderson family, and Charlene couldn’t be with her own child tomorrow. Yet here he was, asking her to spend time with someone else’s child. It felt too harsh.
“If you’re tired, take a break this week. We can reschedule,” he finally said.
Charlene didn’t feel overly tired. “It’s fine, let’s stick to tomorrow.”
Granger hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed, “Alright.”
Meanwhile, as the Henderson family finished dinner and left the diner, they ran into the Ramirez family.
Abelard and Lloyd were familiar with each other, so they exchanged greetings.
Dalton acknowledged Thorne with a nod, “Mr. Henderson.”
Thorne returned the gesture, “Mr. Ramirez.”
Jasmine, holding Thorne’s hand, looked up and politely said, “Mr. Ramirez.”
Dalton nodded back, saying, “Hello.”
Upon seeing the Henderson family, Dalton’s gaze swept over them. He realized he recognized everyone present. There was no unfamiliar face who might be Jasmine’s mother. Could it be that Thorne had actually divorced
her?
After some polite conversation with the Ramirez family, the Hendersons got back into their car and headed to the hospital to visit Irma.
That night, Lloyd stayed at the hospital with Irma. Thorne and the others returned to the family home. As soon as they arrived, Terence approached Thorne and asked, “Hey, did you remember that autograph from my idol?”
Thorne tossed him the car keys, replying, “It’s in the car. Go get it yourself.”
“Thanks, man!” Terence exclaimed, overjoyed as he caught the keys.
Claudia noticed and asked, “What are you getting?”
Terence hesitated.
Thorne chuckled, “Nothing important.”
Relieved, Terence ran outside to grab Vesta’s autograph.
11.21
Chapter 26
Claudia let it go without further questioning.
A moment later, Terence returned, holding a few notebooks. They did have “CC’s” signature, but it wasn’t the kind of autograph he wanted.
“Hey, I was he, ing for a signed poster, you know, something I can hang on the wall,” he protested.
Thorne replied dryly, “That’s not something you should have.”
“Why not?” Terence argued. He just wanted to hang it up and admire it whenever he pleased.
Thorne gave him a knowing smile but said nothing.
Recognizing the look, Terence knew it was a firm no and didn’t push the issue further. Still, having his idol’s signature was enough to make him happy, and he quickly texted Vesta a thank you.
A little while later, Jasmine approached Thorne with a tablet, “Dad, there’s a new cartoon coming out tomorrow. The trailer looks awesome. Can we go see it?”
Thorne replied, “Dad’s busy tomorrow.”
With Lloyd returning, the family home would likely have visitors all morning.
He added, “If you really want to go, maybe your mom can take you.”
Jasmine pouted, “Oh… I’ve been seeing Mom a lot lately, so I’m not as inclined to cling to her. What about Ms. Hawkins? Or maybe…”
Thorne interjected, “Ms. Hawkins is busy studying tomorrow. Let’s not disturb her.”
Jasmine sighed, saying, “Okay, I’ll ask Mom then.”
“Sounds good,” Thorne nodded.
Jasmine picked up her phone and dialed Charlene.
Charlene had just gotten home and saw the call but didn’t answer. She set her phone aside and headed to the shower.
Seeing Charlene didn’t pick up, Jasmine remembered how busy Charlene had been lately. “Mom’s probably busy too,” she mused.
Thorne glanced over at Terence, lounging nearby, “How about you let Uncle Terence take you?”
Terence, understanding what had just transpired, felt a twinge of reluctance. He had plans to hang out with his friends the next day. But then he remembered how Thorne had helped him get his idol’s autograph, and Vesta’s warm demeanor when they met. He agreed cheerfully, “Sure thing, I’m up for it!”
