Chapter 219
“I guess I’ll skip this time. You guys go ahead and enjoy.”
Mary was clearly not pleased. “It seems like you all don’t care about me anymore. Just because I’m getting older, everyone thinks they can push me around.”
Leanne couldn’t help but laughed. “How am I pushing you around? Don’t be so stubborn.”
“You said you were working late yesterday, and today, when you’re not, you still won’t come over. It feels like you’re just brushing me off.”
Leanne had no choice but to lay it all out. “Curtis and I are getting a divorce. It’s not right for me to come back now.”
“What does your divorce have to do with me?” Mary’s logic was crystal clear. “So what if you’re divorced? This isn’t your in-laws’ house anymore; it’s your home. What’s wrong with coming home for a meal?”
Mary was quick with her words, and Leanne found herself speechless.
“Fine, how about I take you out tomorrow, would that be okay?”
“I don’t want to go out with you.” Mary’s voice turned sullen. “You couldn’t even come to visit me during the holidays. It’s like you’ve forgotten about me.”
Leanne scratched her brow in frustration.
Just then, Maddox Richardson took the phone, his serious voice coming through.
“Anne, you grew up here. This is your home. It’s the holidays, come home for a meal.”
Twenty minutes later, after freshening up and changing, Leanne headed downstairs and got into the car back to the Richardson Manor.
On the way, her phone kept buzzing with messages from her friend group.
Joy was stuck in her hometown because she couldn’t find a ticket back. Her mom had set up a blind date for her on Christmas Day, inviting the guy over to their house.
Right now, she was venting in the group chat.
Selina, ever the supportive best friend, started ranting. “Your mom setting you up on a blind date on Christmas Day? She’s out of her mind! She thinks she can just set you up with any men. You’re a city beauty, for heaven’s sake!”
Then Joy sent a photo of the guy.
Selina replied immediately, “Hold on. Forget what I just said. You’re not in his league.”
Leanne was surprised. “Austin? What’s he doing in your hometown?”
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Joy replied, “How should I know! He said his aunt lives here and he came to visit with friends, ended up getting dragged into this blind date by her.”
Leanne said, “Talk about fate, huh?”
Joy replied, “Fate my foot! I was in my pajamas, hadn’t even washed my face or did my hair. When my mom mentioned a blind date, I chomped down on three cloves of garlic, hoping to scare him off. Now I’ve been sitting here, grinning like an idiot for half an hour. Never been so ladylike in my life!”
Leanne couldn’t stop laughing, “Thanks for the first laugh of my year.”
Selina, who had no idea who Austin was, panicked. “Who? Why am I the last to know?”
Leanne kept it short: “Her boss.”
Selina sent a long voice message that just consisted of her hysterical laughter.
With Joy’s story keeping her entertained, the ride seemed to fly by.
And as fate would have it, just as Leanne arrived at the Richardson family estate, another car pulled in right behind hers.
It was Phillip Richardson’s.
Out of courtesy, Leanne waited for Phillip to get out of his car and greeted him, “Hey, Phillip, Merry Christmas.”
Phillip nodded slightly, “Merry Christmas, Anne!”
It should have been a simple exchange, but then, a thought crossed Leanne’s mind about something Curtis had once joked about.
Suddenly feeling awkward, she wasn’t sure whether she should explain herself to Phillip.
She worried that not explaining might lead to misunderstandings, yet explaining might just make things worse.
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