Chapter 9
At 3:00am, Zachary woke with an agent need to use the restroom Still groggy, he quickly pulled down his pants and relieved himself. As he passed the washroom, he heard the sound of water runding insirke.
Who on earth would be up in the middle of the night doing laundry? Now, that was some dedication.
He wandered in and found Jasper.
“Captain Lock?”
Jasper stood at the sink, wearing a white tank top and army green shorts. His face was stony as he worked his hands over something in the basin. With each scrub, the muscles in his arms flexed, vai and tendons visibly straining
Zachary step closer and squirted to get a better look–he wasn’t washing dothes. It was a bedsheet.
Mumbling to hirusell, he said, “Captain Locke’s obsesion with cleanliness is hardcore, washing his bedsheet in the dead of night.”
Bedsheet. Jasper delta faint blush wash over his ears. After years of emotional detachment, it was the first time he had experienced such a dream.
“Go back to sleep.“Jasper sily, shooting him a frosty plane.
Self–p, Zachary cant another look and quickly slipped out of the washroom
At the Locke residence, Natale and Phoebe shared a bedroom. Each had a bed against the wall with a pathway in between
Asright fell and Natalie sected into bed, she pulled up her blanket, preparing for sleep.
Phoebe the broke the silence, asking. “Nattle, are you still awake?”
Natalio rolled her eyes in the darkness, knowing Phoebe already knew the cower. “Whatisit?”
Phoebo righed softly.” feel so lucky we ended up with people like Mr. and Mrs. Locke. They genuinely treat us like daughters. And James is really nice, too. I don’t know much about jasper, but he looks proper from his photo–bet he has plenty of admires.”
Naralle wasn’t sure where this conversation was heading, so the simply replied, “Mm–hmm.”
Suddenly, Phoebe’s tone shifted, adopting a more serious, older sister vibe. “I get why Ms. Lilian sent you to Kingston. Your stepfather’s trying to for you to marry that fool back home, Isn’t he? He might even care after you if he finds out you’ve run off to Kingston
“When it comes to marriage, technically, it’s up to the parents. Your stepfather’s still your guardian on paper, so if he insists on taking you back, the Lockes don’t have the legal right to stop him. Have you thought about what you’d do if it comes to that?”
Natalie put on a frightened expression. “Phoebe, what should I do?”
Phoebe said earnestly, “My grandma always said a woman’s prime doesn’t last forever, so it’s crucial to marry while you’re still in your best years,
“Just look at you—you’re stunning! You could easily choose any man in the housing base. Your priosity should be to find a partner here so you can establish yourself in Kingston and become part of the community.
“Even if your stepfather comes looking for you, it won’t matter because you’ll already be married. Don’t delay–it’s better to secure your future now than leave it to chance.”
Natulie’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile. She finally understood Phoebe’s intentions.
No wonder the original subject had started asking about eligible men as soon as she arrived at the Locke residence. She’d practically worn her ambitions on her sleeve, which had left a poor impaction on the familles in the base homing
It was clear that Phoebe had been quietly nudging the original subject in that direction from the start.
Natalia chose not to expose Phoebe’s intentions and played along. “Thank you for sharing all this, Phoebe. You’re like a true sister to me.”
Phoebe, thinking her word had landed, felt secretly satisfied. “Just be mindful and don’t let this wonderful opportunity of living in the base housing slip away.”
In the darkness, Natale gered. And she would fall for that.
When the first light crept in at dawn, Phoebe quietly opened her eyes and carefully slipped out of bed.
crossed her face as she quickly slipped on her shoes. Tiptoring out of the room,
the glanced at Natalie, who was wrapped in her blanket, sound asleep. A flicker of barely hidden cos the ganly shut the door behind her.
Roaching the kitchen, Phoeba ried man apron and started making breakfast. She heated up a pan to fry some eggs and began making pancakes.
Last night, she had intentionally lingered in the kitchen and casually asked Evelyn about the Lock family’s favorite food, “Phoebe, dear?” Evelyn, rubbing her eyes, spotted someone moving around in the kitchen and wondered if she was imagining things
