Chapter 15
Zach sat there, in a daze for a few minutes.
His doubts set in, and he typed out. [Ms. Thompson?]
No answer.
More waiting, more silence. After another ten minutes with no reply from Kylie, Zach let out a breath he’d been holding. ‘It was just my imagination working overtime. There’s no way Mr. Walters could have…been that quick
Kylie was wiped out after her shower. She asked Trevor which side of the bed she should crash on and then just sprawled out, barely able to keep her eyes open.
As she was about to put her phone on silent, she saw a friend request from Zach on WhatsApp. She hit “accept” and let her phone slide onto the nightstand.
Trevor grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom. Before he closed the door, he saw Kylie’s eyes were already closed, her breathing steady.
He couldn’t help but chuckle, She’s either a heavy sleeper or a great actress.
He came out of the bathroom fully dressed, expecting to see her still pretending. But no, she was out like a light, not moving an inch. He had to give her credit; she was consistent.
The presence of a woman in his bed was new territory for him. He climbed in, but she didn’t budge. Her breathing was steady and rhythmic.
He was about to turn off the light, his face a mix of surprise and annoyance, when he noticed the pillows. Two of them, right down the middle of the bed, creating a clear line,
His eyebrows shot up. Is she really trying to keep me at bay? She’s overthinking it. Even if she strippes down in front of me, I wouldn’t be interested.
Trevor woke up feeling like he’d been hit by a truck–in a good way. For a second, he was sure it was still the middle of the night. But the sunlight sneaking through a gap in the curtains told him the difference he actually slept through the whole night.
Just then, Kylie rolled over, her eyes fluttering open to find Trevor sitting there. She looked a bit dazed, still getting used to the idea of being hitched. She offered him a small, somewhat awkward smile.
“Morning. Trevor said, his gaze briefly resting on her face.
“Morning,” Kylie replied, then added, Tm going to get dressed.” She slid out of bed.
Trevor followed suit, putting on his watch and checking the time–7:15 AM.
They both headed to clean up, then emerged almost in unison.
Noreen had been up for hours. When Grant mentioned that the couple was still asleep, she’d been waiting since 5:30 AM, and the longer she waited, the more delighted she became.
She knew Trevor well. As a kid, he’d been fine, but as an adult, he’d developed this annoying habit of insomnia.
Now, seeing him sleep soundly next to Kylie was a rare sight! Usually, if he was up at this hour, it was because he was dealing with jet lag
When she saw them coming downstairs together, she beamed at them. ‘Come on, breakfast is ready. We’ve got options, she called out cheerfully.
“How are you feeling, Noreen?” Kylie asked, her concern for Noreen’s health evident.
Tm better, dear. Don’t worry about me.” Noreen reassured her, not wanting Kylie to fret.
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Chapter 15
She smiled to herself, ‘Of course I know their marriage isn’t real–come on, I’m sharp as a tack! My health is fragile, but I’ll hold on for as long as I can. Maybe I’ll make it until I see Trevor and Kylie make it work for real;
Noreen looked at Trevor’s face, noting how he looked more approachable today, without the usual cold, sleep–deprived sternness. “You seem to have slept well last night!” she commented.
“Yep, slept like a baby.” Trevor replied, deliberately ignoring his grandmother’s teasing tone.
“Like a baby? You were out by ten and didn’t wake up until after seven. That’s almost a week’s worth of sleep for you, isn’t it?” Noreen teased, unable to resist needling him about his usual cold demean
Trevor was left speechless.
Kylie, hearing Noreen’s words, turned to Trevor, surprised. Is his sleep issue that serious? I remember Noreen mentioning it before, but hearing it now, it hit home. Hasn’t he fallen asleep easily when I massaged his head yesterday?”
“Kylie,” Noreen asked, “Grant said she didn’t quite catch those acupressure points yesterday. Could you come back tonight and show her again?”
“Of course, Kylie agreed readily.
There were indeed many points on the head, and it was tough to remember them all at once. She’d make a diagram tonight. marking all the points clearly,
Seeing Kylie agree so easily, Trevor’s eyes darkened, feeling increasingly that she was playing games, trying to win over his grandmother and get closer to him
‘Maybe I’ve been hasty the day we got the certificate. Perhaps I should have Zach look into Kylie and her boyfriend today. I couldn’t risk having someone with ulterior motives around Grandma. And the three–year agreement might need to be cut short… he thought.
Kylie cruised into the Vintage Market, her phone lighting up as she killed the engine. She’d been too preoccupied that morning to scroll through her messages.
It was a ping from Zach, a new name in her contacts from the previous night. [Hey, Zach, what’s the haps?] she texted back.
Zach was just diving into his workday and responded in a flash. [Hey, could you lend me a hand?]
Kylie: [Spill it.]
He sent over some photos of pearl pendants he’d been eyeing the night before.
Zach: [I’m so over the old one. Sent it packing. Think you can help me pick a fresh one?]
Kylie glanced at the clock–8:55 am–and pecked out a reply. [Got my hands full at the moment, but I’ll hit you up tonight.)
Zach squinted at her message, a question mark hanging in the air. Tonight? Was she really going to have a free moment for
him?
His thoughts meandered to the boss’s office, still empty at this hour. Trevor wasn’t in yet. Last night must’ve been a doozy-
His musings were interrupted by Trevor’s sudden appearance. “Zach, I need you to look into something for me. I want the dirt on Kylie and Craig. Every last detail.”
Zach raised an eyebrow. “On Ms. Thompson?”
“Down to the nitty–gritty, Trevor said, his tone steely. He was fishing for any reason why she’d suddenly agreed to marry him. like something had shifted to make her want to get close.
Zach nodded, his face a canvas of bewilderment.
He thought, “They’ve just been together, right? So why the sudden interest in looking into her life? Is Mr. Walters feeling brushed off or something? That doesn’t seem to be the case…
If Zach hadn’t met Kylie before, he might have thought she had some hidden agenda with Trevor. But after meeting her, he
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Chapter 15
got the feeling that she wasn’t that into him
“You think they’re still hooked up?” he asked after hesitation.
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