Dorothy paused for a moment, then let out a light chuckle, âYou really do get me, donât you?â
âOh, come on! Just talking about this stuff makes me want to cry for you. Thereâs no way youâre not
crying.â
Clutching a tissue in her hand, Dorothy stood up, âKaren, when you go back, could you maybe talk to
Kenneth? Tell him to stop waiting for me and find himself a girlfriend. I canât hold him back any longer.â
âThatâs tougher than taking down the Lopez family!â Karen rolled her eyes. âBesides, leave him be. He
knows what heâs doing.â
âKenneth has done too much for me already.â
âYou are worried that Kenneth thinks you and Everett will be over if you fall out with the Lopez family. In
that case, he might stand a chance again. And you assume thatâs why heâs not finding a girlfriend now,
right?â
Dorothy nodded, âYeah.â
âDonât sweat it. Kennethâs clear on where he stands! He knows youâll never fall for him.â Karen had lost
count of how many times she had this conversation with Kenneth.
Kenneth was well aware, too, that even if Dorothy and Everett were a noâgo, he wouldnât be the one by
her side.
âThen why does he stillâ¦
âHeâs just stubborn! Isnât Everett the same?â
Dorothy bit her lips.
âHonestly, after the spat I had with Jeffrey today, I suddenly realized his life is what youâd call âreal
livingâ! Look at you and Kenneth, and even look at Everett, you are all caught up in this loveâhate
relationship. But Jeffreyâs different. His love life? Easy come, easy go. Sure itâs shortâlived, but he hops
from one fling to another! Never a dull moment.â
Karen was pretty openâminded, not the type to cling to the âone and onlyâ ideal. If things didnât work
out, sheâd move on without much fuss. She wasnât one to shy away from pillow talk with an ex, but she
hadnât reached Jeffreyâs level of indulgence.
Yet, as she pondered, she realized there was a certain allure to living for the moment and settling the
problems when tomorrow comes. Was being tied down in a relationship really all that important?
Karen recalled a saying sheâd read somewhere: True lovers never part. If thereâs mutual interest and
affection, thereâs no need to label it just to keep it going.
Dorothy glanced at Karen and gave a wry smile, âDonât let him corrupt you. Heâs a trust fund playboy;
even if he parties all day, heâs got the family fortune to burn through.â
Considering Jeffreyâs lifelong friendship with Everett, it was clear his family was wellâoff too.
âIâm just thinking out loud! Itâs a new life perspective, thatâs all.â
No sooner had Karen finished speaking than she caught sight of a figure approaching them..
Upon closer inspection, it was Jeffrey, the persistent playboy.
Dorothy sighed, âIf you canât stand him, Iâll send him packing for you.â
âNot that much of a nuisance, really. You and Mr. Lopez are overthinking it! Why would I waste time
hating someone whoâll be a nonâfactor in my future? Heâs the highâflying heir to a fortune! Iâm not even
on his radar.â
Dorothy shrugged.
Jeffrey approached, glanced at Karen, and then gave Dorothy a somewhat sheepish look, âUhâ¦
Everett asked me to drive Karen back to the hotel. Said it wasnât safe for her to go alone.â
Dorothyâs brow furrowed instinctively since she sensed something was off, but Karen was already on
her feet, âLetâs go, then. Dorothy, I wonât keep you from rest. Bye, sweet dreams!â
They left one after the other, their silhouettes retreating into the distance.â
Together, they almost looked like a matching pair.
Comments(0)
Join the discussion — sign in to leave a comment
Sign In to CommentNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!