Chapter 394


    Although Susie''s surgery went off without a hitch, her road to recovery was paved with potential setbacks. She couldn''t be left alone. Ernest managed to find a caregiver for the daytime hours, bute evening, he made it a point to be by Susie''s side.


    This arrangement meant I saw a lot less of Ernest. After all, our day jobs kept us busy.


    "I''m avable," Ernest surprisingly agreed.


    "And Susie...?" I began, but Ernest cut me off before I could finish.


    "I''ve got it covered," he reassured me, hismitment shining through.


    "It''s been a while since we''ve had quality time together," he admitted, his forehead pressed against mine. My heart couldn''t help but ache a little.


    And why wouldn''t it? If he was spending every waking moment caring for Susie, there was no time left for me.


    I knew I couldn''t be jealous, but that didn''t mean I didn''t feel a bit hurt.


    The championship Jefferson waspeting in was miles away in Fenton. Ernest and I caught a flight to get there. Stepping off the ne, we were surprised to find someone holding up a sign for us, courtesy of Jefferson.


    I hadn''t expected Jefferson to be so thoughtful.


    I was d I made the trip; it would have been a shame to miss out on his considerate gesture.


    Plus, sharing the flight with a bunch of his fans was an eye-opener. I hadn''t realized just how popr Jefferson was.


    Even before we reached the venue, the sheer enthusiasm of the fans was infectious.


    "I can''t believe how popr Jefferson is," I mused. "All these years, I just thought of him as the guy running the pool hall."


    Ernest remained quiet, his typical stoic self, but I didn''t mind.


    Especially since he wasn''t all that familiar with Jefferson, I took the opportunity to paint a picture of Jefferson''s pool prowess, not forgetting to mention a few of my own victories against him.


    When the car finally stopped, I eagerly asked the driver, "Is Jefferson staying at this hotel too?"


    "Seems like it," the driver''s response thrilled me.


    "I''ll introduce you to him tonight," I said, pping Ernest on the back.


    He didn''t respond, his expression sour.


    I could tell something was up. Except for the early days of our


    acquaintance, Ernest had neveel


    I like this before. Content


    belongs to NovelDrama.Org


    "Ernest, what''s wrong?" I confronted him.


    He remained silent, which only served to irritate me. "Ernest, talk to me."


    "Do you like Jefferson?" he suddenly burst out, his voice heavy with emotion.


    "What?" I couldn''t help butugh.


    "All you''ve done is talk about him the whole trip," Ernest''s voice wasced with hurt.


    It dawned on me then-he was jealous.


    never gone


    Seeing this side of him was rare. He


    got this way with Conrad, but Jefferson had somehow managed


    to


    to stir his jealousy. Content belongs


    So, I teased him by nodding, “Yeah, I do like him. Wouldn''t have talked about him so much otherwise."


    Pet


    Ernest''s mood visibly darkened. I expected him to say more, but he simply stated, "Let''s go," and started pulling his suitcase.


    I didn''t follow.


    He stopped and looked back at me. "Aren''t youing?"


    "I''m upset you''re being so petty," I admitted, a bit more petnt than usual.


    With Conrad, I was alwaysposed and gracious—a perfectdy.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    But with Ernest, I found myself acting more like a whimsical girl.


    Ernest sighed, stepping back to face me. "It bothers me, hearing you praise another man nonstop."