Chapter 512

Teresa said, “You should head back now. You still have a lot of things to do tomorrow.”

“No rush. I’ll leave after I get some sleep,” he said.

Teresa hesitated and asked awkwardly, “Do you want to book another room, or should I give you the bed?”

Jonathan pursed his lips briefly, his gaze shifting to the living room. “The couch will do.”

“No, you take the bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” said Teresa.

Jonathan shook his head and insisted, “No need. Just give me a pillow. The couch is fine for me.”

Honestly, the bed was plenty big for two people, but neither of them could bring themselves to suggest sharing it. Teresa didn’t want to argue either, so she simply nodded in agreement.

Jonathan didn’t have much time left to rest. He showered and tidied himself up, and by then it was already past ten. He still had to be up at five the next morning.

Teresa tossed and turned in the master bedroom for hours before finally drifting off to sleep in the early hours of the morning.

In a hazy half-sleep, she dreamed that Jonathan tucked her in and softly kissed her cheek. She told him it tickled, and he just laughed.

When she woke up, the hotel room was quiet. He was gone. She thought it all felt unreal, like a dream—even the dinner they had together.

Teresa packed her things, checked out, and drove back to Nareigh. As she started the car, she noticed the tank was full. Jonathan had gotten it washed too, and everything inside was spotless.

Jonathan and Edward went to deal with some trivial matters while Irene and Heidi were busy sorting through Gordon’s personal stuff.

Gordon had once been quite rich, but after losing Fiona, his life just kind of fell apart. There wasn’t much left, except the two-floor old house in a decent location.

Irene turned to Heidi and said, “The house should go to you. You and George can fix it up or rebuild it.”

Heidi hurriedly replied, “No, Irene. I can’t take it all for myself. Why don’t we sell it and split the money?”

Irene waved her hand and smiled. “Forget it. I’m not going to argue with you over something so small. It’s where Dad lived his whole life. Let it stay for the sake of memory.”

Heidi finally nodded. “Alright, let’s each keep a key. If either of us gets homesick, we can come visit. We should also give Mom a key.”

Irene agreed, but she handed the main key to Heidi.

Heidi felt a mix of emotions. She remembered that when Yorick just passed away, Irene was struggling financially and often asked her for help. Now, thanks to Jonathan, Irene had become the wealthiest member of the family who wouldn’t care about a house.

After returning to Nareigh, Teresa went straight to Miriam’s house to pick up Michael.

“Mom, I missed you so much,” Michael threw himself into Teresa’s arms.

Teresa frowned slightly. Michael was just three, yet she already felt too weak to hold him like she used to. Therefore, she set him down quickly.

Miriam said, “Jennifer called me.”

“Why?” Teresa asked, puzzled.

“She asked me where you went.” Miriam complained, “We ended up arguing. I told her to stop meddling in your business. I said you can do whatever you want, and that it has nothing to do with her.”

Teresa fell silent for a few seconds, her mind drifting back to that day when they were heading home for Halloween. Donald and Jennifer were driving ahead of her. She figured that Jennifer must have noticed she wasn’t following anymore and called Miriam.

Teresa joked, “Miriam, don’t mind her. Getting worked up over someone unimportant isn’t worth it. And believe me, she’s never going to listen to you.”

Miriam chuckled. “I’m not mad. I just hope it won’t affect you.”

Teresa nodded and turned to Michael. “Mike, say goodbye to Miriam.”

Michael waved and smiled. “See you.”

“See you, Mike,” said Miriam.

At the same time, Jonathan had just gotten back to Nareigh. Teresa was leaving Miriam’s house with Michael in the car.