Chapter 111
“Mrs. Sinclair?” Thomas stopped in front of her with a smile.
“It is you. I thought I was seeing things.”
“Tom…” Anathea let out a small breath of relief. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I was just picking up some herbal medicine for my mom.” He held up a bag of herbs for her to see. “Are you heading home?
She nodded, glancing awkwardly at her car. “I was but then my car suddenly broke down and won’t start.”
Thomas crouched down to take a quick look at it. “I think it’s an engine problem. You’ll need to take it to a mechanic. Luckily, I’ve got a friend who rums a repair shop. I’ll call him and ask if he can come tow your car.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond before pulling out his phone.
On the call, he gave his friend the address and sorted all the details before turning back to look at Anathea. “I’ll need your number so my friend can contact you when your car’s fixed.”
Anathea gave him her phone number.
“Alright, it’s all been sorted out.” Thomas hung up and gave her a thumbs–up.
Anathea was quietly impressed by how quickly he’d handled everything. She was grateful too–if he hadn’t been there, there was no telling how long it would’ve taken her to deal with that.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Thomas smiled a little sheepishly, handing her his number. “If you ever need anything else, don’t hesitate to call me.”
Anathea nodded politely, though truthfully, asking for help wasn’t really her thing.
After her car got towed, she tried getting a cab to get home. But it was rush hour, and after two minutes with no drivers responding, Anathea frowned slightly.
Thomas noticed that. “Shall I give you a ride?”
She hesitated, as she wasn’t the kind to trouble others.
Just as she was about to say no, Thomas added, “Don’t worry. Your place is on the way to mine.”
“Alright, then,” she agreed. Grabbing her bag, she followed him to his car—a black Cayenne. Anathea blinked, wondering if chefs made that much money to afford one.
Thomas noticed her reaction and scratched his head. “That’s not my car. I borrowed it from a friend‘
So that was how it was. That did make more sense.
“After you, Mrs. Sinclair,” Thomas said, opening the passenger door for her.
Anathea couldn’t help but feel awkward. “Tom, you don’t work for the Sinclairs anymore… You don’t have to call me ‘Mrs. Sinclair‘.”
Thomas had a thoughtful look on his face. “Calling you ‘Ms. Jacobson‘ also feels too formal, though.” Then, his eyes brightened. “Since you call me ‘Tom‘, how about I call you ‘Ana‘?”
Anathea blinked, caught off guard. It sounded a little awkward, but he looked so expectant. “I guess… that’s fine.”
It was just a name. Besides, anything was better than being called Mrs. Sinclair.”
Chapter III
+25 BONUS
“Great! Let’s go then, Ana.” Thomas smiled warmly.
Though they were now addressing each other by their nicknames, Thomas still spoke to Anathea respectfully, as she was a year older than him.
Once Anathea got in the car, Thomas drove them out of the hospita
As soon as they left the parking lot, the sky burst into view–blazing orange and pink clouds lit up the whole horizon. The sunset painted everything in gold. It was breathtaking.
Anathea found herself a little lost in it. But her stomach had other plans–it growled loudly, effectively breaking the moment. She quickly placed a hand over it, a little embarrassed.
She’d barely eaten anything during lunch. It had been an uneasy day.
“Ana, are you hungry? Let’s grab something to eat,” Thomas offered. She was about to politely decline, but then he added, “It’s your treat. I’ll consider it as a fee for driving you. How does that sound?”
