He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 43

Martha was thrilled. She pulled Juniper closer, then reached out to pull Nelson in as well. "Young man, you're quite handsome too. Let's take one together. I'll blow it up and put it right out front as my store sign."

Juniper immediately opened her mouth to refuse, but then she heard Martha say, "I've wanted to take on an apprentice, but no one has wanted to learn for years. Once I die, this craft will be lost forever."

Juniper instantly clamped her mouth shut.

The photo was taken after all. Martha stood in the center, with Nelson and Juniper flanking her on either side.

The traditional dress she wore didn't clash with Nelson's tailored suit at all; surprisingly, they looked perfectly harmonious.

But the moment the camera flashed, Nelson's phone rang. He stepped aside to answer it. It was Lydia.

"Nelson, Josie was crying all night. When your mother mentioned you were down in Oakley, I brought the baby over."

Nelson furrowed his brows. "You're here?"

"Yes, am I interrupting?"

Through the receiver, he could faintly hear Josie's quiet sobs.

She had always been incredibly attached to him.

Hearing the child's cries, Nelson's tone immediately softened. "I'll text you an address."

"No need. I asked Quinn earlier. I'm already right outside the shop."

The moment the words left her mouth, Josie's voice rang out from the street.

"Daddy!!"

The little girl ran inside with red-rimmed eyes, throwing her arms around Nelson's legs. When she noticed Juniper standing nearby, her delicate brows scrunched together. "Why are you here again? You bad woman!"

Everyone in the room looked at Lydia, then at the child, and finally at Juniper.

Lydia smiled gracefully, stepping forward to greet the officials. "I'm the heiress of the Thorne Corporation. I married into the Saint family a few years ago. I specifically came down today to see Oakley."

An instant wave of awkwardness washed over the group. Then what exactly was Juniper's identity?

Juniper turned on her heel and slipped back behind the curtain to change. By the time she stepped out in her own clothes, the men were already crowding around Lydia, enthusiastically explaining the town's history.

Lydia's attire screamed old money, and with Nelson standing right beside her holding their child's hand, they looked like the picture-perfect, impossibly wealthy family.

Noticing Juniper step out, Lydia offered a polite, devastatingly sweet smile.

"Juniper, it's been a while."

She turned to introduce her to the men. "Juniper is a student my family used to sponsor. She got into Capital University back in the day. Very bright girl. In a way, I suppose I have a special connection to Oakley."

So she was just a sponsored charity case. But the atmosphere between her and Nelson had felt so strange.

A former charity case sitting in the passenger seat of her benefactor's husband's car.

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