Chapter 56 Reproached by a Teddy Bear
Hallie blushed when he looked at her like that. It was almost overwhelming, the idea that he was constantly seeking her attention, arranging to spend so much time with her, wanting her. Maybe it was not just that he was a royal prince but also that she had grown to like him.
Every time she was tempted to give in to his advances, she was equally afraid of ruining what they had. She feared one of them would be left wanting more, and most likely it would be her.
“Shall we talk about something else?” she offered. “A cold shower, for instance?”
“No amount of cold showers could ever erase my desire for you,” he replied, his pliant lips forming a mischievous smirk.
“Wow, you are drunk!”
“I’m only drunk on your beauty,” he said, devouring her with his eyes.
“All right, it’s probably time to go home,” Hallie said briskly.
As she got up from the table, she nearly ran into a couple who were just arriving at the restaurant. The man looked familiar; it was the guy known as ‘teddy bear’, and luckily she remembered his real name was Andy.
“Hello, nice to see you again!” he said, offering his usual friendly smile, “You’re Hallie, Jessica’s friend, right?”
He didn’t look guilty being seen with another woman who was not Jessica, so Hallie assumed it was only a friendly date for them. She greeted them and introduced Luke as well.
“This is my cousin, Frances,” Andy said, while the woman stared at Luke.
It wasn’t unusual to see women staring at him, but this time, her gaze was one of sadness and accusation.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” she said.
“Of course I remember you,” Luke replied, though it was obvious it only occurred to him after she said it. “We went on a date that one time.”
“We went on three dates!” she shouted vehemently, surprising everyone, “and you never called again!”
“I thought we had a great time,” he replied, “And I didn’t want to ruin what we had.”
Hallie gave him a side-eyed glance. “Really?”
“We didn’t have anything because you just cast me aside like I didn’t exist,” Frances said. “You know how hurtful that is?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she squeezed her lips together.
“I’m really sorry,” Luke said, sounding genuine for once. “I didn’t think you cared that much.”
“All right, it’s getting late, and we should be going,” Hallie said, feeling uncomfortable with this entire scene.
“I’ll see you around,” Andy said awkwardly as Hallie retreated, pulling Luke along after her. “Though I hope I don’t see you with him.”
“It’s my business who I hang out with,” Hallie replied as she walked away. She couldn’t believe even the meek teddy bear would get on her case about this!
She hoped Luke wouldn’t start a fight after that comment, but he seemed deep in thought and maybe hadn’t even heard what the teddy bear said.
Hallie was really getting tired of people telling her who to go out with. Even though Jessica was bound to try to give her another lecture after this incident, Hallie would not put up with it anymore.
***
“FINALLY, WE CAN TALK,” Terry said to her husband after they had dropped the unhappy police officer home.
Bill peered into the darkness of the highway as he drove. “I’m sorry I suspected you of cheating. I actually thought you were after Hallie’s boyfriend.”
“What?!”
Terry knew Bill had been a jealous guy from the start. Even before Luke showed up, Bill had always accused her of eyeing this or that man, causing endless arguments. Maybe it was because he wasn’t making all that much money that he felt insecure and worried she would run off with someone else.
Terry had feared her marriage was breaking up, but maybe if she could secure their financial future, everything would be back to normal.
“It seemed like you were always watching him,” Bill said.
“That’s because I suspected him, you idiot!” she snapped.
“Of cheating?”
“Well, actually yes, but there’s something else about him that’s suspicious, and I’m trying to find out what it is. While you were spying on me and trying to catch me cheating, I was looking after our interests.”
“You mean like playing golf?”
“No! The kind of interests we have in keeping the family ranch?”
“Oh!” Bill said, “You’re always thinking ahead, my honey-bunny. That’s what I love about you. But what can we do about the ranch?”
“Believe me, there’s lots we can do,” Terry said, feeling more confident about her marriage already. “The only reason mama and daddy are favoring Hallie now is because of Luke. I’ve already found some dirt I can use on Hallie, but if I can find something on Luke, it would be perfect.”
“But what can you find?”
“I don’t know! Maybe if you helped me instead of following me around and spying on me, we could manage to find something.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Bill resolved. “We’ve worked harder than anyone on this ranch, and we deserve to keep it.”