Michelle walked toward Josh, and I followed her. She nced around, then asked, “You guys have just been working on thistely?”
“Yeah, the lighting has some issues,” I exined, but Michelle was already under the scaffolding where Josh was working.
“Hey, this worker isn’t wearing a safety harness. That’s dangerous, isn’t it? Safety should alwayse first,” Michelle, never missing a beat, immediately pointed out the issue.
Actually, Josh had been wearing the harness, but when he climbed down earlier, he’d temporarily taken it off. Since he was just getting back up now, he hadn’t put it on again.
“Yeah, I’ll make sure to remind him,” I said, calling out to Josh. “How could you go up without the harness? Come down now.”
Josh quicklyplied,ing down without protest. He was almost like a schoolboy who’d made a mistake and was honestly admitting it. “My bad. I’ll pay more attention next time.”
Oddly enough, I felt like I was bullying him.
Michelle turned to Josh and said, “Safety is about taking care of yourself. You have to be responsible for yourself first before you can take care of others, right?”
Michelle might not be in the workce, but she was no fool. Her words were full of wisdom, and they had an educational
tone.
But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that her words carried a hidden meaning.
“Yes, Mrs. Dolton,” Josh said, his attitude polite and respectful.
“You’ve worked hard all morning. Go ahead and eat,” Michelle said in a warm, motherly tone.
Josh thanked her and went off to eat, and Michelle turned to me with a slightly cryptic smile. “This guy looks strong and capable.”
I understood what she meant. She wasparing Josh to some rough, unpolished type of man. Alvin had looked down on himst night, and now Michelle was doing the same.
I also began to understand why Michelle hade all the way here today. She must have heard something from Alvin and was here to size Josh up.
“He’s an engineer, handling the lighting adjustments,” I corrected Michelle’s understanding of Josh.
But Michelle just smiled lightly. She’d seen all kinds of people, so she wasn’t easily fooled.
“Are you hungry? Let’s go eat in the office, we can chat while we eat,” she said, her tone soft and warm.
“Sure,” I agreed, not wanting to refuse.
By the time we reached the office, the driver had already set up a beautifully arranged lunch. It was exquisite and clearly different from what Myra and the others were eating. I was sure of it.
“Thank you,” I smiled, touched by her thoughtfulness.
“You didn’te home, so I had no choice,” Michelle said, gesturing for me to sit. “Hurry up, it’ll get cold.”
I didn’t hesitate and began cating.
“Slow down,” Michelle chuckled as 1 devoured the food.
“It’s just so good,” I responded, ying along.
I wasn’t being insincere, but after all these years with the Dolton family, I’d learned the art of keeping everyone happy. It made things easier for all of us.
“Zoc, so you and Alvin really have no chance, huh?” Michelle finally asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
My hand froze, and I nodded silently.
Michelle sighed. “It’s not his good fortune, and neither is it mine or Peter’s.”
“Michelle, I’m the one with no good fortune,” I replied, my voice tinged with sadness.
They had truly cared for me all these years, and I felt that. Leaving Alvin wasn’t as hard as it seemed, but leaving the people who loved me was.
“Well, sometimes a forced rtionship just doesn’t work. If your heart’s made up, I won’t pressure you,” Michelle said, her words a quiet relief to me.
I was afraid she might go on and on with the whole ‘forcing things’ speech.
I lowered my head and took a sip of my soup, but then Michelle spoke again. “Zoe, even though you and Alvin won’t be together, I still want you to find someone good.”
My hand tightened around the spoon. Was she suggesting I should be with Philip?
“Michelle, I’m not looking for anyone right now,” I said quickly, cutting off whatever she was about to suggest.