It had been some time since Peter last saw Josephine, and he missed his granddaughter very much. As such, he instructed his caretaker to prepare a feast for later tonight.
Mills’ car drove in first, and Heidi hopped off with the presents in her hands. “Dad, we have an extra guest tonight,’ she announced, breaking the news to Peter first. “Who is that?”
“He’s Joey’s boyfriend.” “Joey has a boyfriend? Is it Luke?” Peter asked. “No, he’s a young man that Joey picked for herself and comes from an excellent family background.”
“Okay, I’ll meet him later. Joey isn’t a child anymore and should consider marriage soon.” Even Peter carried the hope that he would have the chance to meet his great-grandchild while he was still alive.
A couple of minutes later, Ethan and Josephine. strolled in from the garden. Their hands were so full of gift boxes that they could barely carry all of them. “Ethan, just come as you are! Why did you bring so many presents as well?’ Heidi grumbled as she took the gifts from him with a smile.
“Well, it’s my first visit to Old Mr. Jacobson’s place, after all,” Ethan replied with a smile. When he saw Peter coming out of the living room, he greeted politely, “Nice to meet you, Old Mr. Jacobson.”
Under the light, Peter observed Ethan carefully, and judging from his looks, he reckoned that Ethan was of mixed blood. Is Joey going to marry and move abroad? he wondered.
When Josephine caught Peter staring at Ethan, she jumped in and cutely tugged on Peter’s arms. “Grandpa, let me introduce you both. He’s my boyfriend, Ethan Quarles.”
“Hello,” Peter said in satisfaction after Josephine’s introduction. Ethan felt a hint of pressure from the air of authority that Peter was exuding. Only those who had been in a high position for a long time could cultivate such dominance.
“Joey, invite Ethan into the house,” Peter said. Seeing that it was not yet dinner time, she wanted to take Ethan out on a walk so that Peter couldn’t bombard him with questions. Hence, she answered, “Grandpa, I’ll take him for a walk in the park. We’ll be back later for dinner.”
“Okay, go ahead!” Peter said adoringly. Grabbing Ethan’s hand, Josephine murmured, “Come for a walk with me! I spent a lot of time here when I was growing up and am very attached to the surrounding area.
Ethan nodded and went with her for a stroll at the park nearby. He knew that she was helping him, so he followed her as she dragged him out. Behind them, Peter sighed. ‘Is Joey going to marry and move abroad?”
“Dad, let her decide on how she’s going to live her life,” Mills said. “But I can’t bear to see her go! She’s my only granddaughter and I hope that she can stay in the country. At least I can see her more often.”
Heidi felt the same way and for a while, she wasn’t sure whether she should be glad or upset. At the park, there were quite a few residents living nearby taking a walk at the same time. Josephine went over to a swing and sat on it while Ethan pushed her. Delighted, she started swinging and raised her head to look at the sky above. The stars and the moon were just as they were when she was young, but there was another man at her side now.
After strolling around the park, she took Ethan back to Peter’s place. The food was ready and Peter had even placed a bottle of wine on the table. After pouring a glass for Ethan, Peter said to Josephine, “You can drive later. Let Ethan have a drink with us tonight.”
Deep down, Josephine was worried for Ethan because both Peter and Mills were experienced drinkers. Furthermore, they preferred strong alcohol, and she wondered how much Ethan could take.
In the beginning, the Jacobson men drank politely, but it had simply been too long since anyone had a drink with Peter, so he changed the wine to whiskey. While eating, Josephine, just like Mills and Ethan, listened as Peter spoke expertly on all topics. A few minutes later, Ethan’s fair face had turned red.
“That’s enough, Grandpa. Don’t drink anymore.” Seeing that Peter was about to refill Ethan’s glass with whiskey, Josephine interjected and held him back.
