Chapter 163: Doesn’t He Have a Home?
"I... I’ve never had anyone be this nice to me," Joanne Chase said softly, her head lowered and her face flushed.
Grace Winslow was taken aback.
’Having been coddled her whole life, she’d never known a feeling like this.’
Looking at Joanne Chase, her heart ached for her for some reason.
’Joanne Chase was two or three years younger than her, an age when she should have been carefree and doted on by her parents. Instead, she carried far too many burdens on her shoulders.’
That was how it was for most people in this era. Families favored sons over daughters, and girls were expected to start supporting the household at an early age.
Those who could attend school were already considered fortunate.
Most weren’t so lucky; they were married off early for a bride price, which was then used to pay for their brothers’ weddings.
Joanne Chase was one of the lucky ones. Through her own hard work, she had managed to stay in school and now had a chance to escape the trauma of her family.
"Don’t worry," Grace Winslow said, patting her shoulder. "From now on, more and more people will treat you well."
"Go on, try the pastries my mom made. She’s going to sell them when her shop opens, so see if you have any suggestions."
Joanne Chase beamed and nodded. She looked at the exquisite pastries—things she had never even seen before, let alone imagined she would get to eat.
She took a bite, and her face lit up. "This is delicious!"
"I’m sure business will be great."
Grace Winslow smiled and shook her head. "Have some more. Try all of them, and I mean really taste them. See if you think anything could be improved."
"My mom’s a nervous wreck about it. If business is bad, she’ll come home in tears."
Grace Winslow added, deliberately lowering her voice.
Joanne Chase couldn’t help but laugh.
She ate a few more pieces, her expression turning thoughtful. "Grace, I once saw a book on traditional Chinese medicine at the library. These pastries your mom made... I think I taste medicinal herbs in them. Did she add some?"
"You could tell?" Grace Winslow asked, surprised.
Joanne Chase scratched her head, looking embarrassed. "Well, my family lives in the mountains. To earn money, I used to go up into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs."
"In the mountain villages where I’m from, pretty much everyone knows a little about medicinal herbs and their uses. I learned how to identify them from my grandma when I was young. It’s how I earned my own tuition money; otherwise, my family would have never let me go to school."
"They only realized I could earn more money after I became literate. Plus, they heard that a well-educated girl could command a much higher bride price."
"When my college entrance exam scores came out, someone from our area approached my parents, saying he could offer a bride price of five hundred to marry me."
"Later, I told them that if I finished college, someone might offer two thousand, or even more. So, they let me come to university."
’Grace Winslow hadn’t realized Joanne Chase was such a hidden gem.’
’What a shame she didn’t have any spare older brothers. Otherwise, she’d really want Joanne to marry into the family and become her sister-in-law.’
"Aunt Irene, is Aunt Irene home?"
Just as Grace was thinking, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise, got up, and went to open the door.
Sean York stood at the door with his bicycle.
When Sean York saw Grace Winslow, he looked embarrassed. "Sister-in—"
"Ah, Grace Winslow. My apologies, I hope I’m not interrupting your dinner?"
Grace shook her head. "Are you looking for my mom?"
"Yes, your aunt asked for my help with something. I just heard back, so I came to let her know she can come with me tomorrow to check it out. If it’s all good, we can finalize the deal."
"What is it?" Grace asked curiously.
"It’s the tables and chairs for the shop. I know a good carpenter, and your aunt mentioned she wanted to have them custom-made in a specific style," Sean replied honestly.
"Alright, I got it. I’ll tell my mom," Grace said, moving to close the door.
Just then, Irene Lynch came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. "Sean is here? Perfect timing, we’re about to eat. Come in, come in and eat with us."
"Grace, what’s wrong with you? He came all this way, how can you not let him in?"
Irene Lynch chided Grace, then went to open the door wider and usher Sean York inside.
With a resigned look, Grace closed the door and followed them.
"You’re so efficient, Sean," Irene Lynch said with a laugh. "You’ve solved my problem in no time at all. Make sure to eat your fill later. And from now on, just come over for dinner whenever you like. Pay no mind to Grace."
Sean glanced sheepishly at Grace.
Grace rolled her eyes. "Mom, doesn’t he have a home? Does he need to come to our house to eat every day?"
Irene Lynch faltered, then looked at Sean York.
Sean also looked resigned.
’He knew Grace was probably taking out her anger about Archer Rhys on him.’
’He’d heard all about what happened with Wendy Quinn and Archer Rhys. He couldn’t blame Grace for being furious.’
’Anyone would be furious if they were suddenly branded a homewrecker for no reason.’
’It was Archer’s fault for not handling his own affairs. Who would have thought Wendy Quinn was crazy enough to pull a stunt like that and nearly hurt Grace?’
"Auntie, it’s fine. I’m not really hungry anyway. Maybe I should just go," Sean said, turning as if to leave.
Irene Lynch shot Grace a fierce glare. "Grace, don’t be rude!"
"You’re staying for dinner. She’s not the one in charge of this house yet. Pay her no mind."
Sean looked towards Grace.
Grace just shook her head and went back inside.
Gregory Winslow leaned in curiously. "What’s this? Are you and Grace on the outs?"
"Sir, Grace and I don’t have that kind of relationship," Sean said, his face draining of color.
’He wouldn’t dare get involved with Grace, much less entertain any improper ideas.’
’While Grace was certainly a compelling woman, a girl that strong and capable wasn’t his type.’
’He preferred the gentle, demure, girl-next-door type.’
’Besides, if he dared to make a move, wouldn’t Archer tear him limb from limb?’
"Then it’s that kid Archer who’s on the outs with Grace," Gregory Winslow concluded instantly.
Sean didn’t dare confirm or deny, just rubbing his nose.
"Speak up. What happened?" Gregory Winslow said, tapping the table. "Grace is the most even-tempered person I know. For her to get this angry, it must be serious."
Sean hesitated, but then he recounted the whole story.
"That’s what happened. Archer didn’t mean for it to go down like this, and he really regrets it."
"His leave is almost over. He risked life and limb to get this time off, hoping to spend it getting closer to... Grace. He never expected things to get this bad..."
Gregory Winslow snorted. "If he can’t clean up his own messes, then Grace has every right to be angry. You go back and tell that damn kid that if he’s serious about my Grace, he needs to sever all ties with those other women. Otherwise, he can stop harassing my daughter."