"If she spends any more time stuck at home, I swear she's going to lose her mind."
Tina caught on right away and tossed her son's name into the mix. "Why don't I bring York along too? He can keep Cindy company."
Octavia beamed. "That would be perfect. I always feel better when York's with Cindy, then I don't have to worry so much."
"Ever since that whole hospital mix-up, I've been so scared something could happen
to her again. I hope you can forgive a mother for being overprotective."
Tina offered a few polite words in response, but in her mind, she couldn't help thinking the whole situation was a little ridiculous. Cindy was grown now, and they'd already found her the girl wasn't about to just disappear again.
She told York to get ready and come with her. As soon as he heard they were meeting up with Octavia and Cindy, York had no complaints.
Originally, Latham wanted York to stay home and help him entertain some guests. But now he didn't have much choice. The connection between their family and the James Family was too important, and if York didn't at least put in some effort with their daughter, it wouldn't look good. As for the idea he'd mentioned to York before— well, since York turned it down, Latham wasn't losing sleep over it. Sooner or later, once York understood how tough things were at the company, he'd realize how valuable Claire really was. Being with Claire wouldn't be a bad thing at all. And if York was skilled enough, it wouldn't even be impossible for him to keep two women happy at the same time.
Not that York was thinking about any of that.
Both families headed out together.
Claire, meanwhile, had no clue that Cindy was using a hangout with Shirley as an excuse so her mom could set her up with York.
When York saw Cindy, he knew right away something was bothering her. They
managed to sneak off for a bit, leaving the adults behind, and he finally got a chance to ask.
"York, do they all hate me?"
Cindy's eyes were shiny with tears.
"We're supposed to be sisters. I always think of Claire like my real sister, but then
she goes off with Shirley and doesn't even invite me."
"I heard they weren't even close before," she added softly.
York's answer was careful and gentle. "It's true Claire and Shirley didn't really get along. But most of the time, it was Shirley stirring things up. Claire honestly couldn't be bothered."
"Why?" Cindy looked genuinely confused.
"Shirley's always been jealous of Claire. They're both daughters of the James
Family, but everyone just knows Claire-no one ever mentions Shirley."
"She's not as smart or as pretty as Claire, and being around Claire just made her feel invisible."
There was another reason York
didn't mention. To be honest, he was pretty sure Shirley had liked him for
a while. When Claire was his fiancée, he basically ignored Shirley which only made her resent Claire more.
But things were different now. His fiancée was Cindy, not Claire. If Shirley was still jealous, her target had changed.
“Now that Claire doesn't have those things Shirley was jealous of, they're not competing anymore, so they can actually get along."
Cindy put the pieces together pretty quickly. “So now, Shirley's probably jealous of me?"
That thought actually made her feel a little better.
York nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
So while those two were off enjoying their casual date, Claire was focused on catching up with her studies.
And just like that, it was the start of a new semester.
After what happened during winter break, when Molly ended up behind bars because of something Claire did, the whole vibe at school was different. Only her desk mate Sophia and Len still talked to her like before. Everyone else looked away when she passed. Sure, everyone agreed Molly had made a mistake, but no one thought she deserved something so serious.
Getting a warning or even being expelled sounded reasonable, but actual jail time? That felt over the top. All Molly did was start some rumors online, so how did it end up like that?
People glanced at Molly's empty seat, and pretty soon, whispers started spreading around the classroom.