Celeste paused and asked her, “When do you want to go?”
“Um…” Jordyn hesitated.
Celeste knew she was waiting for a time when Wynn and Trevor weren’t available so she could ask her instead. But she had no way of knowing when they’d be busy, which was why she was hesitating.
Celeste withdrew her gaze and said, “It’s okay. Just tell me when you want to go, and if I’m free, I’ll take you.”
Jordyn beamed. “Okay!”
Celeste was busy with work for the rest of the week.
On Friday evening, she finished work early. Just as she got home and was about to make something to eat, her phone rang–it was Jordyn calling. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Mom, I’m free on Saturday! Let’s go skiing!”
Celeste had promised that Jordyn could let her know when she wanted to go skiing. But she didn’t plan on taking
her tomorrow.
Her schedule for the day was essentially half a social obligation, and she didn’t want to be distracted by taking
care of her.
So, she said, “I’m not free tomorrow. Pick another day.”
Jordyn whined, “Nooo, I really want to go on Saturday. Please, Mom?”
“This Saturday won’t work. Next week, if you still want to go, I’ll take you.”
Unwilling to give up, Jordyn kept trying to act cute to make Celeste relent. “Mommy…”
But Celeste didn’t budge. “If you still want to go next week, just let me know. And remember to eat well; don’t be picky with food.” With that, she ended the call.
Jordyn didn’t call back.
Based on what Celeste knew about her, she was probably mad. But she didn’t care and simply went into the kitchen to start making dinner.
The next day, when she woke up, Beck called again, asking if he should send a car to pick her up.
Celeste declined.
After breakfast, she drove to the ski resort. By the time she arrived, Beck and Shanice were already there.
Seeing her, Beck glanced over while Shanice happily let go of Beck’s hand and ran toward her. “Ms. Rodriguez!”
As Shanice threw herself into her arms, Celeste gently hugged her back.
Looking at Shanice’s bright sinile, she touched her face and said, “You’ve grown a little taller, and your cheeks are a bit rounder. You’re even prettier now.”
Hearing Celeste’s praise, Shanice nodded excitedly. “Mm! Ive been eating lots of meat!”
Celeste smiled. Just as she was about to speak, Shanice suddenly pulled a crystal keychain out of her pocket. “Ms. Rodriguez, this is for you.”
Chapter 142
+25 BONUS
It was a miniature pink cat–shaped bag with a tiny white kitten inside–delicate and adorable.
It looked very similar to the one Jordyn had attached to her backpack zipper a while ago, except in a different color.
Since Beck often spent time with Trevor, Wynn, and the others, it wasn’t surprising that Shanice and Jordyn had matching keychains.
Celeste paused for a moment but didn’t ask further.
She smiled and said, “It’s beautiful. I love it. Thank you, Shanice.”
Hearing that Celeste liked it, Shanice was even happier and tugged at her hand. “Ms. Rodriguez, let’s go skiing!”
Celeste nodded. “Alright.”
As they walked inside, Beck asked, “Have you had breakfast? We brought some for you. If you haven’t eaten, you should have a little first.”
Celeste replied, “No need, I already ate.”
“Alright.”
Once they were dressed and had their goggles on, they headed for the slopes.
Shanice wasn’t very skilled at skiing yet, but Celeste had been skiing for years and patiently guided her.
The ski resort was quite crowded that weekend.
Chapter 143
