Chapter 277

After Claire finished the acupuncture for Baldrick, he drifted off to sleep almost immediately. She stepped out, sinking into the sofa and letting herself relax for a moment.

“Does acupuncture take a lot out of you?” Padgett asked, voice tinged with worry as he noticed Claire’s pale face.

Claire managed a small smile and shook her head. “It does use up a lot of energy, but I’m fine. Just need to rest a little p>

As if a little rest would be enough. Padgett frowned, clearly not convinced, already thinking about how to help his granddaughter recover. He kept glancing at her, trying to come up with a solution.

When dinner was served, there was an extra dish on the table—a steaming bowl of black chicken soup with ginseng. Dane filled a bowl and set it in front of Claire.

“Drink up,” he said quietly.

Padgett finally looked a bit more at ease, seeing Dane taking care of Claire. At least he was paying attention to the right things.

The soup was thick with herbs, and after Claire finished her bowl, some color returned to her cheeks. She’d given Dane the recipe herself. Every time she did acupuncture for Baldrick, Dane would have the hotel prepare a nourishing soup, just like this. Even now that they were back in Cabinda, Dane had made sure the kitchen was ready.

Baldrick felt the effects of the treatment almost right away. Before they left, Claire reminded him to keep up with his herbal steam baths.

“Don’t worry, the steam baths really work. I’m not about to quit now p>

Even if he wanted to slack off, Dane and Jack would keep him in line. Lately, Baldrick had been sleeping better and his spirits were higher than ever.

“Why don’t you stay the night?” Baldrick offered, sounding genuinely excited. He liked the idea of doing their morning workout together. The thought put him in a good mood.

“No way, she’s still young. Why would she stay at your place?” Padgett said, pulling Claire gently to his side, as if afraid she’d actually agree.

Dane slipped on his jacket. “I’ll drive you both home p>

As they were getting ready to leave, Padgett glanced at Claire. “Your adoptive parents might not have been the best people, but at least they gave you a nice name p>

Claire shook her head, a soft laugh escaping her lips. “Actually, my name was picked by Pandora, not my adoptive parents p>

After she was born, Octavia and Latham had almost named her Apple, just because Octavia had been obsessed with apples during her pregnancy. When Pandora heard about it, she thought Apple was too plain and suggested Claire instead.

“Seems like your grandmother really cared about you,” Padgett said, nodding. “Claire sounds much better than Apple. Apple just doesn’t feel very thoughtful p>

Claire smiled. “Yeah, she was really good to me p>

That was the end of the name conversation.

Claire and Padgett made their way back to the Churchill house. Even though everyone knew they weren’t coming home for dinner, the whole family was still gathered in the fing room, waiting for their return.

Ophelia was sitting on the couch, winding a ball of yarn, while Norris was holding the loop for her. Claire couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. So even someone as impressive as Norris had to help his mom with yarn when he came home

Norris looked up and waved. “What’s so funny p>