Chapter 354

Cindy went straight upstairs. When her daughter disappeared from view, Octavia finally looked over at her son.

“That bracelet… you bought it for Claire, didn’t you p>

She knew her son too well. He had left a gift for Cindy already, so the second one had to be for Claire. Otherwise, why hand it to Cindy outside the room instead of just leaving it with her things?

“She didn’t want it p>

So her son had run straight into a wall with Claire, hadn’t he? Claire leaving the James family hadn’t led to the disaster everyone expected. She was doing fine on her own. More than fine, really. She was happier and even bolder than before.

“Yeah.” Lance’s expression grew stormy as soon as Claire’s name came up.

“If she won’t take it, stop buying her things. No sense in wasting your time,” Octavia said.

Lance just shrugged. “After all these years, I buy her things out of habit p>

“Then just shop for Cindy from now on. Claire, she doesn’t see us as family anymore p>

Lance agreed out loud, but his thoughts were clearly somewhere else.

Upstairs, Cindy stared at the gifts Lance left for her. There was another bracelet, almost the same as the one he’d just handed her, except this one was green instead of red. In a flash, she realized the truth. The bracelet he put on her wrist earlier wasn’t really meant for her at all. It was a leftover. A substitute.

Her face grew hot with anger. She yanked at the red four-leaf clover bracelet, so hard the chain snapped.

It took her a second to realize what she’d done. Now how was she supposed to explain this to Mom and Lance?

Panic fluttered in her chest. She stashed the broken bracelet away in her jewelry box and put on the green one, the one that was really for her. She rehearsed the excuse in her head. She’d just say she switched because she liked the green one better.

Claire never took Lance’s gift. Instead, she spent her afternoon driving out to visit Pandora, arms full of country treats. Unlike her son’s family, Pandora always recognized good stuff when she saw it. She absolutely loved the things Claire brought. That night, Pandora told her housekeeper to stew a quarter of a tender little chicken, using the wild mushrooms Claire gave her.

The mouthwatering smell drew in the neighborhood cats and dogs, who circled the house hoping for scraps.

The housekeeper grinned as she sniffed the air. “Claire’s wild mushrooms are amazing. The whole place smells incredible p>

Pandora was all smiles. “Of course. The girl’s got a good heart p>

She had two sons. One was clever the other awkward. Neither was exactly easy to love. Out of all ker grandkids Claire was the only one who really made her happy

And so what if they weren’t related by blood? Family isn’t just about genetics Pandora barely spoke with her own flesh and blood children, but she treasured Claire, the girl she had raised herself.

To her, Claire was more than a granddaughter. She was a student. She had taught

her everything, watched her grow up. No other relationship felt quite the same.

While they sipped soup that evening, Pandora chatted with Claire.

“These mushrooms are the best. Our whole town doesn’t have anything like the goodies you brought p>

Claire smiled. “Actually, I was going

to give them to Latham and the

others but I figured they wouldn’t

really appreciate them the way you do. So I brought them here, for you p>

Pandora grinned, savoring every bite. “You got that right. I have much better taste than any of them p>

Even if her other grandkids spent a fortune trying to find delicacies like these, they’d never get anything as good as what Claire brought home.

Claire reached for the bag she’d brought. “Oh, and there’s some wild ginseng in here too. My other grandma asked me to bring it for you p>

She hesitated, worried for a split second that Pandora might get awkward about it, but instead Pandora just lit up with delight.

“So sweet of her to think of me. Tell her thanks for sending something special p>

As they ate, the sound of knocking interrupted their cozy dinner.

A neighbor showed up at the door, another elderly woman, a little boy at her side.

“Pandora, what are you making tonight? Vince here smelled something delicious and he refuses to go home p>