Chapter 266

Anthony took the item from Andrew, then glanced up and noticed Andrew still standing there, looking a bit lost. Anthony raised an eyebrow. “Why are you just standing there?”
Andrew blinked, a little surprised. Was Anthony actually inviting him to get in the car? He had never ridden in Anthony’s car before, not once in his whole life.
He reached for the door handle, ready to slide in, but Anthony’s voice cut through the moment, cool as ever. “Don’t just stand around. Go call yourself a cab.”
Wait, what?
Andrew felt like the ground had just disappeared from under him. So that was it. He was just here to walk Charlotte out and carry her bag, nothing more than a glorified assistant.
Anthony caught the look on his face and his eyes narrowed. “You got a problem with that?”
Andrew shook his head fast. “Nope.” No way he was going to argue. Forget it. He tightened his grip on his bag and dashed off, not even looking back.
Inside the car, Charlotte slumped against Anthony’s shoulder, completely exhausted. She watched Andrew disappear down the sidewalk, a faint smile tugging at her pale lips. “Andrew looks terrified of you,” she whispered. “You’re kind of scary, you know.”
Anthony didn’t even miss a beat. “It’s not me, he’s just a chicken.” He pulled his jacket off and draped it gently over her stomach. “Is it hurting a lot?”
“A little.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
“Just hang in there.” Anthony turned up the heat in the car, then told Hans to pick up
the pace.
The drive was quiet until Charlotte’s phone suddenly rang. She had shifted from leaning on Anthony’s shoulder to curling up in his lap, tucked small and tight as she tried to deal with her cramps.
When the ringtone sounded, she nudged her forehead against Anthony’s chest, her words muffled. “My hand hurts.”
“I got it.” Anthony let out a quiet laugh. He reached over, one arm steadying her, and fished through her backpack until he found her white phone.
The screen flashed: [grandpa].
“It’s your grandpa,” Anthony said, leaning down so the phone was right by her ear. His voice dropped low. “Go ahead, I’ll hold it.”
He answered for her.
Before Charlotte could say anything, Robert’s cheerful voice boomed through the speaker. “Lottie, are you done with class?”
“Yeah.” Charlotte tried to sound lively, her tone soft and polite. “I’m on my way home, Grandpa.”
“That’s great,” Robert said, laughing warmly. “Come back for dinner in a couple of days. I’ll cook all your favorites, just for you.”
Before Charlotte could answer, Samantha’s voice piped up in the background, sounding a little annoyed. “Dad, we agreed I was
going to cook.” She had alrenet
planned the menu and practiced every dish, just waiting for Lottie to come home.
“You can do it next time,” Robert insisted.
“I don’t want to wait,” Samantha muttered, clearly refusing to back down.
Before things could get heated, Kevin stepped in. “Alright, how about this? Each of you makes three dishes.”
“That sounds fair,” Robert grumbled, but he was clearly satisfied. He
turned his attention back to
Charlotteottie, Rager wil
be back
a few days. We’ll have a family dinner then.”
Listening to their playful bickering, Charlotte couldn’t help but smile, her lips curving
up for the first time that afternoon. “Okay,” she answered softly.
After the call ended, the happiness lingered on Robert’s face. He turned to Kevin. “Did Roger say exactly when he’s coming?”
“He just said sometime in the next few days,” Kevin replied, respectful as always, Theard he wants to get a special gift ready for Lottie, so he might need an extra day.”
A gift? Robert thought for a moment. If Roger was going out of his way to prepare
something, it was bound to be something special.