Madison checked in on her daughter and grandson before heading out. As she was leaving, she gave her daughter a stern warning, “Easy on the cold stuff, your hand’s still healing. If you can’t control yourself, I’ll have to rat you out to Andre.”
Mia hurried her mom out the door!
When Andre returned, the house was immaculate, not a trace of ice cream anywhere. Being someone who never ventured into the kitchen, he had no idea what secrets the freezer held.
Yet, lately, when he came home and picked up his son, he couldn’t help but wonder, “Mia, who’s ruffled his feathers? He’s all sweaty—either from throwing a fit or crying.” After all, in the cool, air-conditioned house, his usually laid-back son shouldn’t be sweating buckets.
Mia shook her head, “Everyone dotes on him, who’d mess with him? Probably just a bad dream that got him worked up.”
She said this while sneakily patting her chest, relief washing over her.
Just the other day, she’d said no to Annie staying over, but then, Conner called late at night, “Once things settle down, I’ll come visit our son, alright?”
Eventually, Annie’s request was approved and stamped.
She snagged two days off, went back to Newtown, packed light, and headed straight to Havenbrook to report in.
Donnie eyed the new, attractive colleague in the neighboring team with envy, “Hey boss, when are we hiring some women? Look at the next team, perfect gender balance. What do we have? A total sausage fest.” His eyes scanned the room full of guys.
Chad replied, “We’re here to work, not to ogle.”
Bob chimed in, “Captain, the testosterone levels here are off the charts; even ghosts would be scared away.”
In a meeting, Chad looked around at the office full of men and asked, “Are you saying you guys can’t function unless there’s a woman around?”
Sensing Chad’s mood wasn’t great, everyone quickly wrapped up their tasks without further fuss.
Back in his office, Chad overheard chatter, “It’s definitely because he’s worried Molly will get jealous. I know my mentor better than anyone.”
“Zi Sheng’s right. If Molly gets upset, our captain will be banished to the office sofa again.”
“Let’s just be envious of the pretty cop next door.”
Donnie was clear-headed, “I’m in a relationship, I need to stay in line. I’m just messing around.”
“Zhou, you and Stephania have already introduced each other to your families, when’s the big day?”
Donnie chuckled, “Wang, worried about losing your wedding gift money?”
As he got back to work, Donnie sighed at his slightly wobbling computer screen.
Jade, sneaking a break at work, saw Anya sharing vacation photos in a group chat and vented about her husband, “Last weekend, I got Chad to take me to a water park, and I took tons of photos. Guess what happened?”
Mrs. Cedillo, a seasoned married woman, confidently replied, “You were in a swimsuit, and Chad wouldn’t let you post them.”
“If he really didn’t want me to post, I’d just block him and post anyway. But those cops, always three steps ahead. All my photos are on his phone now.”
They had finally snagged a weekend off, and with summer break in full swing, Chad took her to the water park.
Sly as a fox, he left “marks of ownership” on Molly the day before, thinking, “Since I suggested this trip and we’ll be among strangers, no need to be shy.” That’s what Molly thought, assuming Chad’s scheming wouldn’t go any further.
But when it came time to change into swimsuits and she reached for her phone, Chad said, “Just bring one phone; it’s easier and less likely to lose. Plus, you’ll have to lock it up when going on rides. One phone for photos is enough.”
Molly agreed, “Whose phone then?”
“Mine. My phone’s practically glued to me, plus, I’m not used to taking photos with yours, better use mine,” Chad said.
Molly agreed, locking her own phone away.
The day was a blast, the photos turned out great, and playing in the pool with Chad was the highlight. But when it came time to pick photos to post, Chad’s true colors showed. “Didn’t I take some nice ones by the entrance? Post those, they look good.”
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Sweet Mischief's Rollercoaster Romance