William, Nathaniel Smith, and Theo Hughes went to a nearby lake for fishing.
Lila, on the other hand, decided to stay behind.
Since William had made it clear he didn’t want to discuss business while fishing, she hadn’t planned to accompany them. Fishing with two older men didn’t sound like a delightful experience, especially with William around – a man who seemed to have a knack for annoying people. After some thought, Lila concluded it was best to stay away from potential aggravations.
“Alice, have you become close with William recently?” Lila, lingering in William’s yard, tried to strike up a conversation with Alice, hoping to get some information.
Alice and Lila had created a group chat with others, and had previously discussed William. But as it stands now, Alice undoubtedly knows William best, even if it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“We’re quite familiar. I’ve been with him for the past few days,” Alice responded, as she directed workers on where to place furniture and appliances.
Casually following Alice, Lila probed, “By the looks of it, you’ve probably noticed something special about William?”
Alice slowly turned to Lila, looked straight into her eyes, and playfully responded, “He’s incredibly handsome!”
Lila raised an eyebrow, “Just his looks?”
“What else? What do you think he’s capable of?”
“He has good handwriting and can hold his liquor,” Lila’s impression of William was still quite superficial.
“He’s good at that,” Alice acknowledged. She was well aware of William’s impressive writing skills.
Yet, she wasn’t going to share more with Lila.
This man had many secrets: proficient in medicine, knowledgeable in magic, a culinary genius, and an expert in antiques. Would an average young person possess such knowledge?
If Lila were to find out all this, she might actually become more attached to William. And how could Alice allow anyone to covet her master?
Lila asked bluntly, “Have you fallen for William?”
Keeping her face straight, Alice replied, “You can think of it that way.”
“Just in a few days? Love at first sight?”
“I’m a sucker for good looks!” Alice, tired of beating around the bush, declared her stance, “So you won’t be pursuing him, right?”
Lila smirked, “You think I’d believe that? Given my grandfather’s reactions to matters related to William, it’s clear he isn’t as simple as he seems.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t compete with you,” Lila said with a relaxed laugh.
Only a fool would fall for someone like William. Living with him might lead to a heart attack from sheer frustration within a month.
Alice remarked, “That’s good to hear. So, you don’t need to bother introducing jobs to him.”
Lila replied, “I’ve made the offer. If he wants the job, fine. If not, I won’t push further.”
The two didn’t have much left to talk about after that. Lila remained, watching Alice hustling about the yard until sunset, when William and the others returned with their fishing gear and catch.
“William, you’re really something! It’s my first time seeing someone catch so many fish in an afternoon.”
“This is a lot? I’ve once caught a fish weighing over 30 pounds.”
“30 pounds? Did you dream that? Stop exaggerating. Where would you even find such a large fish nowadays?”
“That was a long time ago.”
“Keep talking. How old were you when you started fishing? What do you mean by ‘a long time ago’?”
“About sixty years ago!”
William was in deep conversation with the two older men.
Hearing William chat with Nathaniel from the yard, Lila couldn’t help but feel a bit downcast.
He enjoys talking to the old men, yet why can’t he hold a conversation with me? Is he even a normal guy?
After fishing, Theo Hughes picked up Amy from her kindergarten. Amy lingered around William, her eyes fixed on the bucket filled with lively fish.
“Mr. Johnson, are we having fish and chips tonight?”
“If you’d like, I can make it for you.” William knew there was a staff dinner planned for the evening, but he had time to cook for Amy.
“Thank you, Mr. Johnson!” Amy looked up at him, grinning broadly.
Once they got home, William placed the fish in Theo Hughes’ pond and then retreated with Amy to his own backyard. By now, almost all of William’s furniture had been replaced, and the delivery crew had already left. Lila had found a stool to sit on, while Alice lounged comfortably on an armchair William often used.
“Mr. Johnson, there’s another beautiful lady at your place!” Amy knew Alice but was seeing Lila for the first time. When she saw Lila, her eyes sparkled.
William joked, “Should we roast the bunny and serve it to the pretty lady?”
“No!” Amy’s face, which was previously filled with innocent joy, instantly turned to a pout, and she became wary of Lila.
“What a cute child,” Lila remarked as she approached Amy. Alice too vacated the armchair.
Hiding slightly behind William, Amy looked at Lila and asked, “Miss, are you a fairy?”
Lila was indeed stunning, so much so that even a young girl like Amy might think she was a fairy. Lila smiled at Amy’s innocent question but replied, “I’m not a fairy.”
Amy then whispered, “Do you eat bunnies?” and sneaked a glance at the rabbit in the corner of the yard.
Lila chuckled, somewhat understanding Amy’s previous question about her being a fairy. Maybe in a child’s eyes, fairies don’t eat bunnies.
Unaware of the exact relationship between Amy and William, and not wanting to tease the child as William often did, Lila assured, “I don’t eat bunnies.”
Amy responded with a simple “Oh”, lost in thought, and then told William, “Mr. Johnson, I’m going to feed the rabbit.”
“Go ahead.”
Releasing Amy, William turned to Alice, “We have the dinner gathering later, right?”
“Yes, we should head out soon.” .
“Hold on. I promised Amy fish and chips.” William placed the fishing rod and bucket inside the house and then fetched a fish from Theo Hughes’ pond.
“Theo Hughes, I’m making fish and chips for Amy. You guys should have some too,” William mentioned. “Later, I’ll be heading out for dinner with my cousins.”
There was no need to vouch for William’s culinary skills. Older folks like Theo and Nathaniel were already fond of fish, and if William was cooking, it was bound to be exceptional.
With the fish in hand, William, paying no attention to Lila, headed straight to the kitchen, followed by Alice. When Alice watched William prepare the fish, she was astounded. He expertly filleted a Lake Trout, which already had few bones, managing to pick out even the tiniest of them with surgical precision. It was akin to a surgeon performing an intricate operation.