My Sweetheart

“One part is mine,” Joseph laughed in the face of Kathy’s expression.

Kathy shrugged. Getting out of bed, the two of them sat at the table. Joseph poured her soup, and added condiments for her, his ministrations precise and gentle. Kathy was at a loss. One day he’d treat another woman like this. The thought wrenched at her.

Impulsively she asked, “Hasn’t Grandfather pushed you to remarry?” She remembered that when she’d become part of their household, Grandfather had been quite nervous about their marriage.

“He hasn’t been around, so no.”

“Oh.”

“You really want me to remarry?” he feigned hurt.

She furrowed her brow. “Not really.”

“Why?”

“No reason,” Kathy replied, and left it at that. The thought of him marrying another woman was torture for her.

“If you don’t want me to, I won’t,” he told her seriously.

Hearing this, she looked up, unable to hide her surprise. “It’s your affair, not mine,” she said evenly, concealing her joy.

“Is that so?” Joseph asked, giving her a long hard look.

Kathy felt she could hide nothing from him. “Of course it is. Or else what?” she countered.

He laughed lowly. “I don’t want to hurt my ex-wife.”

“You won’t,” she insisted.

He stayed with her till that evening, to the point where she asked him, “Won’t you go home?”

here all alone?” The room

“No.”

With

crumpled. Just the sight of him walking away was

his tracks, turned,

she forced herself to

here, how will you make it up to me?” he asked, bending

figure enchanted her. She swallowed hard, her face turning red. He was enticing her on purpose! Regaining her senses, she said,

How?” he

What had she gotten herself into? “Well, of course you…” But before she could finish, a searing kiss had covered her lips, a familiar scent filling her nose. Her eyes went wide in shock. He settled her against the head of the

snapped out of it, she wanted to push him away, but the kiss didn’t last long anyway. Breathing deeply,

didn’t even look, just went to sit on the sofa and said deeply,

even so, she gradually drifted to sleep.

he stopped short. “For you

being here is

friend, while you’re

much?” He had never once heard Kathy mention Bertie as a friend. At this, Bertie’s complexion changed, and

Bertie, sitting on an opposite end of

already woken Kathy, but she didn’t want to open her eyes. Yet with them both there, how

want to stay with you?” Joseph asked, knowing she was

eyes to see both handsome men, she felt prickles along her scalp. Evenly she said, “Both of you should

rest.”

expression determined, did not. Sternly Kathy said, “Bertie, I’m tired. Can

don’t want to see me at

reason she couldn’t fall asleep. All she could think of was Joseph’s kiss, and the

her door, Joseph leaned against the wall, watching Bertie exit. Bertie asked with narrowed eyes, “What, have you still

very interested in