Resigned to her fate for the evening, Nicole approached, knelt down, and filled the wine glass to the brim before offering it to Jarrod.
âPlease,â she said.
Jarrod stared blankly, seemingly lost in thought, and made no move to accept the glass.
âPlease,â Nicole repeated, yet Jarrod remained unresponsive.
At that moment, Vicki took the wine glass from Nicole, saying, âSorry, he doesnât drink anymore.
Heâs also quit smoking recently.
Weâre preparingâ¦â
Vicki trailed off, but Doreenâs excitement filled the gap.
âAre you guys planning for a baby? This is the perfect season for it, and the timing will be just right.
Itâs wonderful how well youâve planned everything!â
Vickiâs cheeks flushed a deep red, and she glanced downward, clearly shy by the attention.
Meanwhile, Jarrodâs expression remained cool, showing no signs of excitement about the prospect of becoming a father of Vickiâs child.
Nicole listened to this exchange, a wave of happiness washing over her.
They were trying for a baby, and if they succeeded, they might return Austin to her.
.
With this hopeful thought, Nicole served Vicki a glass of water, keeping it plain.
Vicki accepted the water and studied Nicoleâs face, pleased with her discretion.
âs BunnyBookery After taking a sip, Vicki turned to Doreen.
âHave you made a wish yet?â
âOf course not.
I was waiting for everyone,â Doreen replied.
One of Doreenâs friends chimed in, âEveryoneâs here now.
Doreen, make your wish and light the candles.
â
âWait.
Weâre still missing someone,â Doreen interjected.
Nicole felt an inexplicable flutter in her chest at those words.
As she had anticipated, the next arrival was Roscoe.
Roscoe seemed surprised to see Nicole, perhaps expecting her to be working in a managerial role rather than as a barmaid, judging by her uniform.
Roscoeâs face remained stoic, his emotions concealed, as Doreen rushed toward him with giddy excitement, clutching his arm.
âRoscoe, youâre finally here! Miguel said youâve been tied up with a project.
Has it been very tiring?â
With a cold detachment, Roscoe withdrew his arm and slipped his hand into his pocket, thwarting Doreenâs attempts to hold onto him.
Ever since Roscoe suggested calling off the engagement, Doreen had been seething with anger.
For three days, she gave him the silent treatment, but eventually, her frustration got the better of her.
She had hoped Roscoe would apologize, yet he showed no regret, seemingly resolute about his decision.
Doreen, gripped by panic, reached out to Miguel to vent her frustrations.
To her expectation, Miguel was unaware of the tension between them.
Upon learning of the situation, he chastised Roscoe harshly.
However, for the first time, Roscoe had challenged Miguelâs authority after his memory loss.
He questioned, âDid I really love Doreen? Could you be deceiving me? How could I ever love someone like her?â