Chapter 75
Valerie suggested doing the dishes together, so she had to join Manhew at the sink, even though she wanted to keep her left hand, she watched closely as he squirted dish soap with his right, tackling the dishes together.
After a while, the couldn’t help but speak up. “Mr. Grant, I just came up with a job that would be perfect for you.”
“Hmm“” Matthew didn’t get
her distance. Holding a plate in
Valerie grinned mischievously. “I think you’d make a great masseur, you know that? She gestured to his hands, all focused and efficient as he scrubbed away at the dishes. “With those mad washing skills, I bet you could really work some magic on people’s backs and shoulders”
Matthew was momentarily speechless before arching an eyebrow. “Feel free to give it a shot,” he quipped, implying she could test out his massage
At first, Valerie didn’t catch his drift. But when she did, her face flushed bright red. ‘Damn it, even Mr. Grant, usually so serious, could crack off- color jokes,‘ she thought to herself
Thankfully, the unexpected ringing of the phone saved Valerie from having to respond to Matthew’s teasing
“Trobably my brother,” she said, darting off to answer the call. Her hand was still chilly from the water, and she could feel her cheeks burning as she patted her face.
“Hey, Julian. How’s Aiden?” Valerie asked eagerly as she picked up the phone.
“Just wanted to let you know Aiden’s fine” Julian said. “No after–effects, just need to keep an eye on him. We got quite a scare. Need to thank your husband properly later.”
དེ་ན་བལ་དེ
Valerie felt a wave of relief wash over her. “I’m so glad to hear that Ill be sure to tell Matthew” she said, noticing how naturally his name was rolling off her tongue now.
Julian hesitated before asking. “Did Matthew say anything to you after we left today? He’s worried Matthew might hold it against Valerie.
Valerie chuckled. “Well, he was a bit upset. But he was just worried about me. He promised to back me up no matter what?
Julian was skeptical. When a guy had to deal with in–laws like that, demanding he sell his house for the marriage gift, how could he not be furious! Julian thought Valerie was just telling him the good news and leaving out the bad.
Valerie chuckled, figuring Julian was just looking out for her. So, she told him about the awkward dishwashing session with Matthew. “We tried using one hand cach, but it was a mess. It took forever just to wash one plate. Pretty hilarious, huh?”
After Valerie finished, there was a sudden silence on the other end. Then Julian asked, “Didn’t you buy rubber gloves?”
Matthew had just come out from the kitchen when they heard Julian’s piercing question. They both glanced at the new rubber gloves in the corner. Well, damn, they’d completely forgotten about those. What were the odds that they both spaced out at the same time?
Valerie couldn’t help but laugh, and to her surprise, Matthew seemed to be amused too, the corners of his mouth turning up. She felt like she’d stumbled upon something interesting and grinned in delight. “Hey, Mr. Grant, you know what? You look great when you smile.
Matthew hadn’t even noticed that until Valerie mentioned it, but her words wiped the smile off his face in an instant.
Valerie leaned in quickly, coaxing him, “Come on, Mr. Grant, just one more smile.”
Matthew tried to smile, but it came out awkward. Oh well, he tried his best.
“Ah, what a pity. I should’ve snapped a pic when I had the chance, Valerie inwardly lamented, completely forgetting she was still on the call, leaving Julian choking on the overly sweet moment.