Chapter 318
When Mirabella stepped out of Nikolal’s shop, Nature’s Apothecary, she decided to pick up some spices to round off her shopping spree. Just as she dropped the last packet into her tote, her cell buzzed in her pocket. It was James on the line.
“Alright, I’m at the corner. I’ll be out in a sec.” Mirabella slipped her phone back into her bag and soon left the bustling farmers‘ market. She spotted the sleek black sedan waiting at the curb almost immediately. Striding over, she pulled open the back door and gracefully slid into the
seal.
Wyatt, the driver, greeted her with increasing deference, “Good afternoon, Ms. Mirabella.”
“Hello, Wyatt,” she replied with a polite nod.
Turning to James, Mirabella noticed he seemed back to his usual self. A playful squint crossed her eyes as she teased, “You mentioned a tightness in your chest yesterday?”
Tightness in the chest? Wyatt glanced at them, puzzled. He hadn’t heard James mention anything of the sort.
James, unflustered, gave a nonchalant hum and even feigned a cough while pressing his chest. “Just give me your hand,” Mirabella instructed.
James extended his arm toward her. Mirabella shifted slightly toward the center seat and expertly placed her fingers on his pulse, her gaze softening.
James watched Mirabella’s seriousness, a tranquil contrast to her easygoing demeanor. The cool touch on his wrist vanished, and her calm voice followed, “It’s nothing serious.”
He withdrew his hand. “Yeah, I thought it wasn’t much. Sorry for the concern.”
Mirabella settled back into her seat, waving off the matter. “No worries.”
His gaze fell on the paper bag beside her. Feigning casual interest, he asked, “Whipping up some medicine again?”
“Something like that,” Mirabella yawned, leaning against the car door. “Wake me up when we get to the diner.”
“Sure thing.”
Wyatt, upfront, instinctively eased off the accelerator. To him, Mirabella was now a figure of even greater importance than James. Her title as a top–tier apothecary would have the prominent families of Riverdale vying for her attention.
Rubbing his nose, he glanced in the rearview mirror, marveling at how James had the fortune to be acquainted with someone like Ms. Mirabella.
Half an hour later, they pulled up to the entrance of the diner. James turned to Mirabella, about
1/2
11:30
to wake her, but she was already stirring, her eyes still misty with sleep.
Rubbing her eyes, her voice raspy, she asked, “We there?”
“Yeah.”
Mirabella glanced out the window and stepped out of the car. Soon, the trio made their way to a private booth on the second floor.
After ordering, the waiter left them to their privacy.
James poured a cup of tea for Mirabella with a deliberate slowness, noting the lingering signs of fatigue on her face. “Rough night?”
Propping her head on the table, she drawled, “It’s okay, just adjusting my sleep schedule.”
‘Ms. Mirabella, I’ve been following your competitions. You’re incredible,” Wyatt couldn’t help but interject, seizing the opportunity to butter her. up
Mirabella rolled her head toward him. “It was no biggie.”
Wyatt’s eyebrows twitched. He thought. ‘Scoring perfect marks was no biggie? If she ever got serious, she’d obliterate every other high–achiever out there.”
At that moment, Mirabella’s phone rang. She fished it out and stood up, walking to the doorway. before answering. “Hey, Dad…”
James‘ eyes followed her briefly before he returned to his cup, sipping the water quietly.
22
