Chapter 23

Kathie had a point. Even though the three kids liked Jonathan, they didn't want their mom to mess up someone else's family.

Kyle said seriously, "Let's wait until Seven remembers everything."

Eileen prayed, "I hope he isn't married, so he can be my daddy.I want to see him every day."

Kathie sighed. Eileen needed some serious guidance. She was so focused on Seven that Kathie worried she'd be easily deceived by bad men in the future.

Kathie herself had been fooled by that jerk Randy, and she was determined not to let her daughter make the same mistake.

"Eileen, Mommy needs to have a talk with you," Kathie said.

Eileen hung her head, mumbling, "Mommy's gonna lecture me again."

Kyle and Zachary couldn't invite Jonathan to play soccer, so they went off to play by themselves.

That afternoon, Kathie was working in the backyard, trying to clear a patch of land to grow some vegetables so she wouldn't have to buy them.

Jonathan was lounging in a wheelchair, enjoying the sun and watching Kathie toil.

"Are you planning to stay here long-term?" he asked.

He had looked into Kathie's situation. She had reclaimed the Cavendish Mansion, so why wasn't she living there instead of clearing land here?

"The air is better in the suburbs of Eldoria. I want to stay here for a while,"Kathie replied. "That's a nice thought, but this soil looks pretty poor. Do you really think you can grow anything? Seems like a waste of efort to me."

Kathie shot him a glare. Why was she sweating under the sun while he sipped juice and made snide comments?

Wiping her sweat, Kathie picked up a hoe and walked over.

Seeing her approach with a determined look, Jonathan frowned. "Dr.Cavendish, a lady uses her words, not her hands."

"I don't buy that."

"Then just pretend I didn't say anything. Keep up the good work."

Kathie raised the hoe. "You're right, the soil is poor. So I thought I'd add some meat to enrich it. How about I bury you in it?"

Jonathan grinned. "You must be joking. A doctor with a kind heart wouldn't harm a patient."

"Let's find out!" Kathie swung the hoe down, making Jonathan break out in a cold sweat.

The hoe landed just in front of his feet, kicking up some dust.

This woman was really something!

"If you don't want to die, keep your mouth shut," Kathie warned.

Jonathan covered his mouth. Living under someone else's roof, he had to behave.

After a tiring afternoon, Kathie made dinner, and the three kids obediently washed the dishes.

Kathie glared at the man who was just sitting there. "Even kids know to wash dishes. Can't you do something for this family?"

Jonathan had the feeling that KKathie was always annoyed with him.

"How about I cheer them on?" he said.

The three kids were speechless.

Jonathan was quite the comedian.

Kathie's face darkened. "I'm too tired to argue with you today. Go to your room and get ready for a bath."

Jonathan was amused. "Thanks for the trouble."

Kathie was so angry she wanted to leave him to fend for himself.

She wheeled him to the bathroom and was about to help him undress when Jonathan stopped her.

"What are you doing?" Kathie frowned.

"I see you're tired. You should take a bath first."

Kathie was surprised. "Are you really that considerate?"

"I'm just worried you'll wear yourself out and then no one will take care of us. I'll get your pajamas." Jonathan left, and Kathie was taken aback by his thoughtfulness.

Kathie had just undressed and was about to step into the shower when the bathroom door suddenly opened.

"Dr. Cavendish, your pajamas are..."

"Ah! You pervert, get out!" Kathie screamed.

She then grabbed her clothes to cover herself, not expecting him to come back so suddenly.

Jonathan turned his head and quickly shut the door. "Sorry, I just couldn't find your pajamas and came to ask. I wasn't trying to peek."

From the bathroom, Kathie roared, "Seven, you're dead!"

Jonathan shrugged.

Kathie had a stunning figure, with curves in all the right places and long,sexy legs. She was a real beauty, just as alluring as the woman he had been with years ago.

He found himself a bit envious of the father of her three kids.

Kathie was too tired to confront him, knowing she had important things to do the next day.

Jonathan escaped unscathed but wasn't happy about it. He actually enjoyed their banter.

The next morning, Kathie got up early to prepare breakfast and lunch.

Jonathan noticed she was getting ready to go out again. "Are you heading out again?"

"Yeah,please look after the kids. Call me if anything comes up.

Jonathan was puzzled. "Who are you meeting that you have to go out every day?"

Kathie rolled her eyes. "I have work to do and need to earn money to support you all. Who else is going to pay for your medicine? Those are expensive herbs, you know,"

Jonathan promised, "Ill pay you back tenfold in the future.""Really?" Kathie was skeptical.

Jonathan hated being doubted. "If you don't believe me, I can write an IOU."

Kathie nodded in satisfaction. "That sounds good. Wait here."

Jonathan was speechless.

He had just been talking, but Kathie was serious about money.

Kathie brought paper and a pen, along with the list of medicine expenses from the past few ddys. "I'll give you a friendly price, round it up, and forget the small change. No need to be too grateful.

Jonathan looked at her, amused. "You're really looking out for me."

Charging him ten times the amount and rounding off the small change,and he was supposed to thank her.

Kathie was quite the money-grubber.

Kathie pointed out, "Your current name is fake. Make a note of that on the IOU and put your fingerprint on it. We'll use the fingerprint to avoid any disputes."

Jonathan was thoroughly impressed. "You think of everything.You shouldn't be a doctor. If you went into business, you'd be a bilionaire."

Someone as calculating and stingy as her was rare.

Kathie smiled,pleased with the IOU. Now she had some money.

"That's a good idea. I'll consider it," she replied.

Jonathan rubbed his forehead, not wanting to talk anymore.

Kathie gave her kids some instructions and left. Watching their mom leave, the kids were a bit down.

Kyle sighed, "Mommy's gone again. She hasn't played with us in a long time."

Eileen looked like she was about to cry. "I want to go with Mommy."

Zachary said helplessly, "But Mommy said she has work to do. It's not convenient to take us. We can't be a burden to her."

Jonathan clapped his hands. "Cheer up, everyone. Your mommy will be back soon."

Kyle looked at him. "Seven, let's play a game."

Jonathan frowned. "As long as it's not soccer, I'm open to suggestions."

Zachary looked at the falling leaves outside and got excited. "I want to fly a kite. Can you make one?"

The yard was big and safe. If he made them kites, they wouldn't bother him. With that in mind, Jonathan decided to learn how to make kites,even if he didn't know how.

"That's easy. I'll learn right now," Jonathan said.

He then opened his laptop, watched a tutorial, and gathered materials to make a kite for each kid.

Though the kites were a bit ugly, the kids were thrilled with the new toys and ran around the yard happily.