Chapter 434: Swamped

Anne Sutton said, "How do you know he won’t drink it if you don’t even try? Hurry up and take it to him. Or, Nathan Fawcett, you take it!"

"I’ll do it," Nathan Fawcett said.

He voluntarily took on the task.

Anne Sutton had been working hard, too.

While Nathan Fawcett was taking the soup up, she went upstairs to shower.

Nathan Fawcett carried the soup into Master Linden’s room. "Grandfather."

The old man was sitting in a chair, still awake.

He clearly didn’t want to sleep.

Nathan Fawcett had been a patient before himself.

So he understood the mindset of someone who was ill all too well.

Hearing Nathan Fawcett’s voice, Master Linden opened his eyes. "When did you get back?"

"I’ve been back for a little while," Nathan Fawcett said. "Uncle Shepherd told me you hadn’t eaten, so I brought you a bowl of soup."

Master Linden said, "I don’t have much of an appetite today."

He had gone out to see a friend, and now he just felt a little tired.

Other than that, he didn’t feel like doing anything, least of all eating.

Nathan Fawcett sat down and held the bowl out to him. "Here, let me feed you."

He was very patient with his grandfather.

Master Linden looked at how thoughtful Nathan was. He had just finished his own work, yet not only was he concerned about whether his grandfather had eaten—he was now even offering to feed him.

Faced with such filial piety, Master Linden couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

He took a sip of the soup Nathan offered.

’That Anne Sutton is really something else.’

The old man had only intended to take a single sip, but the aroma whetted his appetite.

He looked at Nathan Fawcett and said, "This soup is delicious."

Hearing his grandfather’s praise, Nathan Fawcett breathed a sigh of relief. "I’m glad you like it."

Master Linden said to Nathan, "Nathan! It’s not that I’m trying to pick on your wife. It’s just... I’m worried you’ll get the short end of the stick. She looks like a handful. When you’re with her, don’t be too trusting! You don’t want her to have you wrapped around her finger. I know how much you value relationships."

Hearing his grandfather’s words, Nathan Fawcett replied, "Don’t worry, Grandfather. I know what I’m doing. I won’t get taken advantage of."

"You’re just too naive!" Master Linden said. "A woman’s heart is an ocean of secrets. There are some things you just can’t figure out right now."

Nathan Fawcett looked at Master Linden and said, "I’m not a child anymore! Anne is very good to me, and to Ian. And Ian doesn’t lie! Children are the hardest people to fool. If she really weren’t a good woman, why would Ian be so fond of her?"

"Ian is so young, what does he know?"

Nathan Fawcett didn’t want to waste his breath arguing with his grandfather about this, so he changed the subject. "Is the soup good?"

"It’s good!" Master Linden said. "Is there more? Save some for me to drink tomorrow."

"There is!" Nathan Fawcett said. "Anne made it. If you like it, I’ll ask her to make it for you again tomorrow."

Hearing this, the old man hesitated for a moment. He looked at Nathan and asked, "She made it?"

Nathan Fawcett nodded. "She heard you hadn’t eaten and knew you didn’t have an appetite, so she made this especially for you. What do you think? It’s delicious, isn’t it? My wife is far from useless—there’s a lot she can do! She’s the best cook in the world."

Master Linden found it hard to believe. "She usually can’t stand me. Why would she go out of her way to make soup for me? You’re just taking her side."

Nathan Fawcett said, "It’s true she doesn’t like you, but she loves me! She knew I was worried about you, so she did this to ease my mind. Anne just doesn’t always say what she’s thinking, but she’s a truly good person! Could you find anyone else who can cook this well?"

Master Linden looked at the soup in his bowl. He had already drunk half of it. The flavor really was excellent.

Especially for someone like him, who was sick and had absolutely no appetite, to have it sparked by this soup was remarkable.

A moment ago he didn’t want to eat at all, but now he felt like having something more.

Nathan Fawcett had someone bring some other dishes up for the old man.

Even though Anne Sutton hadn’t made them, Master Linden still ate a little.

...

Anne Sutton was taking a bath.

She lay in the bathtub, feeling every pore on her body open up.

Nathan Fawcett knocked on the door, then pushed it open and walked in.

She lifted her heavy eyelids. "You’re back?"

"Still in the bath?" Nathan Fawcett looked at her. "Tired?"

"Mhm," Anne Sutton said. "Just enjoying it. I almost fell asleep! I haven’t been sleeping well at the hospital lately."

Nathan Fawcett smiled. "Grandfather loved the soup you made. He even ate some other food afterward."

Anne Sutton wasn’t surprised. "Well, that’s good, isn’t it?"

"How come you’re not the least bit surprised?" Nathan Fawcett asked, seeing her calm expression.

Anne Sutton replied, "What’s there to be surprised about? If I can win you over, what makes you think I can’t handle your grandfather? Cooking is easy for me. I’ll tell you what, I used to think that if I ever quit my job at the hospital, I’d become a chef. What do you think?"

"Let’s not go that far!" Nathan Fawcett said. "You’re a great doctor! Cooking once in a while is enough."

’He didn’t even want to see Anne cook.’

’He was already trying his best not to ask her to cook for him anymore!’

Anne Sutton said, "So? Now you know how amazing I am, right? Charles Prescott never got to eat my cooking."

"I don’t believe you," Nathan Fawcett said. "You two were together for a long time, weren’t you?"

’Back when he was at the Fawcett family home, he’d known for a long time that Charles Prescott had a fiancée.’

’He just never imagined that Charles Prescott’s fiancée would one day become his wife.’

’So he hadn’t paid her much mind back then.’

Anne Sutton said, "He was busy as hell all day, juggling so many girlfriends he couldn’t keep up. When he did ask me out, we’d just eat somewhere. When would I have had time to cook for him? Besides, I was busy and didn’t have time either. And he didn’t like coming to my place—he thought it was embarrassing."

Nathan Fawcett laughed. "Well, that’s his loss! Your cooking is so delicious, and he never even got to try it."

Anne Sutton said to Nathan, "Hand me my towel."

She had left it by the door.

Nathan Fawcett walked over and handed her the towel. Anne Sutton climbed out of the tub, dried herself off, and got dressed.

She said to Nathan, "You haven’t showered, right? I’ll go wait for you outside."

Anne went out, scrolled through her phone for a bit, and dried her hair. By the time she was done, Nathan was just about finished with his shower.

Then, the two of them went to bed.

...

Since Anne Sutton still had one more day of vacation, she wasn’t in a rush to go to work the next day.

She stayed at home to take care of Ian.

She missed her son so much!

’She didn’t feel this way about Nathan Fawcett; she could be away from him for a few days and it wouldn’t matter.’

’But after just a few days away from Ian, she missed him terribly.’

So she decided to dedicate the entire day to Ian and stay home to be with her son.

...

She got up in the morning to make breakfast for Ian.

Lana Langley had already left for the day, so the two little ones, Ian and Donna, waited off to the side for the food Anne Sutton was making.

Ian, who was his mother’s biggest fan, boasted, "My mommy’s cooking is the most delicious."

"No, *my* mommy’s cooking is the most delicious!"