Her gaze landed on Nina first. Then on the plates on the table, the teapot, the cream-colored knit set, the house slippers. The smile slowly faded from Lynn’s face.
“What areyou doing here?” she asked Jasper suspiciously, unzipping her jacket and dropping her backpack on the floor.“You told me a pipe burst and I couldn’t come back yet. But I don’t see any contractors. Or water shooting out of the walls.”
Jasper tensed.
“I was just about to tell you everything’s been fixed,” he said evenly.“I stopped by to check and settled up with the workers.”
“Oh, I see how you're 'settling up,'” Lynn smirked, glancing between him and Nina.“Why are you two alone here?In my house?”
Nina froze and looked at Jasper.
Why wasn’t he saying anything?
Her heart sped up. The awkwardness thickened. Not a single excuse came to mind.
Then Lynn snapped her fingers and smiled.
“Oh! Right… You live next door, don’t you? How could I forget?”
She narrowed her eyes, studying Nina.
Jasper and Nina exchanged a glance. He clearly didn’t know about Nina’s small lie—and it showed. Lynn caught it instantly.
“Or youdon’tlive next door?” she frowned, a crease forming between her brows.“Wait…” she said slowly, like pieces were clicking together.“Did you stalk my dad?Don't tell me you're one of those crazy women who swarm him. Is that why you were hanging around the house? And showing up at the clinic?”
Nina didn’t have time to respond.
Jasper stood up.
“Nina works for an insurance company,” he said sharply, confidently, without the slightest hesitation.“She’s been trying to get in touch with the hospital’s management for a while. Found out I’m the owner and tracked me down. Wanted to sign a contract. I turned her down. She didn’t give up.”
Nina went still.
“Of course,” Lynn scoffed, dropping into an empty chair.“So you’re‘negotiating.’Over lunch. Alone. In my house.”
“Lynn,” Jasper warned.
“Dad, do you even hear how this sounds?” She looked at Nina.“Be honest. Thereis something going on between you, isn’t there? This is weird. First you lose your mind when you hear about her accident, now you’re here having tea together…”
She nodded toward the teapot.
Nina couldn’t force out a single word.
It was weird. Embarrassing. Absurd.
“That’s enough,” Jasper said sharply. His voice was steel, final.“You’re right—you have reasons to question this. But there’s no need for an interrogation. Nina and I ran into each other by chance. She’d just been discharged and instead of resting, she was wandering the streets. I invited her here to discuss a few overlapping matters.”
Lynn bit her lip, stayed quiet for a moment—and then suddenly laughed.
“Dad, are you sure I’m your daughter and not the other way around? Because it feels like you’re the one explaining yourself to your parents after getting caught alone with a girl.”
She laughed, and Nina felt herself loosen just a little.
“Let's talk about why you skipped class,” Jasper said.
“What? Skipping?” Lynn jumped up, feigning outrage.“We only had three classes today!”
“And the third one ends at what time, Lynn?” he asked sternly.
