Chapter 244

Joshua couldn’t help but laugh. He ruffled Shermaine’s hair and kissed her forehead. “Go to sleep, babe. Not tonight.”

“Why not?” Shermaine frowned. They hadn’t done anything yesterday either, but at least she’d had that surgery to perform. That was a decent reason.

Joshua nipped at her ear. “Do you really want me to perform my husbandly duties that badly?”

Now, it was Shermaine’s turn to go quiet. She rolled over so her back was facing him. “I don’t.”

Joshua didn’t turn her back around. He just pulled her close from behind and said, “You had too much to drink. It’s not good for you to do that stuff.”

As a doctor, Shermaine knew that drinking and physical activity didn’t mix well. It could mess with her heart rate and even be dangerous. But that was mostly for people who weren’t in great shape to begin with.

Shermaine hadn’t expected Joshua to be thinking about her health like that. A small smile tugged at her lips, and she seemed to brighten up. She turned her head and gave him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Good night.”

“Sleep tight. Good night,” Joshua smiled.

The next day, feeling totally refreshed, Shermaine headed back to the Jean family house with all the gifts she’d picked up in Rodunst. It was the weekend, so Ross was home instead of at work.

The second Shermaine walked in, Janice’s stern expression finally cracked into a smile. “Sheary, you’re back.”

Shermaine nodded and started laying out all the presents on the table. Then she asked, “Where’s Ross?”

“Don’t even get me started on Ross. Did you know he and Danielle broke up?” Just bringing it up made Janice mad all over again. Breaking up with Danielle was bad enough, but now he was linked to some random actress in the gossip columns. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Shermaine said she already knew, “I was with Danielle yesterday. She told me everything.”

Janice snorted, “I asked Danielle last time if she’d be willing to marry Ross, and then he turns around and breaks up with her. If that’s not total jerk behavior, I don’t know what is.

“You know what? Bring Danielle around sometime so I can take her out for a nice dinner. I want to make sure she’s doing okay and maybe set her up with someone way better than Ross.

“Danielle’s such a catch. If Ross doesn’t appreciate her, plenty of other guys will.”

Shermaine nodded, totally agreeing with that. Sure, Danielle came across as kind of cold on the surface, but she was actually someone who really loved life and had this warmth about her. When she smiled, it was like sunshine breaking through clouds.

Ross, on the other hand, might look all gentle and refined, but deep down, he was probably the coldest person Shermaine knew.

One would think they’d balance each other out perfectly – the warm one and the cool one should’ve been a great match. But Ross barely gave Danielle a chance before he shut her out completely.

“Danielle definitely doesn’t have a shortage of guys interested in her.” Shermaine nodded. Take Jason, for instance – he was one of them and didn’t seem like he was giving up anytime soon.

Janice thought for a moment before saying, “I think Henry would be perfect for her.”

Henry might share the Jean last name, but he had absolutely nothing to do with the Jean family. Still, his own family was doing just as well as theirs here in Basterel, so that wasn’t an issue.

Plus, Henry grew up with Joshua and Roy. They were all childhood friends. He was a lawyer at some big-name firm. So he and Danielle would be pretty well-matched in every way.

Henry was way more mature and stable than Roy. To Shermaine, he felt more like some cunning fox who’d seen it all, but he was actually pretty good at taking care of people.

“Sure, sounds good,” Shermaine smiled.

“As long as he doesn’t mind that Danielle used to date Ross,” Janice added. “Though there’s really nothing to mind. Danielle and Ross never actually did anything.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Ross was coming down the stairs just then and caught their conversation. He pressed his lips together when he heard it.

Grandma wants to set Danielle up with Henry? What does she mean we never did anything? Ross thought. He and Danielle had definitely kissed before.

She used to wrap herself around him like some little temptress, and if he hadn’t stuck to his principles, they probably would’ve ended up in bed together.