Lost Me, Gained Regret (Jane and Bryant Ferguson)

Zoe was in tears, "Adah has been on his case forever, just wanting him to settle down and start his own chapter. Now, finally, Greg's seen the light at the end of the tunnel!" "Zoe..." Gregory, slipping on a jacket, came out with a helpless expression. "You talk as if I'm some sort of lonely heart no one wants."

"I'm just happy for you, that's all!"

Zoe shot him a look before quickly pouring him a glass of water, "Your grandma and mom would be thrilled..."

Gregory cut her off, "Let's not tell them just yet."

"You're not planning on telling the family?"

Zoe blinked, taken aback, "Jane's a wonderful girl, from a good family. Don't you go pulling a Clarence on us now!"

Setting down his glass, Gregory reassured her, "You've got it all wrong. It's just not the right time. You know the kind of mess the Ford family's in right now."

Zoe exhaled in relief, "That's true. I mean, you were raised by your grandfather, you're not about to pull a stunt like Clarence."

Zoe offered a few more words of advice before briskly tidying up the kitchen, ready to leave.

Before she left, she pulled me aside at the entryway, a bit sheepishly, "Don't mind Zoe prying too much. I know you're practically family, and seeing as you don't have an elder close by, I couldn't help but remind you, if you didn't take precautions last night, make sure to take care of it."

"The rhythm method's not reliable. Though if you were to get pregnant, Timothy and the rest would only be overjoyed, the Ford family's tongues wag, and it's easy to fall prey to gossip."

I was slightly stunned and a bit embarrassed but also felt cared for, nodding, "Okay, thanks for looking out for me."

Last night had been unexpected, and we hadn't taken precautions.

After breakfast, with the chip issue still unresolved, Gregory went back home to change before heading straight to the Ford Group.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to drop off a suitcase at my place, "Darling, house my luggage for a bit."

"...Sure."

I could already imagine the shameless ease with which he'd make himself at home in my place.

But far from feeling burdened by the prospect of an extra person in the house, my heart was full.

Later, I had plans to check out the office building with Christine and, incidentally, to pick up some birth control.

Unexpectedly, just as I reached the parking garage, I received a call from the nursing home.

"Ms. Webster, did you pick up Ramona?"

"No, I didn't."

My heart tightened. "Is Ramona missing?"

"Yes, we've already contacted the Myers family, and they hadn't picked her up either."

The nurse explained, "She was still in

her room when we did our morning rounds. It was only after Dr.

Andrews visited that we noticed she was missing."

"Have you searched the entire facility?"

"We've searched everywhere!"

The nurse urged, "You should come over, see if we need to call the police or what to do next."

"I'm on my way."

I hurried to my car, racing towards the nursing home. My mind was in turmoil.

It felt like someone had orchestrated this.

Ramona had wandered off a few

years back when her toxins hadn't cleared and her nerves were damaged, but this time, Dr. Andrews had said she was nearly ready to be diseharged.

Arriving at the nursing home, I barely got out of the car when I saw another car's driver approaching me, "Jane, are you okay?" Surprised, I recognized him, "Mark, what are you doing here?"

"I was in Vista Town for work."

Mark Larson, with a gentle smile, looked at me concernedly, "I saw your car speeding on Starlight Path and followed, worried you might get into trouble. Is something wrong?" en.swhovels.net