A Night of Desire

Just then, Skylar Hayes opened the door and walked out. "Clara," she said, "I’ve put your clothes away for you."

Then, she looked at Cedric Grant, her brow furrowing slightly. "Why are you still here?"

Cedric Grant gave an awkward laugh. "Ah, I’m leaving now. You two haven’t seen each other in a while. You should have a good chat."

Then he added to Clara, "Clara, don’t forget to talk to your mom."

With that, he left.

Skylar Hayes watched him disappear out the door, which was then closed again. She turned back to Clara and asked, "He asked you to convince me to forgive him and smooth things over?"

Clara shrugged, pulling her mother’s hand and sitting down on the sofa. "He did. He also said that since I’ll be living with my in-laws in the future, if I was worried about you being home alone, he could have you move into the Grant family home."

Skylar was stunned for a moment, then laughed in disbelief. "Move me into the Grant family home to live with Jean Jarvis and the others? What is he thinking? Forget the fact that we’re already divorced—even if we weren’t, I could never live under the same roof as Jean Jarvis."

"Of course. Even if you agreed, I wouldn’t," Clara said with a smile, puffing out her cheeks.

Then her expression turned serious. "But Mom, I really am worried about you being all by yourself. Why don’t you find me a new dad?"

Skylar gave her a chiding look. "What is there to be worried about? Weren’t I by myself for the three months you were away filming? Besides, I’m at my age. My daughter is married, and I’ll probably be a grandmother soon. Why would I go looking for someone?"

"That’s different. Before, when I wasn’t married, I might go away for filming, but it was only ever for a little while, and I’d always come back. It’s not the same now that I’m married. I’ll be spending most of my time with my in-laws. Even if I can come back often, I won’t be able to see you every day. If you had someone to look after you, wouldn’t that give me some peace of mind?

Besides, you’re not even fifty! You’re still young. So what if your daughter’s married? So what if you’re going to be a grandmother? It’s so common for people to find love later in life these days. Why can’t you?"

"That’s enough. Don’t say any more. I can take care of myself, you don’t need to worry about me." Skylar’s tone was gentle, but it left no room for argument.

After saying this, she immediately changed the subject. "By the way, does Seth know you’re back? Why didn’t he come with you?"

Clara sighed inwardly. ’I think I know why Mom is so against finding another partner. She’s had her heart broken by men, to the point where she’s afraid of them.’

’The one who broke her heart was obviously Cedric Grant, and the man who made her afraid... was the one who violated her all those years ago.’

’But whether she finds someone or not, all I want is for Mom to be happy. So I’ll let her be. I’ll let her live however she wants.’

With that thought, she smiled and said, "Seth doesn’t know I’m back yet. I didn’t tell him. I came straight here first. I’ll go see him in a bit."

Skylar smiled too. "Planning on giving him a surprise?"

Clara ducked her head with a shy smile. Just as she was about to say something more, the phone in her pocket rang. She pulled it out and saw it was Seth Quinn calling.

A smile touched Clara’s lips. ’Speak of the devil,’ she thought. ’We were just talking about him and he calls.’

Skylar glanced at her daughter’s phone as well. When she saw the caller ID was "Seth," she lowered her gaze and smiled. ’No matter what, as long as Clara and Seth are happy and in love, that’s all that matters.’