A Night of Desire

Clara called Skylar Hayes to let her know she was bringing Seth home for dinner.

After hanging up, Clara casually picked up a book from the coffee table. She flipped through it for a moment, but her thoughts suddenly drifted to Linden Jennings and Poppy Vance.

She set the book down and glanced at Seth, who was busy with work. She wanted to ask him about them, but she was afraid she would disturb him.

So, she opened her mouth, then closed it. She picked up the book again, but she was still dying to know how Poppy was doing. She put the book down once more and looked over at Seth.

Just as she was debating whether to say something, Seth, who had been buried in his files, suddenly looked up at her. "If you have something to say, just say it," he said.

Clara paused for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile. ’So even when he’s working, he doesn’t ignore me completely.’

Seeing her silent, goofy grin, Seth couldn’t help but smile as well. "What is it?"

Clara got up and walked over to his desk. She leaned over one side of it, looked at him, and asked, "Are you sure I won’t be disturbing your work?"

Seth set down the file in his hand and ruffled her hair. "Of course not."

Clara nodded and smoothed out her ruffled hair. "I just wanted to ask... what exactly happened between Poppy and Brother Jennings?"

As he resumed looking through his files, Seth explained to her what had happened between Poppy Vance and Linden Jennings.

When he finished, Clara let out a thoughtful sigh. She’d had no idea that was the situation between Poppy and Linden Jennings.

But knowing that Poppy Vance still hadn’t been found, she couldn’t help but worry for her.

"So what do we do? The most important thing now is to find Poppy as quickly as possible. She hasn’t been back to the Vance family’s home either? Oh, and what about her school? The semester’s already started. Has anyone looked for her there?"

Seth looked up at her. "Of course, we’ve checked all the places we could think of. She hasn’t gone back to the Vance family’s home, and she hasn’t been attending classes."

Clara bit her lip worriedly and let out a soft sigh, murmuring as if to console herself, "Maybe Poppy is just having a hard time accepting it. Once she’s thought it through, maybe she’ll come back on her own."

With that, she straightened up, walked back to the sofa, and sat down again.

He knew that even though Clara and Poppy had only met a handful of times, they had become good friends. Fearing she would worry too much, Seth watched her from his desk and said comfortingly, "You’re right. Maybe she’ll come to her senses and return in a few days. Don’t worry too much."

Clara nodded but still pulled out her phone to try calling Poppy Vance.

A polite, automated voice on the other end said, "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."

Clara put her phone away, feeling disheartened. All she could do now was pray in her heart for Poppy’s swift return.

...

Once Seth finished his work, the two of them headed back to Stellan Bay. When they walked in, Skylar Hayes had already washed and chopped nearly all the vegetables, just waiting for them to get back before she started cooking.

Hearing the door open, Skylar Hayes came out of the kitchen with her hands dripping wet. Her face lit up with joy upon seeing her daughter and son-in-law. "Seth, Clara, you’re here."

Clara and Seth both called out, "Mom."

Skylar Hayes answered with a smile and said, "Go on, have a seat. I’ll get started on dinner now."

With that, she returned to the kitchen. Clara followed her in and saw the countertops piled high with ingredients, all prepped and ready to be cooked.

"Mom, why did you buy so much food? There’s no way we can eat all this."