Chapter 261: Having Hot Pot with the Neighbor
After he spoke, he quickly ran back. A moment later, he returned carrying several bags of ingredients.
Anne Sutton: "..."
She looked at the man, completely at a loss for words.
She even suspected there was something a little off about him.
However, she’d heard that when people reach a certain level of loneliness, they resort to eating hot pot all by themselves.
He seemed rather pitiful, so Anne Sutton agreed. She decided to just treat it as a housewarming gathering.
Caleb Summers stood to the side, watching his new neighbor. Although he was the one who suggested hot pot, he had only bought a pre-packaged soup base and clearly had no idea how to make it from scratch.
Anne Sutton stepped in, made a new soup base from scratch, and soon had it simmering fragrantly.
Having grown up by her mother’s side and learning through observation, Anne Sutton was an excellent cook.
Caleb Summers stood by, watching Anne Sutton with immense admiration. "Wow, you’re incredible!" he said.
Anne Sutton glanced at the man. ’He’s taller than me,’ she thought. ’If it weren’t for his height, you could easily mistake him for a woman.’
"Do you often just show up at people’s homes to have hot pot with them?" Anne Sutton asked curiously.
Caleb Summers said, "Not at all! It’s just that I happened to see you today. Who else would be on a swing set in this freezing weather? Only you."
Needless to say, Anne Sutton had captured his attention.
Anne Sutton frowned at being teased.
She brought the bowls out, and they started to eat hot pot.
Caleb Summers tried the dipping sauce Anne Sutton had prepared and exclaimed in amazement, "Holy crap! This is delicious! Do you cook often?"
"..." Anne Sutton replied, "Not really."
"And you can still make it this delicious."
Anne Sutton looked at the man and smiled.
Caleb Summers asked, "Do you live here alone?"
"No," Anne Sutton denied. "My husband and child just aren’t here today."
She said that mainly for her own safety.
Caleb Summers said, "Oh, you’re married?"
"Don’t I look it?" ’Of course, we’re divorced now,’ she added silently.
Caleb Summers looked at her. "You look like you’re only twenty," he said.
Anne Sutton said, "You sure know what to say."
Caleb Summers looked at her, thinking, ’Heh, just watch me charm the pants off you!’
As Anne Sutton and Caleb Summers ate their hot pot, she asked him, "Do you live around here by yourself?"
Caleb Summers nodded. "Yeah. My family starts pestering me about marriage the moment I go home. I had no choice but to hide out here by myself."
It’s not far from my office, which is convenient!
He really liked this place. It was nice and quiet.
The two of them chatted as they ate.
Just then, Anne Sutton’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it and saw a message from Nathan Fawcett: "Where are you?"
It was the weekend, and he’d even turned down Caleb Summers’s dinner invitation just so he could stay home and spend time with her and Ian.
And yet...
He’d been busy for a little while, and when he came out, he found she was gone!
Not a trace of her to be found.
Anne Sutton replied, "I’m over at my new apartment."
"..." Nathan Fawcett knew Anne Sutton had bought a new place.
He had never been there, though.
Nathan Fawcett asked, "What are you doing over there by yourself?"
"I didn’t have anything else to do, so I just wanted to come check on it."
"When will you be back?"
"I’ll head back after dinner." Anne Sutton glanced at the time. ’After we eat and clean up, I should be ready to go.’
Nathan Fawcett asked, "You’re eating out?"
"What else would I be doing?"
"Then what about... what is Ian eating?"
"You mean to ask what *you’re* eating, don’t you?" It wasn’t like Anne Sutton couldn’t hear the real question.
’Does he take me for an idiot?’
Nathan Fawcett asked, "You’re eating out by yourself?"
’He’d thought that with Justin Shields out of the picture, she would be at home more. But now she was going out to eat by herself?’
Anne Sutton said, "With my neighbor."
"..." Nathan Fawcett wasn’t good at socializing, so it didn’t even occur to him that someone could have dinner with their neighbor.
So he didn’t say anything more.
After listening, Nathan Fawcett said, "Alright. Come back early. Ian is waiting for you."
With that, he hung up.
Caleb Summers looked at Anne Sutton. "A call from your husband?" he asked.
Anne Sutton nodded. "Mhm."
"What does your husband do?" Caleb Summers asked curiously.
Anne Sutton replied, "He works an office job, I guess."
If she revealed Nathan Fawcett’s identity, everyone would know. And since her marriage to Ethan Linden was over, she didn’t want to stir up any new rumors.
"An office job? Where does he work?" He was full of curiosity about Anne Sutton, asking questions as if he were taking a census.
’After all, with just the two of us, it would be awkward if we didn’t find something to talk about.’
Anne Sutton said, "He works at Linden Group."
Caleb Summers was surprised to hear that. "What a coincidence!"
"Why? Are you with Linden Group too?" Anne Sutton asked, intrigued.
Caleb Summers said, "You could say that! By the way, what position does your husband hold? If he ever needs any help, tell him to look me up. We’re neighbors, after all!"
"..." Anne Sutton smiled. "There aren’t many people willing to help others so readily these days."
"What can I say? I’m just a Good Samaritan." ’Besides,’ he thought, ’arranging something at the company would just take a word from me.’
Anne Sutton said, "Thank you. I’ll let you know if we need anything."
However...
’If it’s something even Nathan Fawcett can’t solve, this guy probably can’t either,’ she thought.
After finishing dinner with Caleb Summers, Anne Sutton helped him clean everything up.
Caleb Summers was usually busy with work, so for him, doing chores on the weekend was a form of relaxation.
...
When they were done, he took his things back to his apartment, and Anne Sutton headed home as well.
Caleb Summers lay on his sofa and sent a message to Nathan Fawcett, attaching a picture of the hot pot. "I asked you to come out, but you refused! The hot pot tonight was especially delicious."
Nathan Fawcett glanced at the picture. "Not interested. I don’t eat spicy food."
Caleb Summers scoffed in his reply. "Pfft. You just go on doting on that woman of yours!"
’I don’t get why Nathan Fawcett is so hung up on that woman!’
’He even snapped at me yesterday because of her!’
Caleb Summers was the type to hold a grudge.
’I’ll find a chance to meet this woman,’ he thought.
’I need to see what kind of woman has Nathan Fawcett so head-over-heels!’
’I can’t let this vixen keep bewitching Nathan!’
’Who knows, she might even end up ruining the company.’
...
Thinking of this, Caleb Summers picked up his phone and booked a hospital appointment. He planned to go the next day and, while he was there, get a look at Nathan Fawcett’s woman.
When Anne Sutton drove home, Nathan Fawcett was having dinner with Ian.
They had a housekeeper who would cook when Anne was out now. Her cooking was decent enough for Nathan Fawcett and Ian to eat, which meant Anne was no longer so busy, constantly rushing back home to make meals.
Seeing her return, Ian said, "Mommy, you went out to have fun and you didn’t take me."
"Didn’t you have class?" Anne Sutton looked at the little guy. When she had left, he had been in the middle of a lesson with his tutor.
Nathan Fawcett looked at Anne Sutton. "You’re getting good at ditching us. Just leaving the kid with me like that?"
"Oh, give me a break!" Anne Sutton retorted. "It’s clearly Ian who’s taking care of *you*. He’s so adorable, does he really need you to look after him?"
Although Ian was young, he took good care of himself at home. He was already used to his parents both being at work and unable to be with him.