"I'll be going then," Caleb said, turning to leave. "Landon, come by our house often. Sarah misses you, and Mei ."
"I'll try," Landon replied.
"And, Ms. Stone, if you need anything, tell him," Caleb continued. "You don't need to worry about the guy who attacked you. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves."
"Thank you, Chief," Evelyn replied, her voice filled with gratitude.
"Bye then," Caleb said, getting into his car. As he drove away, Landon and Evelyn stood in front of Landon's house, watching him leave.
As they entered the house, Mei suddenly popped up from nowhere. "Big bro, why are you so late? Do you know how long I've been waiting?" she asked, wearing her nightdress. She ran to greet her brother, but her expression quickly changed to one of astonishment as she saw Evelyn standing beside him.
"No way!" Mei exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Hello, Mei," Landon said, his voice tinged with awkwardness.
Mei raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I didn't know you had it in you, brother! You were never interested in dating, so I thought you'd be single forever!"
Landon chuckled, holding up his hands in defense. "Stop jumping to conclusions, Mei! We're not dating."
Evelyn smiled warmly, joining the conversation. "Hello, I'm Evelyn. Sorry for bothering you both at this late hour."
Mei's expression turned polite, her eyes sparkling with warmth. "You're not bothering us at all, Evelyn! Welcome to our home. Please, make yourself at home."Mei's words were laced with a humble and happy tone.
As they sat down for dinner, Mei exclaimed, "If I had known my brother would bring a girl home, I would've made something special!"
Landon shot her a serious look. "Like I told you, Mei, we're not dating."
Mei burst out laughing, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh, you don't have to be shy, brother!"
"So, what do you like about my brother?" Mei asked, catching Evelyn off guard, as she started coughing.
Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise, and she began coughing, trying to compose herself.
Landon jumped in, trying to save Evelyn from Mei's teasing. "Mei, stop it! You're making her uncomfortable."
"Clearly, he's not the type girls usually go for," Mei said.
Evelyn disagreed, "I don't think that's true. Your brother is very kind and selfless. He helps people no matter what situation they're in."
Mei's face lit up with a warm smile, clearly pleased with Evelyn's assessment. Landon, on the other hand, looked at Evelyn with an astonished expression, seemingly surprised by her perceptive words.
Just as they were enjoying their conversation, a phone rang, breaking the moment. "Oh, that's my phone," Mei said, getting up from her seat. "Let me take that. You guys continue."
As Mei walked away to answer the call, Evelyn stood up and whispered to Landon, "I think I'll give you two some space." She winked at him and showed a thumbs up before heading out of the room.
Landon watched Evelyn go, then turned to her and said, "I'm so sorry about my sister. She always jumps to conclusions."
Evelyn smiled compassionately. "It's okay, you have a great sibling. And let me properly apologize for making you go through all this when you could've had a normal night."
Landon's face reflected his gratitude. "You don't have to apologize, Evelyn. It's not your fault."
Just then, Mei popped up, beaming with excitement. "Big brother, I've got great news! I passed the interview, and they want me to join them tomorrow!"
Landon's face lit up with joy. "That's great, Mei! Congratulations!"
Evelyn joined in, congratulating Mei with a warm smile. "Thank you, big sis!" Mei replied, her eyes shining with happiness.
"Wait, do you want me to drop you off ?" Landon asked, realizing halfway through the question that it wasn't possible
"No thanks, big bro," Evelyn said with a smile. "It's J&B, one of the biggest companies in all of Ashwood."
Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise. "You know, I work there too," she said, her voice filled with astonishment.
Mei's face lit up with excitement as she heard this. "That's great! We can be work buddies!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.
As they started doing dishes, Landon turned to Evelyn and said, "You know, you don't have to do this."
Evelyn smiled. "It's okay, I don't want to be a freeloader. I like to help; it's the least I can do."
Landon nodded, then added, "You know, although my sister's a little lightheaded, please take care of her."
Evelyn reassured him, "Don't worry about her; I'll keep an eye on her."
Landon thanked her, "Thanks, I appreciate it."