"If you want to get better quickly, I can give you a massage; that should fix it in no time."
"What are we waiting for? Help me with the massage."
"But here..."
"What's there to be afraid of here?"
"It's not about being afraid; it's just that I have to take off your shoe."
"Take it off, take it off." Grace Lopez was very eager; she has always been a playful and boisterous girl. The inconvenience caused by a sprained ankle was more unbearable to her than any punishment.
Very carefully, James Brown removed Grace Lopez's shoe, revealing her foot clad in gray cotton socks, just big enough to fit snugly in one's hand, soft and seemingly boneless. Even though he had not seen the entire foot, James felt certain it was the most beautiful one he had seen among all the women he had encountered.
James Brown did not have a foot fetish, but like anyone, he appreciated beauty. How could he not admire such a foot?
"Brother-in-law, are you going to massage it or not?" Grace Lopez spoke in a soft, watery voice, with a hint of shyness and also a tad bit of embarrassment.
"Ah! Yes, massage!" Suddenly feeling awkward, James Brown quickly commenced a sincere foot massage.
"Ah, it hurts."
"Just bear with it; it'll be better soon." Perhaps feeling guilty, James Brown's tone was exceedingly tender, and his movements were very gentle until Grace Lopez got used to the pain; only then did he increase the pressure.
Grace Lopez had felt embarrassed when James Brown first looked at her foot, but watching him seriously massage her, she began to feel a surge of tenderness within. As a child, she had been cherished by her parents, but as she grew older, they no longer pampered or doted on her as much. Now, James's actions rekindled the feeling of being cared for and cherished.
The massage skills of James Brown were anything but ordinary. As an elite member of the Green Berets, minor injuries during training were common, and such wounds could not always be treated at a hospital; they often had to self-administer care, especially when on missions. Over time, James became quite skilled at treating simple injuries. Grace Lopez's minor issue was easily handled.
"Does it still hurt?" Lifting his head, James Brown asked Grace Lopez, only to catch her staring at him with a gaze full of a peculiar sparkle that made James's heart involuntarily leap.
"It doesn't hurt anymore, brother-in-law. You're so kind." Grace Lopez smiled sweetly at James Brown, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
"Am I your brother-in-law? If I don't take good care of you, your sister will have words with me later." James Brown chuckled, picked up the shoe, and put it back on Grace Lopez's foot.
Grace Lopez sat still, letting James Brown attend to her, the corner of her mouth forming a very attractive curve, but by the time James Brown looked up, the charming curve had already disappeared.
"Alright, let's go, but you can't put too much weight on it yet." James Brown supported Grace Lopez's arm with one hand and her waist with the other, helping her slowly to her feet.
Grace Lopez tried moving her ankle and slightly furrowed her brow, saying, "It still hurts a bit when I put weight on it."
"That's normal; it should be better after a while."
"Mm, then you'd better hold on to me, don't let me fall again."
"Don't worry; I've got you." The hand James Brown had on Grace Lopez's waist tightened slightly as a way of reassuring her. Her waist was soft, undoubtedly from dancing; the feel of it was so nice he almost didn't want to let go.
The two of them walked slowly forward, when suddenly Grace Lopez turned her head, leaned close to James Brown's ear, and whispered, "Brother-in-law, what were you daydreaming about just now?"
"Just now, were you lost in thought? Not at all?"
"I'm not talking about now, I'm talking about when you took off my shoe just now."
"Was I?" James pretended to be confused.
Grace playfully blinked her eyes, boasting, "Don't play dumb. You were totally spacing out. You were even holding my foot and daydreaming. I'm going to tell my sister about this."
Of course, James wouldn't admit it and immediately said, "I was checking how badly you had twisted your foot so I could proceed. It was like a doctor's examination. I was being so serious in helping you, and you accuse me of having dirty thoughts? That's so unfair."
Grace tilted her head, smiling, "Really?"
"Of course!"
Grace turned her head and continued to walk forward, which made James breathe a sigh of relief. Just as Gina had said, Grace was indeed a mischievous sprite; she really could catch even a slight mistake.
As they rode the escalator down one floor, Grace suddenly asked, "Brother-in-law, do you think my feet are pretty?"
"Oh... this..."
Grace shook James's arm, complaining, "Stop hemming and hawing, just tell me, are they pretty or not?"
"They are indeed pretty," James said honestly.
Grace smiled triumphantly and asked further, "Then who has prettier feet, me or my sister?"
"Of course, they're both equally pretty," James responded offhand. Since the two were twins and looked so much alike, their feet were naturally assumed to be similar. Moreover, interpreting his answer as not wanting to offend Gina meant that it was seamless.
"You do have a way with words," Grace winked at James, and there was a hint of cunning in her eyes.
This made James suddenly feel uneasy; could it be that Gina's feet were very different from Grace's? But he hadn't seen what Gina's feet looked like to date, and the information Gina had provided him did not include details about her feet—an oversight that probably everyone would make.
James tried to read something from Grace's expression, but she changed the subject, saying, "Oh no, I've taken a loss."
"How did you take a loss?"
"I was so focused on having you buy clothes for yourself that I forgot about my sister's share. Isn't that a big loss?"
"Haha, then ask her to buy some later. You should go home now; it's already noon, and they must be getting anxious at home."
Grace waved her little fist, "I'll catch her sooner or later; it's rare to nab her even a few times a year. I can't let her off easy this time."
By the time the two descended the stairs, it was nearly Twelve O'clock. Gina was clearly impatient from the wait, but her expression soured even more when she saw Grace and James appear in her line of sight. James was carrying several bags in one hand and had his other arm around Grace's waist, while Grace nestled against him. Both wore beaming smiles, exuding a sense of happiness that could make others envious.
Of course, Gina wasn't envious. James wasn't her real boyfriend; she was angry. James was supposed to be pretending to be her boyfriend here, but now he was behaving this way with her sister, which completely blew their cover. Besides, if James treated her sister like this, wasn't he taking advantage of her? She couldn't tolerate it.
If not for her good self-control, she would have rushed over and slapped James already. Instead, she just stood there, coldly staring at him.