Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

Louise felt a bit intimidated by the situation but summoned up the nerve to say, "Nash and I are pals, so naturally, I'm worried about him. I heard it was this girl who had a spat with Nash, right?" She deftly turned the conversation towards Fiona. Fiona just gave her a cool glance. "Being concerned is fine, but overdoing it isn't."

Jackson's expression turned frosty. "I heard Nash's scuffle only became an issue because someone tipped off Mr. Garcia, and that's when Mr. Trevor got involved, right?"

"Yeah, some fool did that!" Nash was visibly annoyed. "I have no clue which idiot went to Mr. Garcia, but if I find them, they're gonna regret it!"

A hint of panic flickered in Louise's eyes, which Jackson noticed right away. He could easily read young girls' thoughts but chose not to bother with them. Instead, his gaze fell on Fiona, who was leaning against the wall, waiting for him. "Hey, you, keep your nose out of other people's business from now on. This is a one-time warning." His cold stare brushed over Louise, his tone nonchalant, yet it made her tense up.

Jackson had already moved past her, heading towards Fiona. "Come on, let's go grab some dinner."

"Sure thing." Fiona grinned, flashing a small, cheeky fang.

Seeing them about to leave, Nash quickly tried to tag along, "Uncle, I wanna come for dinner too!"

"Get back home and write that apology letter. If it's not done by the time I'm back-" Jackson turned his head just slightly, letting his voice linger, and Nash immediately tensed up. "Okay, okay, I'll write it now!" As if he had a choice! He wasn't keen on having dinner with Jackson anyway. Jackson was like a grim reaper; dining with him was pure agony. "Louise, what did my uncle mean by that?" Once Jackson and Fiona had left, Nash noticed Louise looking a bit pale. Something felt off, so he asked, "Did you leak the info?" Louise's shoulders trembled as if wounded, "Nash, you think I'd do that?"

Nash softened his tone, "Don't take it the wrong way, I was just checking."

Surely, Louise wouldn't have been the one to spill the beans. He shouldn't have doubted her.

...

Meanwhile, Jackson and Fiona

made their way out of Westbrook High School and got into his car. Sitting in the driver's seat, he

casually drummed his long fingers on the steering wheel. "Buckle

up."

Fiona took her me, finally clicking her seatbelt into place. "Hey, kid, not to get into fights at

alright? Play nice." Co

Nash's mom had called him today, asking him to come over. Before he even reached the school, he'd already pieced together what had gone down. He'd also checked up on Fiona's background. She'd appeared out of nowhere in Cedarvale rumored to be an orphan. He didn't quite buy it. Last night at the bar, she'd seemed like a little sprite, not a hint of the helpless orphan about her. novelbin

"It's not like I wanted to fight," Fiona corrected him, "but if someone's picking on me, I'm gonna hit back." Jackson's hand remained on the steering wheel, and he seemed to chuckle at her words. He liked her spunk. "So, what do you wanna eat?" he asked.

"Hmm... I can't really decide."

There were just too many things she wanted. Fiona always struggled a bit with food choices.