While Melissa was hesitating, Miranda, her sister-in-law, had already taken over the phone. "What's all that pretense for, Melissa? Rachel has already come home and told me everything that happened at the dance party! Why is Sheril fighting with Rachel for every little thing?"
Melissa didn't have time to respond to the guest. She said anxiously, "What's the matter, Miranda? I'm just asking for Tanya's contact informat—"
Miranda scoffed and said, "Her contact information? Do you even need it when she's already in your house? You're doing this deliberately, aren't you? What's the big deal? You're just acquainted with Tanya, that's all. Has that made you so full of yourself?
"Know your place, Melissa. You're no longer a young lady from the Woods but Mrs. Anderson now! Even if you have Tanya on your side, it'll never change the Andersons' and the Woods' social statuses! Sheril had better not fight with Rachel for every single thing. It's more important for one to know their place!"
Miranda hung up immediately after ranting fiercely at her.
Melissa's grip on her cell phone tightened, causing her fingertips to turn a little pale.
What did Miranda mean by "she's already in your house"?
While she was in a daze, Tanya came up to her and said, "Hi Auntie. Barring any accidents, I should be the Tanya whom you're looking for."
"…"
Melissa was dumbfounded.
Tanya said very politely, "I'm Nora's friend. Can I stay at your house temporarily while I'm back in the States?"
"… Sure."
Melissa watched the cheerful Tanya take Cherry's hand and lead her into the living room, feeling as if she was dreaming.
Did Tanya just say that she was Nora's friend?
It seemed like none of Nora's friends were simple people?
Upstairs, in the bedroom.
Tanya was playing with Cherry. She tossed her high into the air before she caught her again. Cherry was so excited that she couldn't stop giggling.
"Again, God-mom!"
"Again!"
Next to them, Sheril was watching them in horror, terribly afraid that Tanya would miss and cause Cherry to fall.
After several rounds, a tuckered-out Tanya slumped onto the sofa. She rubbed her sore arms and said, "I haven't seen you for only half a year, but why am I having difficulty picking you up now?"
Cherry climbed onto the sofa and massaged her shoulders with her small hands. "It must be because God-mom has become weaker rather than because I became heavier!"
"…"
The corners of Tanya's lips spasmed.
"You guys are so noisy." Nora, who was lying on the bed, tossed and turned repeatedly, unable to sleep. She buried her head with a pillow and said, "Can't you guys play outside? I still have to send Cherry to school early in the morning tomorrow."
It was currently only 6 o'clock in the evening while she only needed to wake up at 7:40 in the morning…
However, the few of them who were familiar with her biological clock didn't find anything wrong with what she said.
Tanya even gave a grand wave and said, "Now that I'm here, do you still think you won't get enough sleep? I'll take Cherry to school tomorrow morning!"
As soon as she said that, Nora immediately flipped the quilt aside and sat up. Then, she stretched and walked to the study as she said, "In that case, I'll go and do a bit of work."
Tanya was bewildered.
She finally realized something and exclaimed, "Were you waiting for me to say that?!"
Nora yawned. "Uh-huh. It would've been nice if you had said it earlier. I had to stay in bed for so long because of that."
Then, she entered the study and closed the door right away.
Everyone was speechless.
Sheril looked at Tanya cautiously. However, she didn't see any signs of anger on her face. Rather, there was even a sort of… joy at being exploited??
Then, she saw Tanya hug Cherry and say very gently, "Cherry, shall God-mom bathe you? Let's sleep together tonight!"
"Okie-Dokie!"
As Cherry blinked with her big round eyes, she hugged Tanya around her neck and said, "God-mom, you must take me to school tomorrow, okie?"
"No problem!"
The Andersons' residence was a villa with guest rooms, so they definitely wouldn't let Tanya and Sheril squeeze with each other in a room.
When Sheril was taking Tanya to the guest room, she asked, "Tanya, how did you meet Nora?"
How did she meet Nora?
The light in Tanya's eyes dimmed a little. She lowered her head and looked at Cherry gently before she slowly answered, "We met at a gathering."
A gathering?
Sheril could clearly sense that she was in low spirits, so she very thoughtfully didn't ask any further.
Tanya, however, held her arm and asked, "Sheril, are you thinking that Nora treats me too coldly, so you're afraid that I'll be mad?"
Upon having her thoughts exposed, Sheril immediately felt rather embarrassed.
Be it at the dance party or in Nora's bedroom just now, there was no way that anyone would say that Nora's attitude toward Tanya had been warm or enthusiastic. Thus, she really was a little worried.
Tanya suddenly burst into laughter. She picked up Cherry and pressed her cheek against hers. "Don't worry, she's really nice to me! Look, she even gave me little Cherry!"
Sheril, "???"
Tanya then added, "Besides, you don't have to worry. She and I are so close that we're pretty much inseparable, because… We used to be in the same boat."
Toward the end, she sounded a little dejected. However, she quickly recovered and gave her a wry smile. "Nora's luckier than me, though. She found hers shortly after she came back to the States… But I'm still looking for mine…"
Cherry immediately puckered her lips and kissed Tanya on her cheek. She said, "Don't be sad, Mom!"
The word 'Mom' made Tanya freeze.
Her eyes reddened and she hugged the soft and tender Cherry tightly. "Little Cherry, you're really God-mom's precious little baby!"
She then entered the guest room with Cherry.
The two of them played and had fun for quite a while. Before going to bed, Cherry suddenly sat upright and said, "Wait a minute, God-mom. I almost forgot! My spark of friendship is going to go out!"
After saying that, she got off the bed, ran to Nora's room, and picked up her cell phone. She was about to leave when she realized that there was no one on the bed and that the lights in the study were still on.
Cherry slowed down and walked back to the bedroom. Then, she logged on to Facebook and sent 'Old Ian' a sticker wishing him goodnight.
Old Ian also replied to her with a sticker wishing her goodnight.
Only then did Cherry gain peace of mind and put down her cell phone with a smile.
When she looked back, she saw Tanya staring at her. "Cherry, 'fess up! Do you have a boyfriend?!"
Cherry replied, "No, I don't! It's Grandpa! Sponsor Grandpa!"
"…"
The night passed peacefully.
Whenever Nora took Cherry to school, she basically woke up at 7:35 and got out of bed at 7:40. Then, she would brush her teeth and leave the house with a baseball cap on without rinsing her face or combing her hair.
Unlike her, Tanya got up at half-past six.
She secretly put on exquisite makeup and even mock-snobbishly put on a pair of sunglasses before finally taking Cherry to school happily.
When they reached the school gates, Cherry just so happened to see Whitney and Sinead also entering when she got off the car.
Whitney stopped in her tracks when she spotted her.
Sinead yelled, "A liar is not allowed to go into the school!"
Whitney also said dispassionately, "Cheryl Smith, it's not good to lie. As punishment, you are to stand at the school gates and shout a hundred times 'I was wrong.. I won't ever lie again'. You can only enter after you've reflected upon your actions!"