Divine Artifact in a Scientific World-Chapter 67: Sunny’s (2)

Jack approached Miranda and the woman next to her and asked, "And is this your sister?"

The woman standing next to Miranda smiled, elbowed Miranda and said, "Miranda, you sly girl. Look what treasure you’ve been hiding. Such a polite and handsome young man."

She held out her hand and said, "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack. I’m Miranda’s mother, Sophia."

Feeling mischievous, he decided to improvise just a bit. So instead of shaking her hand, he grasped the fingers of her hand gently, turned her wrist and lifted the back of her hand to his lips while bending at the waist, left hand behind his back.

As he bowed, he said, "Enchanté." Then he lightly touched his lips to her hand, before releasing it and standing straight again.

With a twinkle of amusement in her eye, Sophia fanned her face with one hand while saying, "Oh my. Is it hot in here?"

"Mom," said Miranda, half warning, half amused.

"Oh, hush you," Sophia said, nudging her daughter again with her elbow. Then to Jack she said, "Would you care to join us?"

Still feigning a formal tone, Jack said, "It would be my pleasure."

They chatted about nothing consequential, Sophia and Miranda sharing in some light gossip, for a few minutes before a waitress led them to a booth. As they approached, Sophia nudged Miranda towards one side of the booth, and then sat on the other side. After Miranda sat, Jack stopped and faked a pensive pose, tapping his finger on lips, implying that he couldn’t decide which woman to sit next to.

Sophia struggled not to laugh while Miranda mock glared at him, before Miranda finally give him her patent pending, sexy pouty look. He relented and sat next to her, facing Sophia. As soon as Jack sat, Miranda slid over until she was pressed hip to knee against him and grabbed his arm. Sophia’s eyes widened slightly at the sight, and she got a pensive look.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Sophia asked.

"AP English," replied Miranda.

"Yes," said Jack. "She was playing her little games and when she tried them out on me, I went along at first, curious to see how far she was willing to go to get what she wanted. Turns out not very far. Then a family crisis came up, and it was all I could do to maintain my grades, so we didn’t interact much after that. We met again recently and have been talking since." This was all mostly true. He didn’t play along with Miranda, but he learned she wasn’t willing to go very far, not willing to let him touching her. But the rest was true, if presented to imply a different timeline than reality.

"Yes, she told me about what she was doing," said Sophia, giving Miranda a mild scolding look. "When I found out what she was doing, I warned her she was paying with fire. Flirty gestures and body language are fine, and light touches to arm and hand if done in moderation can also be okay, but the amount of contact she was using bordered on reckless. Just because a boy seems harmless doesn’t mean he won’t snap and decide he’s going collect on her promises whether she likes it or not."

Talk about prescient. Jack tried not to smile knowingly. He had certainly collected on those promises.

"I understand mom," said Miranda seriously, squeezing Jack’s arm. "Believe me, I do." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"Yes," Jack said with a faint smile. "I think she’s learned her lesson."

Sophia quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.

The waitress arrived and took their orders. When she left, Miranda asked Jack, "Didn’t you say you were meeting a lawyer soon? Is that today?"

"Yes," he replied. "I’m meeting Abigail Wexler to look at some houses near NSU."

"Oh?" said Sophia. "I’ve worked with Abigail before. She usually deals with commercial and investment real-estate."

"Yep, that’s why my lawyer recommended her to me," replied Jack.

"You have a lawyer other than Abigail?"

"Several actually. But Henry helped with our lawsuit, and he’s one of the few lawyers I trust."

"Lawsuit?" asked Sophia. "Sorry, forgive me If I’m prying."

"No, it’s fine. Miranda already knows and I trust you not to spread it around. A few years ago, my adoptive father died in a car crash. He delivered for a national auto-parts supplier and they were lax on vehicle maintenance. Their negligence cause my father’s death. Fran sued. When they realized we were going to win, they made an offer to settle out of court. Apparently, they really didn’t want an official court settlement, because we were able to push them to offer a truly generous amount. At the time, I wanted them to suffer, officially suffer, but Fran argued that the only way to make a company suffer was through their bank account. So making them pay a huge settlement in private was much more painful for them than paying a small settlement in public. Plus, she cared more about our future than revenge. Turns out she was prescient, because she was diagnosed with stage four cancer not long after. She died a few days after I graduated."

Sophia put a hand over her mouth, looking sorrowful, as he told his story. When he finished, she said, "Oh, no. That’s horrible. You’ve lost two sets of parents. I really can’t imagine what that must be like."

Jack just shrugged his shoulders. It really was horrible, but the arrival of Genesis Heart, soul bonding Madison, and now Miranda, made it a lot easier to look to the future.

"And I must say, I’m impressed that you are looking to invest in real-estate at such a young age. I think most young people would be flaunting their wealth and wasting it on parties and frivolous purchases."

"The thought did cross my mind," Jack said. "But I just want a normal life. At least a normal college experience. It’s hard to judge the motivations of a potential friend if you are always wondering if they are interested in you for you, or your money. It helps that I have two friends that I can trust, but I would like to have more genuine friends and that would be difficult if my true financial status came out. So, as much as I can, I’ll try to keep a low profile."

"That is surprisingly mature for one your age. I commend your choices."

"Thank you."

Their food arrived, and between bites, Sophia asked, "Someone is bound to see you with Abigail. If you are looking at homes near NSU, how do you plan to explain being seen with her?"

"The cover story is that Henry asked her to take me around with her while she looked at houses for a client and teach me a bit about the real-estate market. I plan to sell the home I inherited from Fran and Jacob, so it’s a reasonable excuse."

"Hmm, yes, that makes sense." Then she looked thoughtfully at Miranda, before asking, "Do you think she would mind if Miranda tagged along? I’ve tried to teach Miranda a little, but it would be nice for her to learn more from a real-estate professional."

Nice. He and Miranda had planned for Miranda to suggest going along with him, but Sophia suggested it directly. He suspected her true reason was to push Miranda and him together.

"I don’t see why not. She can ride with me when I go to meet with Abigail at Henry’s office. Worst case, I send her home in a ride-share."

"Excellent. Thank you for accommodating a doting mother’s request."

More like plotting mother’s request, he thought.

"No problem."

They were almost finished eating when Miranda excused herself to use the restroom. After she left, Sophia gave Jack a serious look and said, "I noticed the way my daughter looks at you. It reminds me a lot of the way I looked at my husband early in our relationship. So I have to ask, more as a formality than anything else, what are your intentions toward her?"

Something about the way she looked at him and her tone of voice made him think he could be honest with her, so he said, "She’s mine now. Now and forevermore. The only reason we won’t get married is because polygamy is illegal in this country."

Sophia’s eye went wide as she heard Jack’s declaration. When he finished she said, tone serious, "I see, and do you have any objections to me asking her about what you just said?"

"Nope. I think you might be surprised at just how enthralled she is with me. We have our whole lives ahead of us and I expect she will still be with me many years from now." Of course, this was a massive understatement. She would be with him for all eternity.

"And does she know about your other girls?" she asked.

"Yes, she and Madison have already met. They seem to be getting along just fine. Better than expected, actually. And they both know about the other girls I am interested in."

"Well, thank you for your candor, Jack. Most young men would not have been as forthright with me."

"You’re welcome. It’s nice to be able to speak to someone pragmatic. I especially appreciate that you’ve managed to instill the same pragmatism into Miranda. It’s nice to see her being both silly and pragmatic at the same time."

The waitress arrived, so they paid, and Miranda returned shortly after, so they left. Sophia in her car, and Jack and Miranda in his Land cruiser.