CEO's Reborn Wife-Chapter 54 - 62: Absolutely Not Running
From the moment she stepped out of the house, leaving the sanctuary of the air-conditioned room, within the first second on the courtyard’s floor tiles, a wave of heat hit Jane Sampson’s face, instantly sapping her of the courage to take another step.
The Great General lay in the doorway, stubbornly refusing to move, pitifully howling, looking at Jane with eyes full of hope that she would take him back inside.
James Black felt there was definitely a reason the family’s Great General liked Jane Sampson the most. The expressions of the woman and dog were uncannily similar, as if they were of the same kind.
"James Black, can we walk him in the evening instead?" Jane did her best to hide in the shadow behind James, shaking her wrist which he held, trying to negotiate a change of plan and perhaps a return to the house for the time being.
Jane was puzzled, as she had never before seen James take an interest in walking the dog. Every time she visited the Black Family, she was the one who ended up playing with the Great General in the residential community, while James would hole up in his room immersed in a book, rarely sticking his head out to exchange a few words with anyone all day.
"No," James replied firmly, probably realizing that his grip on her wrist might be making Jane uncomfortable, so he relaxed his hold slightly, allowing his hand to slip down and quickly switch to holding Jane’s hand as he continued to walk out of the courtyard.
The Great General played dead right there, resignedly letting James drag him out while scraping his paws on the ground, not making a sound anymore.
Jane saw a word on the Great General’s face: despair.
Jane thought that the Great General probably saw the same word on her face, too.
Summers in Capital Province were like being in a huge furnace. Once, someone on Twitter did an experiment on a street corner. In the afternoon, eggs were cracked open on the broadway, and about fifteen minutes later, the fried eggs were ready to eat.
Jane felt she was now such a fried egg.
Her hand, held by James, was so hot that her palm was sweaty. No exaggeration, Jane felt that with a flick of her hand, she could water the grass in the landscaping. It was tough on James too, who held on as if he was afraid she would run off.
"Give me the Great General’s dog leash," Jane said, extending her other hand toward James, and pointed at the hand he was holding, saying, "Now that we’re outside, you can let go. Even if I run back home, you’d have to drag me out again, so why would I bother exerting so much effort? So relax, I definitely won’t run back."
James glanced down at Jane’s pale palm, and thinking of the Great General playing dead behind him, he handed her the dog leash.
James didn’t plan to let go of Jane’s hand, though. Despite the heat, he felt that the feeling of walking while holding her hand wasn’t bad. Of course, he thought it would be a more pleasant walk if her expression could be a little less disdainful, and she could manage to give him a small smile.
But Jane was quick. Taking the opportunity while accepting the leash, she swiftly withdrew her hand from James’s palm and wiped it on her pants. If she hadn’t been rolling her eyes, James might have thought she was just wiping off the sweat from her palm.
"Get up, Great General," Jane said as she bent down to rub the Great General’s head.
As soon as the leash had changed hands to Jane, the Great General instantly perked up, stood up, and barked three times towards the direction of home. It couldn’t be more clear; the Great General was cordially inviting Jane to come back to the cool embrace of the air conditioner at home.
