After I Stopped Loving Him novel Chapter 98

Laura was still single when she died, so it was obvious she’d always turned Jesse Mason down.

Jesse and Ethan were close, both coming from old money. Jesse was the next in line for the Mason family, so his background matched Ethan’s almost exactly.

Laura’s family wasn’t struggling. She had her own place, her own car, some savings. But compared to Jesse, she was in a completely different world.

Maybe that’s what made her hesitate. The gap between their lives was just too wide. Plus, after seeing Isabella’s marriage to Ethan fall apart, ending up miserable instead of happy, Laura had every reason to be cautious. She saw firsthand what could go wrong.

Isabella, though, knew Jesse a little. He was better than Ethan, at least. He actually respected women, didn’t play games with their feelings. If he was really serious about Laura, Isabella would be on board with the two of them together.

“Isabella Lane?”

Harold Carter’s eyes flicked down to where Isabella and Laura were walking arm in arm. He grinned. “No way. The author Jesse was telling me about is your friend?”

Isabella laughed. “Crazy, right? What are the odds?”

They shared a look, both of them in on the joke.

Jesse and Laura just ignored the teasing, acting like it had nothing to do with them. They seemed totally unfazed.

Jesse headed to his car and started unloading the seafood he’d brought over just for Laura.

“Ms. Charles, this is all fresh from the coast. You can keep it alive for now, cook it tomorrow if you want,” he said. “Some of it’s dried, so just toss it in the freezer and take your time with it.”

Laura stared at the pile of seafood. “That’s way too much. We can’t even carry all this upstairs, let alone eat it.”

“Mr. Mason, thanks for the offer, but we’ll be fine,” Laura said, smiling as she turned him down.

Jesse just shrugged. “Alright, then. We’ll get out of your way. Have fun shopping.”

“Mr. Mason, really, thanks again for all the seafood.”

“Don’t mention it. If you ever want more, just let me know. I can have it sent straight from the ocean.”

Jesse clearly wanted to stay, but he knew he shouldn’t push it. He liked Laura, but they weren’t even close to being a couple yet. Still, he tried his best. He read every single one of her novels, even though they weren’t his thing, and took notes so he could remember every character, even the minor ones. That was what a real fan would do.

Harold finally dragged him out. Jesse kept glancing back, hoping Laura would change her mind at the last second.