Chapter 937 Gale’s Trap
When she looked around, she could see Jamie standing behind her. The distance between them was close but not too uncomfortable. She could hear his attractive voice distinctly.
“Straighten your body. You’ll be wasting your energy otherwise. When you’re about to throw, your hand should not skew. Keep your arms relaxed and close to the body. Take firm steps forward and be quick when you strike. Use your left hand to control your center of gravity. Try it out.”
Under his guidance, Alicia made the adjustments. Soon, she took four quick steps and made her throw without hesitation. The ball rolled forward at high speed and struck down half of the pins.
“Yes!” She jumped in excitement. “Are you satisfied with taking down just a few pins?” he joked. “Those who want less will be happy.” She was positive about it. “By the way, why are you here?”
“Would you believe me if I say it’s a coincidence?” He shrugged, looking rather uneasy. “Of course.” She beamed at him in a childlike manner, looking passionate and adorable. “That shows we are tied by fate. Am I right?”
He lost his composure in the face of her innocent smile. “Alright. To be honest, I faked this encounter. I did it because you’re the second daughter from the Heidelberg Family, and I wanted to get to know your father through you.”
“I know that.” She did not look surprised. Not only that, her smile widened.
“You knew?” He had no idea what gave him away.
“The bowling alley has a strict membership requirement. I know almost every member who plays here. That’s why I knew that us running into each other here was not a coincidence.” She kept a smile on her face. “Anyway, I appreciate the honesty. I’ll be frank with you as well. I am not involved in my dad’s business, so I can’t help you. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I should be the one who feels sorry.” Jamie looked embarrassed because he was the one who approached her with an ulterior motive, only to make her feel guilty. After all, she could not help him.
“Can we still be friends even if we can’t talk business?” She shot her shot directly and boldly.
“Sure.” This time, he did not beat around the bush and exchanged social media contacts with her.
Following that, he taught her a few bowling tips. During their conversation, he was once again impressed by her liveliness and carefree manner.
In other words, he saw Narissa in Alicia.
Half an hour later, she was worn out from the activity. Jamie got her a bottle of water and waited while she rested. He casually looked toward the entrance, only to spot Gale Myres walking in.
Gale and Alicia undoubtedly knew each other because he was the nephew from Mrs. Heidelberg’s side of the family. Jamie knew that it would not be good if Gale noticed him mingling with Alicia.
“Oh. I almost forgot that I have something to attend to. Let’s keep in touch. I’ll go now. Bye!” He made up an excuse to escape since he was running out of time.
Alas, he was spotted by Gale, who walked up to Alicia. “Was that your friend?” He immediately prodded.
“Yes.” She admitted right away. “We met a few days ago. He’s a nice guy. Are you here to bowl?”
“Nope. Here to meet a friend,” he answered absentmindedly before starting his interrogation again. “It’s rare to see you hanging out happily with guys. Are you interested in him, by any chance?”
He always presented himself as an empathetic older brother in front of his younger cousins.
She smiled but did not deny it. Chuckling, he took the chance to encourage her to go after Jamie. “Young love is fleeting. If you’re interested in someone, you need to go for it. Lately, I’ve been going on dates with your future cousin-in-law. You should ask that guy out if there’s a chance. We could do double dates. Who knows? Going out with another couple might help with your relationship.”
“But I don’t know if he has the time or not.” She recalled Jamie saying he would fly home soon.
“You need to create the opportunity.” He hinted at her.
She was swayed and gave in. “I’ll try.”
Since Jamie had free time and was in the dark about Gale’s attendance, he agreed to Alicia’s double date without hesitation.
The next day, Gale brought Narissa to the meeting point early in the morning.
To his surprise, Alicia arrived earlier and was waiting for them at the entrance. He took the initiative to introduce everyone to each other, “This is Alicia, my cousin. Alicia, this is Narissa, your cousin-in-law.”
“Hey.” Narissa nodded as a greeting. She was a cold beauty who came off as confident.
“My cousin-in-law is such a cool lady,” Alicia complimented her with sincerity.
“Thanks.” Narissa forced a smile. She was fine with the compliment, but she felt uneasy about the ‘cousin-in-law’ title.
“You guys should go in first.” Alicia was thoughtful.
“What about you?” Narissa looked confused.
“I bet she’s looking for her boyfriend. Let’s not third-wheel.” Gale intentionally misrepresented the relationship between Jamie and Alicia.
“He’s not my boyfriend yet.” She bit her lower lip shyly.
“He will be soon. I know it because I have been through it.” He turned to Narissa with a smile. “Young girls like Alicia are shy.”
Narissa nodded with understanding.
“We’ll head in now. When he’s here, the two of you should join us,” he reminded Alicia and led Narissa into the venue.
Very soon, they heard the sound of a car parking. Narissa stopped and turned around to find Jamie and Alicia chatting away happily at the entrance.
Her heart sank at the sight, and she froze on the ground, thinking, Is Jamie her boyfriend?
Before this, she had thought of Alicia as a youthful and adorable girl. However, Alicia’s smile was oddly jarring at that moment.
So, she is Jamie’s type.
“They’re a good match, don’t you think so?” Gale fanned the flames. Narissa’s eyes welled up in tears, and she had a strong urge to leave the scene. “I think my makeup is smudged. I need to go to the washroom.” She made up an excuse and fled the scene.
When Jamie walked over with Alicia and saw Gale, he was attacked by a strong sense of uneasiness. From his experience working as a babysitter for the Cubers, he knew very well that Gale was always glued to Narissa. Therefore, he doubted that Gale would be here without her.
As expected, he heard Gale mentioning Narissa the next instant. “Narissa is touching up her makeup. Let’s wait for her at the court,” he suggested.
Jamie examined his phony expression and felt anxious. I have not mentally prepared myself to meet Narissa. Why did he set up a trap for me?
“Oh? I’ll touch up my makeup too. Jamie, go get the rackets with Gale. Thank you!”
Alicia’s absence created a private moment for the two guys.
“What’s this supposed to mean?” Jamie was sure that Gale had prior knowledge of his attendance.
“I should be the one asking you.” Gale fired back. “Alicia told us she wanted to introduce a friend. We never thought that friend would be you. I underestimated you. When you failed to get Narissa, you turned your attention to Alicia. What’s your motive?”
