4.How Do You Plan to Thank Me?

The man set her down, and Karen Taylor leaned against the wall, avoiding his intense gaze. Brandon Rogers reached out, his rough fingertip brushing the delicate skin beneath her eye, wiping away a tear.

“What’s this? Heading back home already?” Brandon Rogers propped himself against the wall, leaning down to look at the little bunny in front of him.

Karen’s face flushed slightly. When she first saw him, she thought she was dreaming. In such a short time, they had met twice in two different places.

“Yeah, it’s more comfortable back home,” she replied.

His warm breath, mixed with the scent of alcohol and tobacco, enveloped her. “So, you’re not leaving again?”

Karen shook her head. “I’m not leaving.” She planned to spend the rest of her life here.

Years later, Brandon Rogers would still clearly remember her saying those words. Even though they hadn’t been close at that time, he felt like he had found his soulmate. And it turned out, he was right.

A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of Brandon’s lips. “So why aren’t you going home? Do you like staying in hotels?”

Karen heard the teasing in his voice, her ears turning red. “No, our house was demolished a couple of years ago. I’m planning to start looking for a new place tomorrow…”

“You’re looking to rent a place?”

As it happened, he had a place.

Brandon lowered his gaze, then looked up, catching her eyes directly. “Aren’t you worried about telling me all this? What if I’m a bad guy?”

They were standing close, and Karen noticed that his face was surprisingly flawless. Her big, watery eyes looked up at him, and she asked softly, “Are you a bad guy?”

Brandon’s intense gaze bore into her. “Yes, I want to take you home right now.”

Her slender shoulders trembled slightly. What a timid little thing, scared off by just one sentence.

“I’m joking. Even if I were to take you home, I’d do it the right way,” he added.

Karen nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress, unsure how to respond to that.

“There are a lot of thugs around here, so don’t wander around. There’s a small restaurant right downstairs, just eat there.”

“And there’s supposed to be heavy rain tomorrow and the day after, so don’t go out looking for a place until the weather clears up.”

Listening to his advice, Karen nodded.

He held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

Under the pressure of his gaze, Karen obediently handed over her phone. Half a minute later, he gave it back to her.

“I’ve saved my number in your contacts. Call me if you need anything, anytime. I’m always available.”

Her eyelashes fluttered, and a pink hue spread across her pale face. She was experiencing a kind of concern she had never felt before—something Ryan Caldwell had almost never given her.

Karen glanced at the contact list on her phone. So his name was Brandon Rogers.

“Brandon Rogers, my name is Karen Taylor.”

“You’ve helped me out again. Thank you.”

She looked up at him with sincere eyes. Brandon finally understood what it meant to be softened by love.

“So, how do you plan to thank me?”

He rubbed his fingers together, resisting the urge to pinch her cheek.

Karen bit her lip unconsciously. “I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Brandon took a deep breath. “Alright, I’ll hold you to that.”

“I’ll head inside now.” Karen moved aside.

Brandon pulled back the hand resting against the wall. “Go on, and be careful, okay?”

“I will.”

She was wearing a floral dress that revealed a pair of slender, pale legs, with white socks encasing her delicate ankles. Brandon’s gaze lingered on her until she closed the door behind her.

---

“Hey, Derek, what do you think big brother is doing now that he’s caught up to her?” Jason Barrett asked.

Derek leaned in, his expression mysterious. “Want to know?”

Jason nodded eagerly.

“Then just call him yourself and ask.”

Jason, shirtless, slapped a mosquito on his chest. “You little punk, trying to get smart with me?”

“Should we be discussing our sister-in-law like this? Let’s finish up here. I’ve got a literary lecture to catch up on when I get back.”

Jason downed a beer. “Alright, Mr. Intellectual.”

Although Derek Lawson worked as a mechanic, he had a hobby—reading. As Jason put it, all the effort he didn’t put into school before was now being used up.

Brandon Rogers walked out of the hotel and called Jason Barrett. “Finish up and head back home. I’ve got something for you two to handle over the next few days.”

“Big brother, what’s the job?”

Brandon smiled. “Help me chase down my future wife.”

“…”

“By the way, big brother, about you and sister-in-law just now…”

The line went dead.

“…”

---

The rain finally stopped, and the streets were freshly washed clean.

After the rain, the air was crisp, and the elderly folks were sitting outside on benches, chatting. A black pickup truck slowly pulled up to the clean street.

Jason Barrett opened the door, and Derek Lawson got out from the other side. The truck bed was filled with bags of rice, flour, oil, and other groceries like milk and bread.

“Hey, everyone!” Jason greeted the elderly folks sitting together warmly.

An older man wearing a loose white tank top and fanning himself squinted. “Who are these kids? They look familiar.”

“Oh, come on!” the elderly woman next to him tapped him on the arm. “They’re friends of young Brandon. How many times have they greeted you, and you still don’t remember? Your memory’s really going, huh!”

“Ah, right, right. Now I remember. Getting old isn’t easy.”

The two men unloaded the goods from the truck and started distributing them to the elderly folks.

“What’s all this for?” asked Mrs. Smith, one of the elderly women, her round eyes filled with confusion.

“Mrs. Smith, Brandon Rogers bought all this for you,” Derek replied, adjusting his glasses.

“But why? What’s he giving us all this for?”

“Nothing big, Mrs. Smith. Brandon just has a little favor to ask of you.”