Chapter 4

"We should see today to go through the process." Leonard suggested and Jolynn agreed before hanging up the call.

She got dressed, taking her time seeing as it was the weekend, she thought she was going to go back to the interview venue, but Leonard had other plans.

Jolynn was dressed, ready to leave as a knock sounded on her door.

She looked at Timothy, "Are you expecting someone?" She questioned.

He shook his head.

As she opened the door, she was shocked to see who it was at the other side. It was Leonard.

"How do you know this place?" She asked.

Leonard smiled. "I have my ways." He walked into the apartment, and Jolynn closed the door behind him.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Jolynn asked.

Leonard took her hand and led her to the couch. "I thought we could take a break from all the interview stress and have some fun. How about a day trip to the beach?"

Jolynn's eyes lit up. "That sounds amazing, but I usually spend the weekend with my family." That was when Leonard looked behind her to see a grown man and a young lady.

"Oh."

"This is Timothy, my younger brother, he's 17 and little Vivienne is 10." Jolynn introduced and her siblings waved at Leonard.

He waved back, "We could all go together then." Vivienne's face lit up, she has always wanted to go to the beach, but Jolynn didn't have the time or resources to take her there.

Jolynn looked back at them and saw the excitement on their faces, "Okay then. Would you like to come in and wait while they get dressed?" She pointed into the house and Leonard walked into the tiny apartment.

As they waited for Timothy and Vivienne to get ready, Leonard couldn't help but notice how cozy and lived-in the apartment felt. It was small but well-kept, with pictures of Jolynn and her family hanging on the walls, he didn't see one that could be of their parents though. He watched as Jolynn fussed over Vivienne, helping her put on sunscreen and making sure she had everything she needed for the day.

Once they were all ready, they piled into Leonard's car and set off for the beach. The drive was long, but they passed the time by singing along to the radio and playing car games. By the time they arrived, everyone was in high spirits.

The beach was crowded, but Leonard managed to find a secluded spot where they could set up camp. They spent the day swimming, playing beach volleyball, and building sandcastles. Jolynn watched as her brother and sister laughed and played, grateful for the chance to spend a carefree day with them.

As the sun began to set, they packed up their things as Leonard suggested to take them shopping then to get dinner before parting ways.

Jolynn was first offended, thinking she hasn't been dressed nice,  but Leonard reassured her it was nothing of sorts.

"You dress good, I just want to do this for you and your siblings." Leonard said and Timothy nodded.

He looked so much up to his sister and could never find a fault in her.

Jolynn was hesitant at first, but the thought of spending more time with Leonard and her siblings was too tempting to pass up. It had been a while since they had all gone out together and she wanted to make the most of it. They piled back into the car, sandy and tired, but still buzzing with excitement from the day's activities.

The shopping trip was a success, with Timothy and Vivienne picking out new clothes and toys for themselves. Leonard even surprised Jolynn with a new dress, insisting that she needed something nice for their dinner outing.

"Take this too." He suggested, handling her another beautiful gown.

It was flowery patterned, flowy and definitely the kind of dress Jolynn loved to wear, seeing aa she was hesitant to take it, Timothy urged her.

"Come on sis, you live dresses like that, take it, it wouldn't hurt." He shrugged before going back to picking dresses with Vivienne.

"Okay…" Leonard wanted to say more, but his phone rang and he excused himself to take the call.

"How's it going?" Tony asked on the other side of the phone.

"Great, you know they're poor, so everything I do is making them feel important." He boasted to his friend and that was the words Jolynn heard.

She cleared her throat, her face hardened.

"Mr Jones, my siblings and I can cater for ourselves, thank you so much, but I don't think I'll go through with my decision, good night." She spoke in one word and left the spot.

Leonard broke from the freeze and ran after her.

"Wait, Jolynn please, it's not what you think, I wasn't talking about you, actually that was a lie, it is about you, but please wait, I'm sorry, I don't think you're poor, but if I didn't say that, I might not get approval from him too." He walked after her, she was angry and he could feel it.

Jolynn's face softened at that, never in a million years could she think that someone like Leonard would need someone's approval to do things, deciding to take pity in him, she accepted the apology.

"Okay." She nodded, stopping, "Shall we eat now?"

Leonard nodded, excited that she accepted his apology.

"This way." He said, leading the way.

As they walked into the restaurant, Jolynn felt a twinge of nervousness. She had never been to a restaurant like this before and she wondered if she was dressed appropriately. But Leonard's hand on her lower back gave her a sense of comfort and she followed him to their table.

The meal was delicious, with Leonard insisting on ordering everything from the menu for them to try. Jolynn felt spoiled and even caught herself laughing and enjoying herself, Leonard's next words however came unexpectedly.

"Let's get married." She choked.