Chapter 407 - Three-Way Conversation and Awkward Scene
Karen collected herself after her shock, and quickly shook her head. “No, no. The new neighbors are visiting us too. They’re in the living room.”
Luke was stunned for a moment. “The new neighbors? Are we interrupting you?” Karen shook her head again. “No, come on in. You can get to know them too.”
In any case, you’re just like them; this is your first time dropping by after living here for so long. Roasting them in her heart, the housewife let them in.
Selina gave her the cake and said, “Sorry to drop in unannounced; this is our homemade cake for you and Jeff to try.” Karen accepted it with a smile, and the three of them went to the living room together.
In the living room, Jeff got up and greeted them with a smile. “What brings you here, Luke?”
Luke said with a smile, “Good afternoon, Jeff. I’ve been meaning to catch up with you, since it’s been a long while. It just so happens that we got off work early today, so we came here. These two are…” His gaze shifted to a couple, who had turned around.
Holding out a hand, Jeff said warmly to the two, who stood up from the couch, “Let me introduce you. This is Luke and this is Selina. They’re our neighbors from 108 on the west side of the neighborhood.”
He then said to Luke with a smile, “This is Tim and this is Natalie. They’re our new neighbors. They just bought Meg’s house.”
Luke stepped forward with a smile and stretched out a hand to the couple. “Welcome to Maple Street. This is a nice place. Jeff and Karen, especially, are the best neighbors.”
The couple greeted him and also shook hands with Selina before they all sat down.
Interestingly enough, both Selina and the couple shook with their left hands.
It was Luke who deliberately stretched out his right hand first, and since Tim held out his left hand, it looked like a tiny mistake.
Luke simply smiled and switched to his left hand.
In the living room, Tim and Natalie sat facing Jeff and Karen, while Luke and Selina were on the side couch.
As two experienced detectives, Luke and Selina were at ease and made the occasional comment or two without the slightest hint of awkwardness.
Jeff and Karen, on the other hand, were struggling to come up with things to talk about, and Luke and Selina could feel how awkward some of the topics were.
It wasn’t that Jeff and Karen were bad at small talk… It was just that the people they were talking to had an especially glamorous vibe.
The two new neighbors were the woman in the white dress and her husband; at least, that was how they introduced themselves.
Tim was fine. This middle-aged man was wearing casual clothes. While handsome, he wasn’t exactly dazzling.
Natalie, on the other hand, had changed clothes.
The white knee-length skirt she was wearing covered her fascinating legs, but those long narrow calves were still on display.
She was also wearing a white jacket which wasn’t buttoned up, revealing the tight, low-neck shirt underneath as well as two magnificent mounds under the shirt.
Luke subconsciously looked at Selina. Thankfully, they weren’t at a total disadvantage; at least, Selina’s boobs were bigger than hers.
As they chatted, Luke learned that the couple had pretty fancy jobs.
Tim was a travel writer, though he described himself as more of an adventurer.
Natalie was a food blogger, and would follow her husband now and then all over the world to try gourmet food, and then try to make her own food with a local flavor.
These jobs sounded much more impressive than HR or interior design.
As for Luke and Selina? They still called themselves freelancers.
Natalie asked further, “Is that so? Are we in the same line?”
Luke was amused. “No, I’m not much of a cook. Actually, I’m better at Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It’s not very popular.”
Natalie was stunned for a moment. “Brazilian jiu-jitsu? I think Tim talked about it before.” She then shot her husband a glance with her thin and charming eyes.
Tim smiled and said, “I’ve been to Brazil, but I’ve never visited a jiu-jitsu club. Hm, was it created by the Japanese?”
Luke raised an eyebrow and smiled, “If we consider the history, it’s probably based on combat skills from ancient China.”
Tim and Natalie: “…”
Jeff and Karen: “…”
Luke tactfully dropped the ineffable subject and said to Jeff, “Do you want to have a barbecue at our place tonight? We had a good time before.”
Jeff nodded his head, then immediately shook it. “You might’ve been too busy to know, but the community is holding a mini beer festival at six o’clock this evening, and it’ll be in our backyard. Most of our neighbors will be there; well, except both of you, who didn’t know.”
Luke looked at Selina.
Selina seemed puzzled. “I really didn’t get any notice.”
Jeff and Karen both seemed embarrassed, before Karen said frankly, “I actually wanted to let you know a few days ago, but Meg… Meg said that she hardly ever saw the both of you, maybe because you’re too busy, so…”
Luke and Selina got it.
Clearly, Meg was angry that Selina didn’t give her any respect, and had simply resorted to this sort of petty, disgusting trick. If Luke and Selina hadn’t come to Jeff’s place today, they might have missed a lot of neighborhood gatherings after this, which would be… fantastic.
But whether they went or not was up to them to decide, and Meg’s underhanded trick was really annoying.
Luke smiled. “That’s fine, we’ll be coming. Is there anything we need to do? Do we have to bring our own beer?”
Jeff smiled. “No, no, no. I’ll provide the beers for the party. It’s my personal brew, I guarantee the taste is top notch. Selina, would it be possible for you to bring one or two dishes, or some dessert? Like those cakes; those would be great.”
Selina was lost for words. You want me to prepare a few dishes for you? How about instant noodles? I can even bring a whole box.
Luke, however, simply nodded with a smile. “Not a problem. We’ll go back and get ready.”
Natalie interjected, “This beer festival sounds like fun. Can we come as well?”.
Jeff quickly nodded. “Of course, you’re part of the community. In any case, the party will be in our backyard.”
Seeing that they were going to talk a while longer, Luke got up. “Jeff, Karen, Selina still needs to go back and cook. It’s almost five now, and we might be late if we don’t get going. We’ll come back later.”
