The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 615 A Nursery School For Shirley

Looking at Shirley's cute expression, Abby smiled and said, "Oh yeah sweetie, Sher is here to pick you up."

The kid was so glad to see her mother. Sheryl helped her daughter fix her shoes and tenderly urged, "Let's go. downstairs."

When the three came down the stairs, the dinner was already served on the table. The Zhao family was waiting for them to join in. Amy stood up and happily invited, "Come on, let's have dinner together." Unable to refuse their hospitality, Sheryl sat around the table with Shirley.

The meal ended up in a merry exchange of words and laughter. Shirley didn't recognize Andy, which was a great relief to the latter.

After they had dinner, Andy drove the mother and daughter to their house. Abby tagged along with Andy. After parking the car in front of the apartment, Andy and Abby watched them as they went up the stairs. When Sheryl and her daughter were out of sight, Abby didn't urge her husband to leave immediately. Instead, she turned to Andy and spoke in a serious tone,"Can we have a talk now?"

With a quick glance at Abby, Andy replied, "I have already made myself clear to you. What else do you want to know?"

"Please be honest with me. What's up, Andy? Why have you acted so weird in front of Shirley? I avoided asking you back home because I didn't want mom and dad to hear us argue," Abby said frankly. "Abby...." Andy faltered with a hesitant expression. Even though he hated lying to his wife, he had no choice but to keep her in the dark about his secret with Anthony. He took Abby's hand and explained in a mellowed voice, "I've had tons of work to deal with recently, so I have been a little anxious. Besides, Sheryl really lost her memory. I was actually stunned when just like that, Mom directly brought Shirley to our house. I was afraid that Sheryl might remember and worse, suspect that she's related to us."

"It's not a big deal Andy," Abby returned, as she narrowed her eyes. "She is Autumn. We both know that. So far, she is our closest kin in this world. If she has any doubts towards us, why don't we just tell her the truth?"

"I... It didn't occur to me," Andy responded, looking away to avoid his wife's gaze. Embarrassed, Andy looked back at Abby. "Abby, come on! Just forgive me this time. It won't happen again," he said apologetically.

"Is that all? Are you sure?" Abby asked, incredulous. "That's all, I promise," Andy swore earnestly.

Abby was still skeptical about her husband's words, but she chose to believe him. Smiling, Andy went on,"I know you're dying to bring Autumn back, but you need to be patient." After a pause, he suggested,"After Anthony is back, how about we treat Autumn and him to a meal?"

"I couldn't agree more. I want to have a talk with Anthony and figure out what happened to Autumn in the past three years," Abby replied excitedly.

Sheryl needed to work and Anthony was abroad. She found it hard to take care of her daughter alone. Therefore, she decided to take Shirley out that morning to search for a nursery school. As soon as Sheryl opened the door of the apartment, she suddenly caught sight of Amy.

Taking notice that Sheryl was going out with Shirley, Amy asked curiously,"Where are you going?"

"Hi, Amy," Sheryl greeted awkwardly, as she gave Amy a quick glance. She had no intention of letting Amy know about her plan. 'If she knew, she would oppose to it,' she thought.

"I..." Sheryl mumbled. Before she could say another word, her daughter opened her mouth. "Grandma Amy, Mom is going to replace a nursery for me," Shirley cut in.

"Shirley!" Sheryl growled with furrowed eyebrows. She grabbed Shirley and gave her a reproachful glance.

With a stern look, Amy began in a dissatisfied tone, "I thought we had made a deal. I will help you look after Shirley when you don't have time. Why did you suddenly decide to replace her a nursery?"

"I... I just... I don't want to bother you again," Sheryl expounded as if she were a child who was caught making a mistake. "Once I replace a nursery, I can pick her up after I finish from work. In this way, you won't be bothered by looking after Shirley."

"I don't agree," Amy said firmly. Frowning, she lectured, "Haven't you read the latest news? Child abuse often happens in a nursery. Shirley is too young. How can you make such a rush and careless decision?" Amy's disapproving tone left Sheryl stunned. Of course, she had heard about those stories. However, she couldn't think of a better idea than sending her daughter to a nursery.

"I'll just send Shirley there for a couple of days, Amy. After Anthony comes back, he can look after her," Sheryl instantly rationalized to put Amy at ease.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Amy voiced out her opinion with a resolute expression. Understanding Sheryl's concern, she went on persuasively,"Stop being so formal with me. You don't need to worry about Shirley once she is with me. After work, you can come to my house and take her home. Isn't that the best idea?"

"But..." Sheryl stammered. Since Amy was her elder, she thought it was improper to argue with the kind lady. But she still thought that if her daughter was in a nursery, she wouldn't be burdened with gratitude. After all, she would pay the nursery fee for Shirley.

"Well, that's the deal," Amy said in a decided manner. "Luckily, I came here to bring you some steamed stuffed buns I made this morning. Otherwise, I would never have known your plan," she continued, looking a little angry.

Amy handed the bag to Sheryl while saying,"Put this in the fridge. I will take Shirley with me. When you're off duty, you can come and pick her up. From today on, I will come here in the morning and take her to my house, what do you think?"

"Well... I don't know what to say. Thank you." Sheryl finally agreed.

After Shirley left with Amy, Sheryl walked into the house. After taking two buns out of the bag, she put the rest in the refrigerator. She placed the two buns into the oven. As the buns were ready, she went to Sue's apartment with the buns and a cup of cereal.

The previous night, Holley gave a big treat. No one dared to leave early. Sue didn't go home until over three o'clock the following morning. The moment she arrived home, she went straight to her room, nonchalantly laid on the bed and quickly fell asleep. She was so sleepy that she didn't even bother to remove her make-up.

When Sue heard someone knock on her apartment's door, she reluctantly sprang out of the bed and opened the door. Seeing Sheryl standing at the door, she whined in her lazy voice, "Sher, couldn't you come later? I'm damn sleepy."

"Mimi, do you know what time it is now?" Sheryl queried as she pointed to the wall clock. "It's already late. Get up, you sleepy head! We have a rehearsal a little later this morning."

Sue sprawled herself into the large sofa. "Can't I just stay home? I'm so drowsy!" she complained.

"I understand that you are sleepy," Sheryl replied, as she helped Sue get up. "Look at yourself. You slept without removing your make-up. Are you crazy?" Sheryl continued.

"OMG!" Sue screeched. Sheryl's words reminded her that she was still wearing make-up. Her loud screech almost blew the roof off her apartment. She abruptly sprinted to the bathroom. Sheryl helped Sue clean up her room. She then spotted a familiar picture on the couch. She discreetly picked it up and put it back in Sue's dresser.