The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 895 Come In

"Alright," Sue held Sheryl as she said. "I know you care for me, I do. But you know Anthony, don't you? I'm afraid I can't stay here. I can always go to you if he shows any signs of not treating me well. You won't turn me away, right?"

Sheryl dragged out a long, helpless sigh. As she turned to Sue and held a serious look, she said, "Well, I won't keep you here if you've made up your mind.

I know you're still in love with him. You haven't talked about it but you've been missing him, right?"

Sue smiled affectionately. "You do know me best."

"Since it was your choice, I'll respect your decision. But..." Sheryl paused for a moment, looking at Sue with a heavy stare. "You have to let me know the second you feel wronged, if you ever do. No matter what happens, I'll back you up.

You're always welcome to come here if you feel like it. My home is yours now too. I'll always be here for you no matter how things turn out."

"I know." Sue enveloped Sheryl in a tight embrace. "Sher, I'm so lucky to have a friend like you in my life."

And she truly was. Sheryl's words were genuine, and she would always do everything in her power to keep her friend from harm.

"Silly girl," Sheryl teased.

That night, Sue packed her belongings. When she moved out of her apartment, she didn't carry many clothes because she thought she would be staying at Sheryl's place for only a few days. Most of her necessities were provided by Sheryl.

All that time, Sheryl had made sure to provide enough for her. She shared all she could.

"Sue, you can take these toothbrushes and other toiletries. I bought them for you, anyway.

I also have these two dresses that I haven't worn since I bought them. We're about the same size, so you can take them with you too."

"Oh and by the way, have you taken the vitamins I brought you before?" Sheryl added.

"Yes." Sue stopped her. "Don't worry about that. Sher, if you keep doing this, I'll end up leaving with everything in your house. Might as well put you in my luggage," she joked.

Suddenly, the mood shifted and Sheryl didn't seem to be very happy about the teasing. "I'm just afraid that you won't feel comfortable enough there."

"I know..." Sue moved in to put her arm around Sheryl's shoulder and said to her gently, "You should be relieved about me moving out. How can I leave you if you keep doing this? It's not like it's goodbye forever. We can still meet each other any time, every day, even."

Sue's comforting words made Sheryl feel loads better. They finished packing up and lay down in the bed, chatting the night away.

The next morning, Sheryl woke up very early. Anthony's car was already outside when she sent Shirley to school. She decided to approach him and knock on the car door.

He greeted her, looking very tired and restless.

"Have you been waiting here the whole night?" Sheryl asked.

"No," he denied. "I came here in the morning. I thought that I might as well just wait here since I couldn't fall asleep."

Sheryl looked at Anthony hesitantly. After a moment, she said, "Anthony, you can bring Sue home on one condition. You have to promise me that you will treat her well. She's a good girl and she deserves to be treated well."

"I know." He nodded his head eagerly before looking Sheryl in the eye. "I promise I will do my best to care for her."

When Sheryl heard the sincerity in his words, she nodded once and started walking back towards the house.

She briefly turned around and called him, "Come on in, Sue is still sleeping."

The invitation made him freeze. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to get close to Sheryl. 'How could she invite me in?' he wondered.

"What? You don't want to come inside?" Sheryl asked when she reached the door.

"No, no, no," he hastily denied and followed Sheryl to the door, at a loss for what to do once he stepped inside.

As Sheryl and Amy worked on preparing breakfast, Amy stared at Sheryl with a frown. "How could you let him in?"

"He's the father of Sue's child," Sheryl sighed. "And it's hot outside, so I let wait here," she simply explained.

"But..."

"Grandma, I know what you're worried about," Sheryl interrupted her before she could continue the thought. "He's coming to pick Sue up. There's nothing between us now. You don't need to worry about that." Amy looked at her puzzlingly. "He's coming to pick up Sue? What's that supposed to mean?" she asked in confusion.

Sheryl had no time to relay to Amy all that happened the previous night because she arrived home so late. Once she did tell her the whole story, Amy looked skeptical and anxious about the situation. "Anthony is such an unreliable man. Are you really alright with letting him take care of Sue?"

His role of fathering Sue's child did nothing to change Anthony's bad impression on Amy.

"Grandma, I know he did some untrustworthy things, but, I have to admit that he is very good at taking care of people." Sheryl wasn't defending him; she was only speaking the truth.

Anthony had taken care of Sheryl and Shirley very well during the years she stayed with him. The only issue at hand was if he was in love with Sue as much as she was with him.

If he wasn't, it might break Sue's heart while she lived with him.

"If he keeps to his word about treating Sue well, then I'll live with ease,"

Sheryl simply explained.

She called him into the dining room to have breakfast together. Knowing that Amy didn't think well of him, Anthony was uncomfortable and afraid that Amy didn't want him at the table, so he turned the offer down politely. Amy looked at him indifferently and said, "Do you dislike the breakfast I made?"

Her question had Anthony rushing to the dining table to reassure them that he didn't mean to offend them. When he sat down, he could see how Sheryl and Amy were trying to keep from smiling. After they finished breakfast, Sue woke up. She was surprised to see Anthony right away. "How come you're here so early?"

"He's been waiting for you outside since early this morning," Sheryl said. "Come have some breakfast first."

When she saw that Amy was rather sad about the news, Sue felt a little sting in her chest. "Grandma Amy..."

"Sue, are you sure you want to leave?" She took Sue's hands in hers and asked in earnest.

No matter how much she loved Amy and Sheryl, she knew that she had to go. She nodded her head resolutely. "I've been bothering you for far too long. It's time to bother my kid's father. He should take responsibility at times like this," Sue smiled teasingly.

Amy shook her head and laughed as she heard the words. "You're still kidding even now," she sighed. "Seeing you leave... I'm just... I don't like it."

"Grandma Amy..." Sue smiled in gratitude and affection. "I'll make sure to visit you and rip meals off you often in the next days. I'll miss your dishes terribly."