Yvonne''s mind waspletely fried.


    The world felt chaotic and messy. What on earth had been happeningtely?


    "You know, I never would have guessed this about Hull," she said, struggling to find the right words. "Toying with Susanna like that is just not cool. We all know Lacey''s history with ck Gate; she''s not someone you mess with. Does he really think it''s a good idea to y games with her daughter?"


    Yvonne could already picture the explosive confrontation that would happen if Lacey found out Hull had been ying Susanna. But more than that, she was worried about the little squirt.


    They hadn''t known each other long, but Susanna was just as innocent and naive as Star.


    Xander''s head was spinning from Yvonne''s frantic analysis.


    "Hey, you know, I never saw that old fox Hull as a yer," Yvonne mused. "Actually,


    I was starting to wonder if he could even get it up. How could he possibly... ugh!"


    The more she thought, the more confused she got.


    "Are you sure it wasn''t Susanna he was carrying?" Xander asked.


    Yvonne fell silent.


    The air went still. She had been all geared up to bad-mouth Hull, and then Xander had to drop that bomb.


    She stared at him,pletely stunned.


    "Are you... are you sure?"


    It was Susanna?


    Hull was carrying Susanna? But..... that meant... he was with Susanna this whole time?


    Then what was he doing before?


    Yvonne was reeling.


    "How would I know? You''re the one who saw him," Xander pointed out. Why was she asking him if he was sure?


    Yvonne''s breathing grew shallow. "Well, I... I didn''t get a clear look."


    "Then why don''t you ask him?" Xander suggested.


    Yvonne paused. Ask him? Right, she hadn''t seen clearly, so she might as well just ask.


    She immediately pulled out her phone and called Hull.


    Susanna and Hull were in the car. They''d been out for a while, and she hadn''t had her afternoon nap. She''d been drowsy during dinner, and by the time ulf was finishing his meeting, she had fallen asleep on the sofa.


    Now she was nestled in his arms, wrapped snugly in his suit jacket.


    *Buzz, buzz, buzz.* Hull''s phone vibrated. He pulled it out and answered.


    "Speak," he said, his voice low.


    Even so, the sound disturbed Susanna, who shifted in his arms with a soft murmur of protest.


    On the other end, Yvonne''s voice was cautious. "Hull?"


    "Mm," he grunted, his voice even lower now, as if afraid to wake Susanna.


    Yvonne swallowed hard. "Were you... were you carrying a woman just now?"


    "Hmm?" His tone turned cold.


    "It... it was a woman, right? Was it Susanna?" she pressed.


    "You seem to have too much time on your hands. Or did Dan not give you enough troublest time?"


    Yvonne was bbergasted. What did one thing have to do with the other? And she wasn''t just being nosy. Why was he treating her like some gossip-hungry kid?


    Yvonne pouted. "Fine, fine. I won''t ask, alright?"


    Sensing his impatience, she hung up.


    Hull''s position while on the phone seemed to be making Susanna ufortable She kept squirming trying to find a better spot. He put his phone away and gently pressed her head against his shoulder. Instantly, she settled down.


    ...


    Hull had been short with Yvonne because he didn''t want Susanna to be disturbed.


    But his curt dismissal only left Yvonne more bewildered.


    She looked at Xander with wide, confused eyes.


    "Well?" he asked.


    "He asked me if I had too much time on my hands! What does that even mean? All she did was ask if he was carrying a woman, and if that woman was Susanna. Was that so hard to answer?