The Kiss that Sparked it All novel Chapter 1783

Tracy quickly played along with her daughter's ruse. "Yes, Arnold. They’re just a couple of my poker buddies. I thought Sheila had already invited them in."

Arnold seemed to buy their story, though he looked visibly annoyed. "Poker again?! That's all you do, day in and day out. Stay home and cut down on your outings, Tracy! We don't have enough money for you to lose!"

Tracy appeared a bit hurt. "Arnold, I don't lose every day. I won a fair amount today. It's so boring to stay home all the time."

Arnold grunted heavily. "You and Sheila, none of you do anything useful! The Mendoza fortune isn't enough to support your habits!"

Tracy muttered under her breath. "You're not much better, Arnold. You're always off fishing and not doing anything productive either."

It was barely a whisper, but Arnold heard her. "What did you say? Speak up!"

Since her parents were on the verge of an argument, Sheila quickly stepped in to mediate. "Dad, there's still plenty of pot roast. Eat up, and if it's not enough, Mom can always make more for dinner."

After her daughter tried to intervene, Tracy quickly regained her composure and forced a smile. "Yes, Arnold. What would you like for dinner? I'll cook it for you."

Arnold, realizing his wife and daughter were attempting to appease him, cooled off a bit. "Fine, just stop bothering me! I didn't catch a single fish today, so I'm already irritated!"

Sheila quickly jumped on the opportunity. "Speaking of fish, I just remembered. Paul next door recently bought a new fish tank. He's got some beautiful, rare species. Maybe you'd like to take a look? Mom and I can prepare dinner while you're gone."

Arnold, a big fan of fish, seemed intrigued. "Really? I hadn't heard. I'll go have a look."