Chapter 191

Judy’s POV

I was standing in the presence of Gavin’s mother. Donna Landry.

She stared at me with such dismay that I stood there with unease bubbling in my belly. Daisy stood beside her with her arms folded across her chest and a smug smile on her lips. The last thing I wanted right now was to have this altercation with them, especially while I was out to dinner with my family, in celebration of my father coming home.

“So, you’re the hussy living in my son’s mansion,” she said bluntly, her eyes scanned me from head to toe and I felt my cheeks burning as I stared back at her.

The hussy living in her son’s mansion?

“I… I’m sorry?” I asked, hating that I stammered, but I was genuinely confused. I had never met this woman a day in my life. How could she call me a hussy without even knowing me?

My eyes flickered to Daisy who was now smirking as if she knew a dirty little secret.

“Are you the reason my Gavin refused to marry Daisy?” She asked, narrowing her eyes at me and drawing my attention back to her very displeased and stern face.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she spoke again, silencing me.

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, holding up her hand. “Soon enough, my son will come to his senses. You aren’t anything to him so there’s no need for me to worry. He tells me everything and he didn’t even bother to tell me about you, which leads me to believe that you are nobody important.”

My chest tightened at her words. I didn’t want to feel disappointed, but I did. Daisy could see it too and this only made her smirk grow more. Without another word, his mother pushed passed me and back to her table, Daisy stayed behind for a minute, her eyes never leaving mine.

“I’ve been a part of this family for a long time. I’ve been waiting for my chance with Gavin since he married my stupid sister. I’m not letting anyone…including you… stand in my way,” she hissed, and then she too pushed past me and back towards her table.

I felt numb as I made my way to the bathroom. As soon as I was in the closed compacity of the restroom, tears spilled down my cheeks. I hated that I was showing this kind of weakness. I hated that I was hurt over the things someone I didn’t even know said. I knew I needed to speak to Gavin, but what was I supposed to tell him? That his mother cornered me in the restaurant, and she couldn’t stand me? That I stood no chance with him because I was nothing compared to their family? That he’s supposed to be with Daisy and not with me?

Would he believe them?

Did it even matter? It’s not like we were in an actual relationship, and yet, it felt like we were.

I hated the effect this was having on me. I had my own issues and my own life I needed to focus my attention on. I walked over to the mirror, groaning when I saw my face. It was obvious that I’d been crying. I turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water onto my face. I needed to make it look like I was completely fine or else my parents would ask questions; questions that I didn’t want to answer.

Once I was decent, I took a deep breath and rejoined my parents at the table. By the time I returned to the table, our food had already arrived. My parents were the kind who wouldn’t eat unless everybody was seated and ready to eat. They both smiled at me with their hands neatly on their laps as I took my seat.

“Sorry,” I said, giving them both a small smile. “Didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

“Is everything okay?” My mother asked, her eyes shining with concern.

I smiled, though it was forced.

“Yes,” I told her. “There was a long line for the bathroom.”

I hated lying to her, but I didn’t want her to know that I had an altercation with a Landry. My mother didn’t look as if she bought the lie though and studied me for a long while before she nodded and leaned back in her seat.

“We should eat before our food gets cold,” my father said, as he picked up his fork.

I nodded in agreement.

We ate in a comfortable silence, until a commotion took root on the other side of the restaurant, drawing in everyone’s attention.

….

Third Person POV

Nan had no idea what she was doing. If it weren’t for Judy convincing her all night, she probably would have told Chester no. But here she was preparing to go on her first official date with him.

She stood in her small apartment, staring at herself in the mirror, her heart in her throat. She wore a casual dress that hugged her frame perfectly and made her boobs look great. She ran her fingers through her short hair and looked into her blue eyes. She just finished giving herself a pep-talk when she heard a knock on her door.

It was a showtime.

She made her way through her living room and pulled the door open, her breath hitching when she saw Chester standing in front of her. He looked so handsome in his suit and his hair neatly done. He gave her a warm smile when he saw her and it made her heart melt on the spot.

“Wow…” Chester said, looking at her appreciatively. “You look beautiful.”

Nan blushed at the compliment and stared at the ground.

“Thanks.”

He nodded, his eyes scanning her body momentarily before he lifted his eyes to hers.

“Are you ready? I made a reservation at this new restaurant in the city.”

Nan nodded and grabbed her purse before leaving her apartment. She felt awkward, but during the car ride, neither of them spoke for a long while.

Once they got to the restaurant, things didn’t seem to get much better. Nan still felt a bit awkward, unsure of what to say to him.

The Whimsical Whisk was a restaurant owned by Carter, Gavin’s Delta, right down the street from Carter’s resort, where Nan worked for years as a waitress. Her goal is to one day be a chef, ironically like her mate. She isn’t even sure if Chester knows that fact about her, and yet, she still can’t come up with something to say to him without it sounding lame.

“Thank you for agreeing to this date,” Chester said, his tone filled with sincerity, and maybe a hint of something else.

Nan nodded.

“I’ve been wanting to try this place out for some time now,” she admitted, taking a sip of the wine that the waiter had just placed in front of her.

Chester nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, me too,” he said softly. He found it hard to look away from Nan, whereas Nan had difficulties looking at Chester, both for similar reasons. Their mate bond was pulling one another in, and it scared them both.

Chester had never committed to anyone in his life and Nan was having trust issues when it came to him. She didn’t want to put her entire heart and soul into something that would ultimately fall apart. She tried to keep her walls up, and though Chester was afraid of the commitment, he wanted to tear her walls down. He wanted to get to know his mate… really get to know her.

Not before long the waiter was returning to take their orders; Chester let Nan order first and he sat back, listening to her detailed explanation of how she’d like her stuffed porkchop cooked and prepared.

By the time she finished, the waiter had filled out his entire notepad and was red in the face. He flipped to a new page and said with gritted teeth, “And what may I get for you?”

Chester grinned and pretty much did the same exact thing, only with a different dish.

The waiter pretty much grumbled as he walked away, majorly annoyed by them. Chester let out a hearty laugh as he looked at Nan, awe written all over his face.

“That was impressive,” he told her, still laughing. “Not many know exactly how they want their food prepared like that.”

Nan shrugged, biting back a smile herself, her cheeks feeling oddly warm.

“Habit, I guess,” she said softly, staring down at her wine glass. “Thanks for backing me up. I was worried he would hate me for the rest of the evening, but now it seems he’ll hate us both.”

Chester laughed again and Nan found herself liking the sound.

“What do you do for work?” Chester suddenly asked.

Nan’s face reddened even more; she was in her 20s and she felt like she hadn’t gotten all that far in life. She wasn’t a well-known chef like Chester… she felt little in comparison.

“I’m a waitress at the Carter resort,” she told him softly, taking another isp of her wine.

“No, shit?” Chester asked, raising his brows. “That explains why you know how you want your food prepared. That’s a pretty elegant place. Patrick Carter keeps a tight ship.”

Nan nodded as she thought about her boss; Delta Carter was a hard ass, but a fair man. He gave Nan the raises she’d asked for over the years and even complimented her skills. He travels a lot and always trusts Nan to keep charge of things while he’s gone.

“Patrick is actually a friend of mine,” Chester said, his eyes studying Nan. “So, if he ever gives you problems, let me know. I’ll kick his ass.”

Nan bit back another smile.

“He’s actually a pretty good boss,” she admitted.

He nodded thoughtfully.

“I’m glad to hear that. How long have you worked for him?”

“5 years,” she admitted sheepishly.

He looked surprised.

“Wow, he doesn’t usually keep employees that long…” he said, tilting his head at her. “You must be really special.” There was a twinge of jealousy behind his words that Nan noticed, and it made her cheeks burn.

“I wouldn’t say that,” she said quickly.

Not before long their food was served. The waiter gave them both dismissive looks as he asked them if there was anything more they needed. They asked for more wine and the waiter went off to grab them for them.

Chester laughed as he grabbed his fork.

“He’s going to be bitching about us all night,” he said with a grin.

Nan snorted without meaning to; her cheeks burned from the sound. It made Chester grin even more; he found that to be the cutest sound he’d ever heard.

The waiter soon returned with their wine and then left without another word, making them both suppress laughter as they started to eat their food.

Nan took small bites, noting each of the seasonings she could taste. She was impressed with the use of Tyme, paired with other seasonings that typically wouldn’t work together, but in this case, it did.

She had a bad habit of noting the different seasonings in dishes she ate without realizing she was doing it. She didn’t even know she was doing it out loud until she noticed Chester staring at her with wide eyes.

Before he could say anything, he noted someone approaching them behind Nan and his eyes darkened.

“What the fuck…” he whispered.