Chapter 42

Judy’s POV

“I can’t believe you are actually going on a date with Gavin Landry’s nephew!” Nan shrieked as we both rummaged through my wardrobe. Walter was going to pick me up in a couple of hours and I had nothing to wear for this evening. I was so nervous that my stomach felt like it was about to turn inside out.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” I said, turning around to face her.

She frowned at me.

“Are you kidding me?” She gasped. “Walter Landry is eye candy; he’s fucking hot. Of course, he’s not Gavin Landry Hot, but holy smokes that gene pool is strong.”

I rolled my eyes at my overly excited best friend.

“I’m serious, Nan. What was I thinking?” I asked, shaking my head.

“Does it even matter?” She asked. “Why are you stressing out about this? You said it yourself that you are attracted to him.”

“I would have to be blind to not be attracted to him,” I murmured.

“I just can’t believe that you met him by chance at the library,” she said, shaking her head. “I never took him for much of a reader.”

I raised my brows at her.

“He owns his own publication,” I reminded her. “All he does is read and write.”

“Yeah, but I thought it was all for show. He’s too hot to be hidden behind a boring book. He should be a model or something.”

I laughed at her words.

I didn’t particularly appreciate having to lie to her about how I met Walter. But she couldn’t know that I met him while at Gavin’s villa. I told her I was studying at the library this morning and Walter just happened to be there. We talked for a bit and then he asked me out. Nan and I had been aimlessly rummaging through my clothing, trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight. We’ve been here for about an hour and we both have been coming up empty-handed.

“He might be hot, but he’s intelligent and really good at what he does. I’ve been following his work for a long time, and I’m impressed with him. I’m just worried he won’t be impressed with me,” I admitted, biting my lower lip.

Walter did a lot of writing about the French Gamma Warriors and took many photos from the battlegrounds. I’ve done reports based on his work many times in the past.

“What about this?” Nan asked, pulling out a small black dress.

I frowned at it and then looked at Nan with narrowed eyes.

“It’s a little small, don’t you think?” I asked her. “I doubt it’s appropriate for a date with a Landry.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Then put a sweater over it, Judy,” she said, throwing the dress at me. “It’ll show off your legs and you got killer legs.”

I frowned down at my legs.

“Trust me,” she added and then she winked. “He’s going to love you in that outfit.”

I blushed at her words.

“I don’t think I want him to love me,” I told her.

She rolled her eyes again; if she kept doing that, her eyes would get stuck behind her head.

“Just put it on,” she begged.

I sighed and relented. It’s not like I had anything else to wear and this was a nice dress. I bought it a while ago when Nan and I went on a shopping binge, back when my family wasn’t bankrupt, and I had the funds to splurge my money. I wasn’t really sure what I would wear it for, but Nan said I looked great in it.

I guess tonight was the night that put it to the test; I just hoped I didn’t look like a prostitute.

I showered, making sure to shave every inch of my body. Not that I thought anything was going to happen tonight, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Once I finished washing my hair and body, I stepped out of the shower, allowing the warm steam to swarm around me as I wrapped a towel around myself and walked to the mirror.

I brushed my teeth and brushed out my wet clumps of hair until it was smooth and went straight down my back. The dress was resting on the counter with a cute black sweater. Once I put the dress and the sweater on, I raised my brows at my reflection.

I had to admit, I looked good in this. I was amazed at how fitted my body looked and Nan was right, I did have great legs. The sweater made the look a bit classier, so I didn’t feel super floozy.

Satisfied, I left the bathroom only to hear Nan shrieking in delight.

“You look amazing!” She practically yelled.

I shushed her.

“My mother is sleeping,” I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes, and I knew what she was thinking; my mother was always sleeping. But she’s been better lately; she’s been out of bed and doing things around the house again. She even went food shopping yesterday; she’s been speaking with my father’s lawyers and trying to come up with a plan to get him out of prison. She was exhausted and went to bed early tonight; I didn’t want to wake her and disturb her well-needed rest. I hadn’t had a chance to update Nan too much about current events, so she wasn’t aware of any of that yet.

“Let me do your hair and makeup now,” Nan said, grabbing her bag which consisted of hair supplies and makeup. I smiled at her and sat down at the vanity across the room. She got to work on my hair, brushing it out again and then blow-drying it. She got her curling iron and curled it, so it was wavy and flowed evenly around my shoulders. She put a hairpin in my hair to keep my side bangs out of my face and then she started on my makeup.

By the time she finished, I barely recognized myself.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“You look amazing,” she said, putting an arm around my shoulders. “He’s going to die when he sees you.”

She grabbed a bottle of perfume and spritzed it at me, making me wince because some of it got into my eyes.

“Sorry,” she chuckled.

Just then, the doorbell rang and I froze.

“Oh, my goddess!” she nearly shouted, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the door. “He’s here!”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed her out of my room. I grabbed my purse that hung on the door handle before shutting the door behind me. I quickly followed her down the stairs where she grabbed a pair of black heals that were tossed in the corner of the living room.

“I saw these earlier; you have to wear them,” she told me.

I frowned.

“They’re my mothers,” I told her.

“She won’t mind,” she said, waving off my concern. “You two are the same size. These heals go great with that dress.”

I relented, putting the shoes on. They made me about an inch taller, but not too tall. Walter will still be a good foot taller than me. She gave me one last look before motioning for the door.

“I’ll hide; you get the door,” she whispered and then disappeared around the corner. I shook my head at her retreating back and grabbed the doorknob, turning it just as he rang the bell again. He froze when he saw me and his eyes grew large.

“Wow…” he said under his breath, taking in my appearance from head to toe. “You look….” His voice trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” I said, assuming he was going to say I looked good. He did look great with his suit and red tie; his curly blonde hair was gelled out of his face, and he was neatly shaved.

I smiled at the effort he put into his own appearance.

“We should go before we are late for our reservation,” he said, pulling his eyes away from my cleavage and back into my eyes. I nodded and glanced over my shoulder at Nan who was peeking her head around the corner and giving me a toothy grin and a thumbs up.

I smiled as I shut the door behind me. I followed him to the red car that waited out front. He opened the back door for me, and I slid in; he got in behind me.

There was a young man seated behind the wheel; he didn’t look much older than Walter and he gave me a grin from the rearview mirror when our eyes met. He was also wearing a suit, but it wasn’t as pristine as Walter’s.

“Judy, this is my subordinate, friend, and future Beta, Maxwell,” Walter introduced.

“You can call me Max,” he said from the front seat. “It’s nice to meet you. You were all this guy could talk about since meeting you this morning.”

I blushed at his words and glanced at Walter who was glaring at his future Beta. Max shrunk in his seat and fixed his attention out the front window.

“We should get going,” Max said, clearing his throat.

“Probably a good idea,” Walter barked.

The rest of the drive was fairly quiet. When we reached the restaurant, Walter rushed around the car to open the door for me before I even had the chance. He took my hand and lifted it to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss before he helped me out of the car. I smiled at him and followed him into the luxury restaurant.

“A table for two under Walter Landry,” Walter told the hostess confidently.

Her eyes grew large when he mentioned his name.

“Mr. Landry… it’s such an honor that you are dining with us this evening,” she said, bowing her head to him.

Walter smiled and then draped an arm around my shoulders. When her eyes landed on me, she scowled and then forced a smile.

“Right this way,” she said, grabbing a couple of menus and walking through the dining area.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but get the sense that someone was watching me. But then my eyes found him seated across the room and when our eyes met, my entire heart fell into my stomach.

What the hell was he doing here??