Chapter 27

Judy’s POV

All three of them stared at me. Irene and Matt with smiles on their faces and Gavin with a frown.

I stood in front of them with my eyes wide and my heart thudding violently in my chest. I wasn’t sure what to say as an excuse to get out of this. There was no way I was going to have dinner with Gavin and his family.

“I really should go,” I managed to sputter, pointing over my shoulder at the door and giving an awkward and desperate-sounding laugh.

“Please, Judy,” Matt pleaded, grabbing onto my arm. “I really want you to stay.”

“It would be nice to have another woman at the table,” Irene agreed, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

She truly was desperate for friends, and she would get them any way that she could. I glanced up at Gavin, hoping that he would say something to help me out here. But he just sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He glanced at Irene and then at Matt before he turned towards the maid who had walked in upon his command.

“Set an extra plate for Miss Montague,” he ordered.

My entire heart fell deep into my stomach.

“Yes, Alpha,” the maid said, bowing her head in respect and quickly hurrying towards the kitchen.

Gavin then turned to look at me, his eyes hard and his face expressionless. I stared at him in disbelief. I couldn’t believe he just did that. It was clear from his expression that he didn’t want me to stay, so why was he forcing me?

I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want to make a scene in front of Matt; he was jumping up and down excitedly because I was joining them for dinner, and I didn’t want to burst his little bubble. That was probably what Gavin was thinking too; from what I heard, Matt being happy and excited about something was a rarity. I would hate myself if I was the reason that smile got wiped from his face.

“This is so exciting,” Irene said, clapping her hands together. “Come on, Matt. Let’s get ready for dinner.”

Matt nodded and went with Irene toward the kitchen, leaving me alone with Gavin. I immediately turned and glared up at him, my lips pressed in a thin line and my eyes narrowed. He pretended he didn’t notice; he looked everywhere but me and that only made me even more mad.

“What was that?” I asked him, putting my hands on my hips as I continued to stare at him.

“What was what?” He asked, playing dumb.

I rolled my eyes at the act.

“Why would you ask the maid to set an extra plate for me?” I asked, exasperated.

He finally looked at me and I could see the coldness in my eyes.

“Because you are joining us for dinner,” he said in a low and threatening tone. I was startled by the change of demeanor, and I took a hesitant step back. “I haven’t seen a smile on Matt’s face in a long time, but for some reason, he likes you. So, for his sake, you are going to stay for dinner, and you aren’t going to complain.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but then immediately closed it. He was right; I couldn’t be the reason Matt was unhappy. So, I relented with a curt nod before turning away from him and walking towards the kitchen.

However, he grabbed my arm to stop me before I could get too far away. His touch was gentle, and yet firm at the same time. I felt warmth spreading across my entire body from the contact and goosebumps spread across my arms. My heart skipped a beat when I turned to face him, my breath caught in my throat once I realized how close he was standing to me. His scent was whirling around me like a tornado, and I found myself entranced by his nearness.

For a second, it almost seemed as if he had forgotten what he wanted to say to me. He stared at me with his full lips parted and his eyes dark with heat. His eyes dropped to my lips, and I thought he was going to kiss me.

Did I want him to kiss me again?

I bit my lip, already deciding that I did.

I wanted to kiss Gavin Landry.

But as if he was slapped back to reality, he released my arm and straightened his posture. I blinked a few times, broken from the trance I was under, and I stared up at him, my cheeks reddening.

“It’s just dinner, Judy,” he reminded me. “Don’t go around thinking this changes anything.”

He walked around me and towards the kitchen without sparing me another look. I reached my fingers up to touch my cheek; they were burning hot. I cleared my throat, trying to bring my mind back to the present moment before I took a deep breath and followed him into the kitchen.

Irene and Matt were already seated; there were two more plates on the table in front of the seats, one of which was at the head of the table. The other was right next to it. My stomach tightened knowing that that was the spot they wanted me to sit… right next to Gavin.

Gavin seemed to have noticed this too because he let out a sigh as he walked towards the table. The entire dining room smelled like delicious food and my mouth started to water; I realized I hadn’t had a chance to eat all day. Between seeing my father in prison and coming straight here to tutor Matt, the time kind of slipped away from me.

Gavin sat down at the table, and I hesitantly sat beside him.

One maid scurried into the room holding a bottle of wine and another bottle of apple juice. She immediately poured Irene a glass of wine and Matt a glass of apple juice. She walked around the table towards Gavin and filled his glass with wine as well. Once she got to me, she gave me a polite smile.

“Wine, madam?” She asked.

“I’ll take apple juice,” I said quickly.

There was no way I was drinking while here; I needed to keep a clear head and as of right now, I didn’t trust drunk Judy when it came to Gavin.

She looked startled but she nodded and poured me a glass of apple juice. After she left, Irene looked at me with a frown.

“You don’t drink?” She asked.

“Only on occasions,” I told her.

Before she could reply, another maid walked into the room rolling in a car filled with covered food items. They smelled so good, at this point, I didn’t even care what they were. She uncovered one and I gasped at the large T-bone steaks on the platter. There were 4 of them, one for each of us, and they were still sizzling on the metal pan, bleeding and marinating in their juices. My mouth was watering as she put a steak on each of our plates.

She uncovered another platter and saw a mound of mashed potatoes, seasoned with garlic. She scooped healthy portions on our plates. The next platter was mixed veggies, roasted in butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Alpha?” She asked as she scooted the cart away from the table.

“That’s everything,” Gavin said, his eyes fixed on his food. “Thank you,” he surprised me by adding.

She nodded, beaming at his words before she turned and left.

“This looks incredible,” I breathed, taking in the different colors and scents.

“Our maids cook the best foods,” Irene agreed as she picked up her fork and knife.

I picked up my own fork and knife and I started to dig in; the steak was medium rare and cooked to perfection. It practically cut like butter and the flavors burst on my tongue as I chewed slowly. Both my stomach and my wolf were in complete contentment, which relaxed me immensely.

“How’s tutoring going?” Gavin asked, glancing at Matt who was picking apart his steak and eating around the fatty edges.

He glanced at Gavin as if he was surprised, he was asking.

“It’s great,” he answered after a beat of silence. “Judy is the best. She teaches me things that no other tutor has ever taught me!”

“That’s because they probably didn’t know how to do those things,” Irene interjected. “I’m not sure where you found those tutors, Dad. But they were not it.”

Gavin hummed in response; like he was agreeing with them. My cheeks flushed at the compliment, and I put a piece of broccoli in my mouth, chewing on it slowly, nearly moaning at the intense flavor. I stifled the sound though, not wanting to draw attention to myself.

“Yeah, they were dimwhits,” Matt murmured.

“Language,” Gavin scolded calmly.

Matt blanched, but he didn’t say anything more.

We continued to eat, mostly in silence. Matt and Irene began a mindless conversation, but I really wasn’t paying much attention to it. Once I started to get full, I pushed my plate away and leaned back in my seat. I was fully satisfied and now I just wanted to leave and get some distance between Gavin and me.

The maids soon gathered in the dining room and started to clear our plates.

“Dessert, Alpha?” One of the maids offered as she refilled his wine glass.

He glanced at me as if expecting me to answer for him.

“I should be going,” I told him, giving him a small smile. “But thank you for dinner. I truly enjoyed it.”

He stared at me for a moment longer, as if he wanted to say something, but then he chose not to and gave me a small nod.

“Let Leroy give you a ride,” he suggested. “It’s late and you shouldn’t be out and about at this hour.”

I bit my lip and nodded.

“That would be nice,” I told him as I stood to my feet. He stood with me and then motioned for me to go ahead of him. I wasn’t expecting him to follow me to the door, but he did, and I could feel his eyes watching my every move.

…..

Third Person POV

Neither Gavin nor Judy noticed Irene and Matt staring after them as they left the dining room. Irene had been curious about Judy because it was clear that Matt liked her. She was the first tutor he had ever taken to, and it made Irene wonder who Judy truly was and what made her so special.

She had to admit, from the small amount of time she spent with Judy, that she also liked her. She couldn’t help but think that she was hiding something though; a secret that Irene couldn’t figure out.

But as they had dinner, she noticed her father stealing glances at Judy as he ate, not even realizing he was doing it, she realized at that moment that she knew exactly what Judy was hiding.

Something was going on between Judy and her father.

A smile formed on her lips as she watched after them; Matt was also watching them, and a hopeful look was in his eyes. When he turned to look at Irene, they both had the same mirrored knowing expression.