Chapter 18
“I should probably get going,” I said quickly, tearing my eyes away from Ethan. “Thank you for the opportunity, Alpha. Perhaps we can exchange numbers to discuss my schedule. I can sign the contract when I return.”
Gavin stared at me for a moment, his expression unreadable.
“Adam has your number. I’ll be in touch,” he replied.
I nodded and was about to step around him when Irene’s voice stopped me.
“Dad, why don’t you take Judy home? I didn’t see her car here,” Irene suggested, glancing between me and her father.
“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “I’ll just call for an Uber—”
“Yes, I’ll have my driver take you,” Gavin interrupted, surprising me with the offer. “I’ll accompany you. It’ll give us a chance to talk in the car.”
I wanted to protest, but the look he gave me was almost daring. I quickly clamped my lips shut and nodded, murmuring my thanks.
“Then it’s decided,” Irene said with a wide smile, clapping her hands together. “It was very nice to meet you, Judy. I hope we can get to know each other soon. I could use some girlfriends.”
I forced a smile and nodded. The last thing I wanted was to be friends with her, but she was being kind, and I didn’t want to seem rude, especially in front of my new boss.
I turned my back to them and followed Gavin into the house. As we walked through the villa, we passed Adam, who was descending the large spiral staircase. He looked stressed, and I guessed it had something to do with a very upset Matt, who had just been grounded.
He paused when he saw us.
“Adam, is the driver still out front?” Gavin asked without even looking at him.
“Yes, sir,” Adam answered.
“I’ll be taking Judy back to her home. I’ll be back later this evening,” Gavin told him.
“Alpha,” a voice called from nearby just as we neared the front door.
I saw the driver from yesterday walking around the corner, holding a small stack of papers. He approached us.
“I got the contract you requested,” he said, handing Gavin the papers. The driver smiled at me. “Good evening, ma’am. I’m Beta Taylor.”
Oh! He was the Beta of the pack. Now that I looked at him, he certainly had the aura and appearance of a Beta.
I smiled politely at him.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Beta,” I said, lowering my head in respect.
“We need to go,” Gavin said sharply.
I tried not to scowl at him; there was no need to speak so rudely, I thought, but I kept the thought to myself. I didn’t want to cause any issues. I didn’t say anything further to Taylor, and he didn’t say anything to me. He just watched as Gavin led me out of the villa toward the waiting car.
The driver immediately got out, ran around the car, bowed his head at Gavin, and opened the back door.
Gavin motioned for me to get in first. I smiled my thanks to the driver before sliding into the car. Gavin slid in beside me, and the driver shut the door. He ran around to the front and took his seat behind the wheel.
“Where to, Alpha?” the driver asked.
“Take us to the Carter Resort.”
I stared at Gavin, shocked.
“I thought you were taking me home,” I said, my brows pinching together.
“I need to speak with you alone,” he replied. “Also, I heard your stomach growl earlier and assumed you were hungry.”
It didn’t take us long to get to the restaurant resort. I followed Gavin inside, and he was immediately greeted by the hostess, who I recognized from when I briefly worked there and from the engagement party. Nan had the day off, so I didn’t have to worry about her seeing me with Gavin and asking a million questions.
“Good evening, Mr. Landry,” the hostess said with a beaming smile. “A table for two? Your favorite booth is available.”
“Yes, thank you,” Gavin replied with a nod.
We followed the hostess through the restaurant to the booth in the far back, next to the large window that overlooked the harbor. It had a gorgeous view of the city’s nightlife sparkling off the water.
The hostess handed us a couple of menus and left. I expected Gavin to start talking, to explain why he wanted to speak with me privately, but he remained silent as he looked over the menus. A few minutes later, a waitress arrived and took our orders. It was obvious she took a liking to Gavin immediately, as she mainly ignored me, too busy batting her lashes and flaunting her hips to notice I was sitting there.
“What would you like to eat?” Gavin asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.
At that point, the waitress finally turned her attention to me, and her dislike was evident.
“I’ll just take the Cobb salad,” I told her, handing her my menu.
“Bring us a bottle of wine as well,” he ordered.
“Right away,” she murmured before walking away.
Gavin finally cleared his throat and fixed his attention on me.
“So, we should discuss what happened earlier,” he said, leaning back in his seat, his eyes studying me. “The incident with Ethan.”
