Chapter 26
I was taken aback by Matt’s dinner request, my brows shooting up in surprise.
“You want to have dinner with me?” I asked, unable to hide my shock.
“There’s plenty of food for you as well, Madam,” the maid added, a wide grin on her face.
I looked back at Matt for confirmation. He looked so small and almost nervous, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was bothering him.
“My dad’s never home for dinner, and my sister hasn’t been home since she started dating that Ethan guy,” Matt confessed. “Sometimes Butler Adam eats with me, but not always. I get lonely…”
My heart tugged at his words. I placed my hand on his shoulder, offering reassurance.
“I’d love to have dinner with you, Matt,” I told him. “Then afterward, we can play that game, and I’ll show you how to beat that level.”
His face lit up at my promise, and he jumped to his feet.
“Come on!” he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the kitchen.
The dining table was set for only Matt, and it made me feel a pang of sadness seeing the lonely setting. The maid quickly followed us into the room and set another place for me, offering a sheepish smile. I sat beside Matt, and the maid poured us some juice before serving the meal.
It was a delicious stew. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until it was right in front of me. My stomach growled as soon as I took my first bite. As we ate, I listened to Matt talk about school, his interests, and the friends he had.
I had to admit, I enjoyed spending time with the little guy. He seemed pleased to have me there, keeping him company, and I enjoyed being able to do that for him.
After dinner, I offered to clean the table and dishes, but the maids insisted on handling it.
“It’s their job,” Matt explained.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be helpful,” I told him.
He shrugged and then bounced in his seat.
“Can we play the game now?” he asked, excited.
I smiled.
“Yes, I did promise you that we would,” I replied.
He eagerly jumped up, running to the parlor where I had left his tablet on the coffee table. I followed after him, settling on the couch next to him. We spent the next while going through the game together, me showing him everything I knew. I guided him through the level, and he followed my instructions perfectly.
When he successfully beat the level, he jumped up and clapped. I laughed, and then gasped in surprise when he wrapped his arms around me in a hug.
“Can we keep playing?” he asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.
I thought about it for a moment.
“Well, you did finish your homework. I suppose you’ve earned a bit more gameplay. But tomorrow, we’re going to work extra hard on studying your letters and math before we do some defense training. Understood?”
He beamed and nodded enthusiastically.
“Can you teach me how to shoot the bow and arrow too?” he asked eagerly. “I have trouble with my aiming.”
“I’d be happy to teach you everything I know,” I assured him.
He sat back down and handed me the tablet, eager for me to continue the next level. For the next thirty minutes, we shared the tablet back and forth, laughing periodically at our gaming mishaps.
The entire time, Adam hadn’t made a single appearance to check on us. I almost forgot about him until I heard his voice coming from just outside the parlor.
“She let him play on his tablet, and they’ve been doing nothing but goofing off the entire time,” I heard Adam saying. “I made a mistake by allowing her here in the first place. She’s not fit to be his tutor. They’ve done nothing productive, Alpha!”
I frowned and glanced at the closed door, just as it suddenly flew open. Gavin walked into the parlor, startling us both. Matt nearly dropped the tablet, but I caught it just in time before it hit the floor.
“Dad, you’re home,” Matt said with an awkward smile, as though he knew he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.
Gavin’s eyes immediately fixed on me, and he folded his arms across his chest.
“What exactly is going on in here, Miss Montague?”
