Chapter 0084
Judy’s POV
“This was a lovely evening, Walter,” I said as we walked up to my front door. The porch light was on, casting a warm glow over the path and making it easy to navigate from the car to the door. The moon was hidden behind dark clouds, and I could already smell the faint scent of rain in the air.
As we reached the door, I paused and turned to face him. I wasn’t used to anyone walking me to the door. Not even Ethan ever showed that kind of concern. When he dropped me off, he’d kiss me in the car and leave once I reached the door. Gavin, of course, never walked me to the door, but that wasn’t surprising. We weren’t dating—he was just my boss, and that was that.
But the thought of Gavin walking me to the door lingered in my mind. Would he kiss me if he did? Why was I even thinking about this while on a date with another man? I shouldn’t be imagining kissing Gavin at all, especially not when I was with someone else.
I pushed the thought aside, trying to focus on the present. I glanced up at Walter, who was smiling down at me.
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” he said, taking my hand gently. “I had a great time too. You’ve truly made my first night here memorable.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his compliment.
“I’m glad to hear that,” I replied, biting my lower lip.
“Can I take you out again tomorrow?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow, mentally running through my schedule for the next day. I had classes in the morning and tutoring with Matt in the evening.
“I have tutoring tomorrow evening,” I told him.
Walter’s smile remained bright. “We can go after tutoring,” he said. “There’s a gallery I’d love to take you to.”
I frowned slightly. “At night?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “It’s an outdoor light gallery,” he explained. “I’ve been wanting to check it out and thought maybe you’d like to join me.”
I thought about it for a moment. Nan would definitely want me to go for it. If I told her I’d turned him down, she’d probably be furious with me. So, after a brief pause, I nodded in agreement.
“Okay,” I said. “That sounds great.”
Walter smiled, revealing his dimples, just like his uncle. But as I looked at him, I quickly reminded myself that Walter was not his uncle.
I needed to stop comparing them.
Before I could finish my thought, Walter leaned down, his lips only inches from mine.
Holy crap! He was about to kiss me!
But did I want him to? I hadn’t thought about it until this very moment. Was I interested in him enough to kiss him? Was I ready for something like that?
At the last second, I turned my head, avoiding his lips. He only kissed my cheek, his lips brushing lightly against my skin. He frowned when he realized his mistake but didn’t say anything. Instead, he smiled and bowed his head slightly.
“Until tomorrow,” he said softly.
I nodded, my heart racing, and watched as he turned and walked back to the car. Once he was inside, I sighed and turned back to the door, unlocking it and stepping inside. Just like Gavin used to do, Walter waited until I was safely inside before driving away.
These Landry men were going to be the death of me.
Third Person POV
“I found the information you were seeking, sir,” Max said from the front seat, his voice low as he watched Judy walk into the house.
Walter turned to him, his stomach sinking. “What did you find?”
Max hesitated, sensing the tension in the air. “She and Ethan Cash are fated mates,” he said, watching Walter’s reaction closely. “They’ve known each other for some time. Both were part of the same pack, but they discovered they were mates when Judy turned 18. They’ve been together for two years.”
Walter’s heart seemed to stop. He didn’t know how to process the information. Fated mates were supposed to be inseparable. Wolves never broke up with their mates unless something serious had happened.
“So, what happened?” Walter asked, his voice tight with curiosity. “Why did they break up?”
Max shifted uncomfortably, knowing how rare it was for mates to separate. “It’s not common, sir,” he said. “Most wolves would never walk away from their mate unless something huge happened—or… unless one of them died.”
Walter’s jaw clenched. He needed to know everything. If he was going to get close to Judy, he couldn’t afford any surprises. Not now. Not when everything was just beginning to feel so right.
