The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 20

Lavinia froze for a second before a bright smile broke across her face, her eyes curving into happy crescents.

"Okay!"

She set his nickname as: Charley Sheffield (Saul's Friend).

***

It was barely past two in the afternoon when Lavinia arrived home. The moment she pushed the door open, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Garnett was lounging on the living room sofa, looking perfectly relaxed, yet his presence made the house—empty for so many days—suddenly feel completely alien.

Since the charity gala, he hadn't come home once. He had claimed there were several major projects launching simultaneously, keeping him in late-night meetings with executives. Saying the commute was a waste of time, he rented an executive suite at a five-star hotel across from the office.

It was a very respectable excuse.

"What are you doing back?" Lavinia asked, slipping off her shoes.

Garnett's voice was cool. "Tomorrow is Saturday. Grandma wants us at the manor for dinner tonight. She asked specifically for your butter shortbread."

"Oh, I see." Lavinia paused. "Are we leaving right now? Don't you have work to handle this afternoon?"

"I'm the CEO. Am I not allowed to give myself a half-day off?" Garnett raised an eyebrow.

Lavinia pressed her lips together. "Let's go, then."

She had just turned back to put her shoes on when Garnett stood up and approached her.

At over six feet tall, he easily cast her in his shadow, looking down at her with a commanding presence.

"Aren't you going to change?" His tone softened a fraction.

"Is this not okay?" Lavinia looked down at her casual top and trousers. "I have to bake when we get there. This is just easier to move around in."

"You just got back from the hospital. Don't carry the hospital air around Grandma Judith," Garnett said gently.

"Oh, right." Lavinia nodded, realizing her oversight. "I'll go change. Give me a minute."

Even if he hated it, she wasn't changing again.

"It's fine. Let's go."

Garnett's gaze dropped to her pearl earrings. She had bought them herself and had worn them for years.

When she married into the family, the Harpers hadn't offered a single cent. In their two years of marriage, he had never bought her a single expensive gift, and she had never once asked for one.

Only girls who grew up poor treated "suffering in silence" as a virtue.

Garnett stepped closer. As Lavinia stood frozen in surprise, he reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"There's a jewelry exhibition in Marina City next month. I'll take you," Garnett said, displaying a rare moment of tenderness. "It's time you learned how to spend money. It's your right as Mrs. Harper."

Lavinia pressed her lips together. She couldn't care less.

"Sure," she said, a faint, empty smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "We'll see."