The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 236

"Let's go," he muttered.

They wandered through the aisles a bit longer. Garnett was clearly entirely disinterested. Seeing his dark mood, Sigrid offered to check out so they could go grab dinner.

As they approached the registers, they spotted Lavinia again. She was pushing her cart, now brimming with ingredients, surrounded by Saul, Charley, and Jocelyn.

Lavinia was in the middle of scolding her cousin.

"Saul, why did you buy entirely pre-made meals?"

"I'm terrible in the kitchen, and I refuse to subject your tastebuds to my cooking. Pre-made is the safest bet."

"I cannot believe you."

Garnett stared at her. She looked so bright, cheerful, and unguarded—nothing like the scheming manipulator he accused her of being.

He kept his eyes locked on her, completely oblivious to the complicated look Sigrid was giving his profile.

Suddenly, a tall figure stepped directly into his line of sight, blocking Lavinia completely.

It was Charley.

Garnett frowned.

Beside Charley stood Jocelyn, the two engaged in a familiar, easy conversation.

"What are you buying, Charley? I don't recognize any of that," Jocelyn asked.

"Cured meats and root vegetables for a hearty stew," he replied simply.

"You make stews? You never cooked like that back in the States."

"I learned from watching videos."

"Ha, that's not like you at all."

"When in Rome."

As Charley chatted with Jocelyn, his broad back remained intentionally positioned to completely shield Lavinia from Garnett's view.

Lavinia stood safely in front of him, lifting her groceries out of the cart one by one for the cashier to scan.

The sandalwood bracelet he had given her was wrapped three times around her slender wrist.

***

After the incident where Garnett cornered her at her door, Charley had suggested she temporarily stay at his place so he could look out for her.

Lavinia hadn't felt it was entirely necessary. "I'd feel bad intruding on your space. Besides, I doubt he'll come back. You saw them today—he and Sigrid are..."

Charley paused for a moment before speaking slowly, "He's a tragic man. He fails to see his own flaws, and he drastically underestimates your worth."

Lavinia blinked, not entirely sure what he meant by that.

Spotting an even larger fig, Charley picked it and handed it down.

"We can make a fig and chicken claypot for dinner," he said.

Lavinia held the pile of deep purple figs in her arms. They felt heavy and real.

Walking away from her past had been agonizingly difficult.

But years from now, when she looked back on this specific afternoon, she knew all she would remember were the sweet figs and the golden sunlight.

He had a way of quietly erasing her darkest moments with these small, incredibly warm gestures.

She wanted to say thank you, but somehow, the words felt too light to capture the weight of what he was doing for her.