The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 69

The next morning, Lavinia walked into the kitchen in her pajamas.

With the water boiling, she took some eggs and milk out of the fridge. She heard footsteps behind her but didn't turn around, assuming she was just hearing things.

Then the hum of the espresso machine started up.

She froze and turned her head. Garnett was standing right next to her, filling the machine's water tank.

He was wearing his loungewear, his hair unstyled, a few messy strands falling across his forehead.

Did he actually sleep here last night?

Garnett glanced at her, his eyes stopping on her chest for a fraction of a second before quickly looking away. Lavinia looked down at herself, and her face instantly caught fire.

She wasn't wearing a bra.

She dropped what she was holding, spun around, and fast-walked back to her bedroom. Shutting the door, she stood in front of her closet, silently cursing herself. She had completely forgotten she wasn't living alone anymore.

After putting on a bra and throwing on an old oversized cardigan, she stood in front of the mirror for two seconds to make sure everything looked decent before stepping out again.

The kitchen was filled with the smell of frying eggs.

Garnett was standing at the stove with a spatula, awkwardly flipping an egg. His movements were a little clumsy, but not totally disastrous.

Hearing her approach, he didn't look back. "How many do you want?"

Lavinia blinked.

"Just one."

He scooped the egg onto a plate and cracked two more into the pan—one for her, one for him.

There was one egg left in the carton; he looked at it, then cracked it into the pan too. Three slightly burnt, misshapen eggs were haphazardly piled onto a plate. It didn't look appetizing.

Lavinia sat at the dining table and picked up the coffee he had already made for her. She took a sip. The temperature was perfect.

*Is he seriously moving back in?* she thought.

She checked herself in the mirror. Effortless Parisian chic. It had been a long time since she dressed like this.

Carrying her laptop, she walked out. Garnett was still sitting at the table drinking his coffee. He looked at her, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.

"Where are you going? Didn't you quit?"

"To a cafe."

"You're taking a laptop to get coffee?"

"To read research papers." She didn't have time to explain further, opened the front door, and left.

***

The cafe was tucked away in a small alley near the Arden Estate. It was tiny. Following the GPS, she found it and pushed the door open.

There was only one person sitting in the corner.