Chapter231
Only one dumpling spot existed in West Side of Small Town, its popularity so fierce that queues snaked out the door daily.
Maureen arrived and immediately took a queue ticket before finding a seat.
She hadn’t sat long when a figure in a black coat stood before her.
“Reenie.”
Maureen looked up into Gareth’s devilishly handsome face.
“Gareth, what are you doing here?”
“Didn’t you have Zoe call me about the amazing dumplings here?” Gareth asked.
Maureen choked on her words.
Only then did she realize Zoe’s dumpling craving was just a ploy to set her up with Gareth.
She couldn’t bring herself to admit she’d never said such a thing.
“Right, my memory’s terrible.” Maureen glanced at the long line. “I’ll treat you later.”
“Okay.” Gareth agreed softly, his eyes tender.
He knew exactly what Zoe was scheming and decided to play along.
The diner overflowed with people, forcing Maureen and Gareth to wait on the curb.
Maureen rubbed her freezing hands. “This place was packed when I was little. Never thought it’d stay this busy after all these years.”
Gareth stripped off his leather gloves, seized her icy fingers, and tucked them inside his coat.
The sudden intimacy froze Maureen in place before she tried pulling away.
Gareth held her hand firmly: “I remember when we were kids, your hands were always this cold, and you loved pressing them against my face.”
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As he spoke, he lifted Maureen’s hand to his cheek.
Wayne drove Geoffrey straight to the diner, spotting Gareth and Maureen’s intimate gesture from afar.
“Are we here?”
Geoffrey asked as the car stopped.
“Mm.”
“Take me to Reenie.”
Wayne fell silent, making no move.
“What’s wrong?”
Geoffrey frowned.
Not wanting to lie, Wayne answered: “Maureen’s with Gareth now.”
Previously he’d addressed her as Mrs. Sutton, now using her given name directly.
Wayne had briefly informed Geoffrey about Gareth earlier.
Geoffrey understood instantly, his expression calm.
“What are they doing?”
“Touching and holding each other,” Wayne’s gaze turned icy, “just like young
lovers.
”
Outside the dumpling shop.
Maureen quickly pulled her hand back from Gareth’s face: “I didn’t know better as a kid.” Back then, she hadn’t grasped the concept of boundaries between boys and girls. Besides, Gareth had been chubby and small then, even shorter than her.
She’d treated him like a younger brother, always bringing him treats whenever Zoe cooked something special.
But now, staring at this towering figure a head taller than her, his sharp features strikingly handsome-
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More importantly, his entire aura radiated untouchable arrogance. What girl would dare press icy fingers to his check now?
Gareth’s dark eyes reflected Maureen’s polite but distant demeanor, a flicker of loneliness passing through them:
“You don’t have to be so proper around me now, you know.”
He’d never forgotten those childhood winters when he shivered from cold. Maureen would sneak him clothes, blankets, and food to keep him warm and fed, always finding ways to make him smile.
Without her, he might’ve frozen or starved to death long before anyone could harm him.
Maureen shook her head. “We all need to grow up. Acting childish just pushes people away.” Her own past immaturity–failing to be mature enough–had led her to marry a man who didn’t love her. To being despised.
Gareth suddenly regretted deeply why he hadn’t taken Maureen with him when he left Small Town years ago.
Maureen, before she got married…
If he’d found her earlier, before she married Geoffrey, she wouldn’t be so guarded now.
Lost in thought, Gareth moved closer to Maureen and suddenly murmured:
“Reenie, let’s…” be together.
1
Before he could finish, a familiar icy voice cut through from afar.
“Honey.”
Maureen turned to see Geoffrey and Wayne standing nearby.
Wayne glared at her with fury.
Geoffrey strode straight toward her. Though blind, he seized her hand in an instant, his grip tightening. “Honey, why did buying dumplings take so long?”
“I was worried.”
Feigning ignorance of Gareth beside her, he continued, “Your hands are freezing.”
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“Let me warm you up, okay?”
Maureen’s blood seemed to boil–not from anything else, but from Geoffrey’s actions and those suggestive words.
With Gareth watching, her face flushed crimson as she tried tearing her hand away.
But Geoffrey wouldn’t release her. With one forceful tug, he pulled her into his arms.
“Wife, you’re so cold too. I’ll warm you up when we get back.”
If not for the outsider, Maureen would’ve cussed him out right then.
Her free hand dug hard into Geoffrey’s waist. “My friend’s here. Behave.”
Geoffrey endured the pain without loosening his grip.
“What friend?”
His voice turned icy.
Gareth hadn’t expected Geoffrey to actually be blind. Those news reports must’ve been fake.
He couldn’t fathom how the deception worked.