Judy''s POV


    I barely had time to register what was happening when we walked into The Grove. The familiar delicious scents of the food that I havee to love invaded my nose and made my stomach rumble even more than it was on our drive into the city. The hostess gave Gavin a polite smile and a bow of her head as she led us through the busy restaurant, many who had recognized him were gawking, not believing that the pristine Lycan Chairmen, Gavin Landry, was actually dining at The Grove.


    This was not the typical restaurant that he would be dining in; he should be in a fine dining establishment, owned by him or his people. But instead, he was in a small establishment, owned by someone else, eating food that could be ssified as greasy, though delicious.


    It was almostughable, but now the casual clothing made sense. He was never nning on taking me anywhere fancy and a part of me wondered why.


    Was I not good enogu hfor a 5 star resteraunt? Was he ashamed to be seen with a low-ss girl in front of his fancy and rich friends? Or maybe it was something else.


    I swallowed another lump in my throat as we walked through the crowded establishment and towards a private booth. There were candles on the table, which wasn''t something they did for everyone and there was a reserved cemat on the table, indicating that this table was reserved for a pristine guest.


    "I hope everything is to your liking, Alpha," the waitress said. "The waiter, Marcus, will be with you in a moment and if there''s anything I can do for you, just let me know. My name is Carly and I''m happy to be at your service."


    She bowed to him again, giving him a polite smile before lifting her gaze.


    He nodded, dismissing her as he motioned for me to sit at the booth. I slid into the booth, tucking my purse beside me. Gavin slid beside me; it was a round booth, so it wasn''t strange for him to sit beside me.


    Carly handed us our menus and poured a couple of sses of water before retreating.


    "This is unexpected," I said, ncing down at the menu. I get the same thing every time Ie here, so I wasn''t sure why I was ncing at the menu. But I felt a bit awkward and nervous in his presence, especially in a ce that didn''t really suit him.


    He looked at the menu, his expression was hard to read.


    "I wanted to try something new," he murmured, his eyes never leaving the pages of the menu.


    "Why The Grove?" I found myself asking. "It doesn''t suit you."


    He raised his brows, and for a moment, I thought I saw a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, but it was gone in a heartbeat.


    "And what does suit me?" He asked me.


    "Elegant restraints like the


    Whimsical Whisk, or Carter''s resort," I told him, raising my brows. "There were others on this strip that you could have chosen from. Others that are more suitable for guys like you..."  swnovel


    "Guys like me?"


    I sighed, rolling my eyes but keeping my face buried in my menu.


    "Lycan''s," I murmured. "Rich CEOs. Eligible bachelors... you know, the works," I exined. "Do I really need to exin that to you?"


    He smirked as he looked at me.


    "So, you''re saying a rich CEO can''t order a brisket or a burger?" He asked, argument clear in his tone.


    My cheeks flushed and I bit my lower lip, nibbling on it. I barely even noticed his gaze drifting to my mouth because he averted his attention from my lips before I could even look at him.


    "I''m saying... I thought you''d never be caught dead in a ce like this," I admitted.


    His shoulders rumbled withughter, though it was silent. He fixed his attention back on his menu and scanned the greasy foods.


    "What are you ordering?" He asked.


    I was embarrassed to tell him what I


    was ordering, usually, I get a pulled pork sandwich with extra pickles and fries with garlic butter and parmesan cheese. I also get


    alcoholic root beer float. This ce was popr for its greasy sandwiches, which was why they are rated high and why they get so busy that reservations are


    rmended.  swnovel


    I debated whether or not I should tell him or not... maybe I''ll just order a sd. Their cobb sds look pretty good, and I could order a ss of wine with it.


    vel


    "A cobb sd, tell him softly, my eyes averting his as my stomach continues to rumble in protest. it didn''t want a sd; it wanted something greasy. My body associated this ce with nasty greasy food and a sd was not going to satisfy me right now. "And maybe a ss of wine. What wine do you rmend?" I asked him as I tried to hand him the wine menu.  swnovel