Chapter 427: My Boyfriend Is Coming to Pick Me Up 2

Chapter 427: Chapter 400: My Boyfriend Is Coming to Pick Me Up 2

By the time she stood panting in the living room, Dylan Heston had already prepared breakfast.

“Perfect timing. Come have breakfast.”

She hurried over, picked up her chopsticks, and started wolfing down her food. Dylan Heston told her to slow down.

She took a big gulp of milk, puffing out her cheeks. “I can’t, I’m going to be late!”

In the past, she would have rushed out the door in a panic without even glancing at breakfast.

“I don’t know what happened to my alarm today, it just didn’t go off!” she said, taking another bite of toast.

Dylan Heston poured her a glass of water. “I turned off your alarm.”

“…” Nancy Hughes looked up at him angrily. “Why would you turn off my alarm!”

“It’s still early. I’ll drive you to the office later.”

She had no other choice.

Thanks to the ride in Dylan Heston’s car, she made it to the office right on time.

She had barely sat down—her seat wasn’t even warm yet—when Gwen Gunn called out to her. “Nancy Hughes, where are the files you organized yesterday? Bring them over.”

“Okay, just a moment.”

She quickly opened her computer, found the files from yesterday, and brought the hard copies over to Gwen Gunn. “I’ve already emailed you the digital version,” she said.

“Alright. Go on and get busy. You’ll be going out with me in a bit.”

“Okay.”

During a lull, she finally caught her breath and checked her phone, seeing a text from Dylan Heston.

She sent a reply, set her phone aside, and got back to work.

Work was never slow under Gwen Gunn; she was always having to go out on appointments with him.

Inside the quiet teahouse, Nancy Hughes sat primly beside Gwen Gunn, silently gazing at the scenery outside.

‘It’s rare to find a teahouse with such a lovely atmosphere in the city center. A courtyard with a gentle stream… just looking at it is so calming.’

‘It would be nice to have a little courtyard like this at home, too.’

‘Ah, the lives of the rich,’ she mused. ‘It’s all thanks to this client that I get to enjoy such a view.’

Nancy Hughes leaned closer to Gwen Gunn and asked in a small voice, “Mr. Gunn, who are we meeting?”

“You’ll know when you see them!” Gwen Gunn was still being mysterious, pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping it quietly.

After about a ten-minute wait, the mysterious client appeared.

She was a beautiful woman—the gentle, dignified, and refined type.

The woman who arrived greeted them gracefully and then sat down.

“Sorry, there was some traffic on the way.”

“Not at all. It’s been a while, Miss Summers.”

Nancy Hughes’s first impression of Shirley Summers was one of aloof gentleness.

Gwen Gunn treated Miss Summers with the utmost deference, listening intently as Shirley Summers laid out her requirements without raising a single objection.

“Then I’ll be counting on you!” Shirley Summers stood up and started to walk out.

Accompanying Shirley Summers was another man, dressed in a sharp suit, who was clearly some sort of assistant.

The man spoke, “Goodbye.”

“Of course. Please give my regards to Mr. Tate,” Gwen Gunn said politely.

The man gave a nod and hurried to catch up with Shirley Summers.

Nancy Hughes was very curious. “Who is Mr. Tate?”

‘Gwen Gunn seemed very deferential toward this Mr. Tate.’ “He’s Miss Summers’s fiancé.”

She murmured an “oh,” her curiosity still piqued.

‘I’ve been in Portmire for almost four years now,’ she thought. ‘I’m used to the gentle local accent. From the way she spoke, Miss Summers definitely isn’t from around here. I bet Mr. Tate isn’t from Portmire either.’

At noon, Liam Sheffield called.

“Nancy? Are you free? Could we meet up and talk for a while?”

“Oh, okay!”

She happened to be near the university, so she could head over.

Twenty minutes later, Liam Sheffield was sitting by the window with a serious expression. When he saw her come in, he stiffly raised a hand to greet her.

“Nancy, over here.” His expression was unusually stern, and his brows were tightly knit. Nancy Hughes set her bag down and sat across from him. “It’s getting really hot out there.”

Liam Sheffield grunted in agreement and called a waiter over to order.

Seeing him frowning, Nancy Hughes asked with concern, “Are you still not feeling well? I heard from Dylan Heston that you got drunk yesterday.”

‘She was putting it mildly. According to Dylan Heston, the kid had been dead drunk last night.’

“I was in a bad mood and lost control, so I drank a bit too much,” he said with an awkward laugh, glancing up to read Nancy Hughes’s expression.

Nancy Hughes’s expression was unchanged. She simply said with concern, “Drinking is really bad for you. You should try to drink less from now on.”

Liam Sheffield studied her expression again, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure she was completely in the dark. “I won’t,” he promised.

Ever since she started her internship, she hadn’t been back to this part of campus to eat.

‘For one, my schedule never allowed for it. For another, I just couldn’t be bothered to make the trip anymore.’

“I haven’t eaten here in ages. I’ve really missed it!” She remembered how she and Georgia Thorne used to come here all the time.

“Nancy, if you like it, you can come eat here every day. It’ll be my treat!” Seeing how happily she was eating lifted Liam Sheffield’s heavy heart.

“But it’s too far from home. It takes too long to get here,” Nancy Hughes said, propping her chin on her hand and gazing at the simple dishes before her. ‘Besides,’ she thought, ‘Dylan’s cooking is amazing, just as good as any restaurant.’

Liam Sheffield saw the light that filled her eyes and knew instantly that she was thinking of Dylan Heston.

‘When she said ‘home’ was too far, was she talking about Dylan Heston’s apartment?’

“Hurry up and eat. I have to go back to the office later.”

“Nancy, you should eat more too. It seems like you’ve lost weight again!”

Dylan Heston had a habit of calling her around noon every day.

And right on cue, just as she was usually finishing her meal, Dylan Heston called. “What are you up to?”

“I’m near the university!”

“The university?”

“Yep!” Nancy Hughes glanced at Liam Sheffield across from her. “I’m having lunch with Liam Sheffield. What about you?”

Liam Sheffield mouthed to Nancy Hughes, asking if the person on the other end was Dylan Heston. Nancy Hughes nodded at him, then said into the phone, “I know, I’ll head back to the office in a bit. You don’t need to come get me, it’s not like I don’t know the way!”

Hanging up, she smiled apologetically at Liam Sheffield. “Sorry about that.”

Liam Sheffield’s smile became even stiffer. ‘My cousin really knows how to keep tabs on her,’ he thought.

Since Nancy Hughes had to be back at the office in the afternoon, she and Liam Sheffield only walked halfway across campus before she remarked, “I never realized how big this campus was.”

“Nancy!” Liam Sheffield’s tone turned serious again.

“What is it?”

Liam Sheffield hemmed and hawed, hesitating for a few seconds before asking, “Um, did I call you last night?”

“You did!”

“So… what did I say?” The question had been plaguing him; it was the entire reason he’d asked to see her today.

“I was going to ask you that. You just said my name, and then there was nothing. Don’t you remember? After that, Dylan Heston took the phone.”

“…I don’t really remember!” he said awkwardly, even as fragmented memories of that very event came flooding back.

‘I really drank way too much yesterday. I can only remember bits and pieces.’

‘I had a huge fight with Dylan, smashed his phone, and spent the whole time cursing out the cousin I respected most.’

‘Then, my cousin handed me the phone and told me to call Nancy and confess my feelings.’

‘He said it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, daring me to say the words.’

‘Fueled by liquid courage, what was there to be afraid of? I called Nancy right then and there.’

‘And yet, after calling out her name, I found I couldn’t bring myself to say those three little words: ‘I like you’.’

‘All my impulsive courage vanished. Dylan took the phone back, reassured Nancy, and hung up.’

‘Thinking back now, the reason I couldn’t say it was because even though Dylan gave me the chance, Nancy never did.’

‘Even if I had confessed, it would have just caused her trouble. So what was the point?’

“Well, I should be getting back. See you!”

“Yeah, be careful on your way!”

Nancy Hughes glanced down at her watch and turned to walk away.

After walking some distance, she heard Liam Sheffield call her from behind again. “Nancy!”

“Hmm?” She turned back, confused, and saw him standing there, smiling brightly in the sunlight. “I guess I’ll have to start calling you sister-in-law! See you later, sister-in-law!”

Instantly, Nancy Hughes’s face flushed red, and she couldn’t think of anything to say in response.

In any case, she made a hasty retreat.

‘Dylan and I both work, so we don’t get much time together as it is. Since I also work at night, we have even less time alone.’

‘Even though Dylan hasn’t said anything, I still feel bad about it.’

‘Especially when he sacrifices his own time just to keep me company at the studio.’

‘After some thought, maybe I really should quit this job.’

‘Dylan has been taking care of Zoey Zane’s medical bills. That’s a debt I can’t repay anytime soon… and what’s more, I don’t want to.’

‘If I can’t repay it, then I’ll just owe him for the rest of my life.’

After finishing her last class, Nancy Hughes told Ms. Chandler from the studio that she wouldn’t be coming back to work anymore.

Ms. Chandler settled her wages on the spot. “Looks like I’m going to be busy again!”

“I’m sorry. I want to spend more time with him.” Her gaze shifted to the man at the door.

Ms. Chandler gave her a knowing look and waved her off.

The weather was getting hotter, and it didn’t feel as cold at night anymore.

Dylan Heston stood outside the car, watching her walk out of the art studio. “Why are you getting out later than usual today?”

“Yeah, I had something to take care of, but it’s all done now!” she said, letting out a big sigh of relief.

“Get in the car.”

Sitting in the car, Nancy’s stomach wouldn’t stop growling.

She’d only had a couple of pieces of bread to tide her over earlier. “Let’s go get something delicious,” she announced. “My treat!”

“Did you strike it rich?” Even if she hadn’t suggested it, Dylan had already been planning to take her out for a nice meal.

Her lips curved up in a happy smile. “Yep! I just quit my job at the art studio, and Ms. Chandler even gave me a bonus!”

At this hour, very few restaurants were still open; most of the ones they passed were already closing up for the night.

After some difficulty, they found a restaurant that was still willing to serve customers. “Order whatever you want. It’s my treat today!”

The simple, home-style dishes arrived quickly.

“Why did you go to the university today?”