Chapter : 827
Judy’s POV
Nan let herself into the villa like she owned the place. Our butler, Adam, was used to it by now and only rolled his eyes whenever she strolled in. She gave him a wink and a wave before she passed him and went into the back parlor, where Irene and I sat. I could see her from the entryway as she made her way towards us, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face upon seeing her.
Nan had been so busy between her restaurant and helping out at the packhouse that I barely got to see her. I was glad to see that Chuck was handling things for her, and she was able to take a day away from the stresses of her work life.
She held up a bag as she strolled towards us.
“I made muffins,” she said. “Figured you girls would enjoy them.”
She placed them on the coffee table in front of us. I smiled, grateful for her; her muffins were incredible, and I was excited to eat one.
“Thanks,” I said with a bright smile. “I’m glad you could get here at the last minute.”
She scoffed and took a seat next to Irene.
“Please, I all but told Chuck I needed a girl’s night. He didn’t even bat an eye. He told me to have fun, and he will handle everything,” she said, a smirk playing on her lips. “Which almost guarantees a mess tomorrow, but oh well.”
This made us giggle; though Irene giggled as well, it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and it was painfully obvious that she was faking it for our benefit. I hated that she was in so much pain; her mind was probably in a thousand different places right
now.
She had dark circles around her eyes, she was pale; her hair wasn’t done… she wore sweatpants and a hoodie that I knew didn’t belong to her. It was too big, and it had Chuck’s scent all over it.
If Erik were to catch wind of his scent on her, it would destroy him. I didn’t want that to happen to my friend, and I certainly didn’t want Irene pining over someone who didn’t care for her.
“Jesus, Irene,” Nan said, her brows knitting together. “You look like death. Did you get into a fight with your pillow?”
“I guess I’ve been better,” Irene said, running her fingers through her thick mass of hair, looking a bit sheepish. “But can you blame me? I’m grieving.”
“Well, it doesn’t help when you wear Chuck’s hoodie,” Nan said, folding her arms across her chest. So, she noticed too… I’m glad I wasn’t the only one. “How do you expect to get over him when you wrap yourself in his scent?”
Her cheeks flamed red.
“We are supposed to be here talking about Judy, not here,” Irene said, folding her arms across her chest. “You know…. Wedding plans?”
“I’m okay talking about this too if you need to vent,” I said, shrugging one shoulder.
“I don’t,” she said firmly, her eyes narrowed as she looked at me. “I’d rather not talk about any of it. Thank you very much.”
I looked at Nan, and she gave me the same look in return. With a knowing glint in our eyes, we both decided to drop it.
“Here,” Nan said, handing me a muffin. “You’re eating for two.”
I smiled at her as I nibbled on the muffin; the flavors practically exploded in my mouth. It was
delicious and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my mouth When she went to hand one to Irene, she waved it away.
“No, it’s okay. I’m not very hungry.”
To that, Nan just shrugged and then started to eat the muffin herself
She reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out a notebook, placing it on the coffee table in front of us. I recognized that notebook as one she wrote her recipes and notes fn. As she flipped it open, though, it was something different, something unexpected.
On the top of the first page, it read: Judy’s Wedding.
“When did you write all this down?” I asked with a hint of a smile in the corner of my lips.
She shrugged and leaned back in her seat.
“A few weeks ago. It’s no big deal,” Nan shrugged. “I mean, one of us has to be organized.”
“Um, what is that?” Irene asked, narrowing her eyes at one of the pictures. It was some photos of the bridesmaid dresses. They were
salmon pink they weren’t bad n
not the prettiest either. They were very Nan, though; she liked simple things like that.