Chapter 713
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Wilson clutched his chest like she’d wounded him. “Oof. Harsh.”
The doorbell rang again. Wilson perked up. Pearl ran to open it and chirped, “Dear Owen!”
It was the first time Wilson had ever heard her say that, probably Lily too. He shot up from his seat. ‘Since when did Owen win over both girls?’
Owen was standing at the door in an apron. “Dinner’s ready,” he said.
He gave Wilson a quick glance as he came over. “Didn’t know you were here.”
Wilson was about to say something, but the smell of pork chops and glazed salmon hit him. “Wow, that smells incredible!”
“Grab your coats and come eat,” Owen told them.
Aria grabbed hers right away. “Let’s go.”
Pearl clearly knew the drill already. Margery hesitated a second but followed. Pearl leaned in and whispered to her, “Owen lives right across the hall. His cooking’s amazing. That’s how he got my sister to fall for him.”
Margery smiled knowingly. “Makes sense.”
As soon as Wilson stepped inside, he headed straight for the kitchen, following the smell. He stared at the pot bubbling on the stove and swallowed hard. “How long’s this soup been going?”
“Three hours,” Owen said, smacking Wilson’s hand away. “Go wash your hands, you big kindergartener.”
Honestly, Wilson really did act like a kid sometimes. Aria washed her hands like it was second nature and grabbed dishes and silverware from the cabinets. Pearl helped her.
Watching how smoothly they moved, Wilson got the message. They’d definitely eaten here plenty of times. One bite was all it took. Wilson understood how Owen had managed to win over his sister, and why both Lily and Pearl called him “Dear Owen.”
It was that good. If he got to eat food like this every day, he’d call Owen that too without hesitation. “Owen, this is insane,” Wilson said. “You should totally open a restaurant. You’d make a killing.”
Then he added, “I need to marry someone who can cook like this. I want this kind of food every day.”
Owen handed Pearl a piece of fish. “If a guy can’t cook, he’s not much of a man. Expecting someone else to feed you all the time? Yeah, good luck staying single forever.”
Good thing he’d taken those weekend cooking classes at Amour Bistro; otherwise, he would never have stood a chance at impressing someone like Madelyn.
Pearl chimed in, “I’m definitely gonna marry someone who can cook.”
Aria added, “And not someone like Wilson who loves to eat but won’t lift a finger.”
“Exactly!” Pearl agreed.
Wilson felt personally attacked. He took a picture and texted it to Caleb: [Guess what I’m eating? My future brother-in-law made this. It’s unreal.]
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Caleb replied: [Are you serious right now? You think you’re the only one who’s had his food? We’ve eaten it a hundred times.]
Wilson shot back: [Who else has?]
Caleb: [Derek.]
Suddenly, the food didn’t taste quite as special. Still amazing, but the excitement dipped a little. Wilson turned to Aria and asked, “So, you guys eat here a lot?”
Owen answered before she could. “Don’t even think about freeloading. Not happening.”
Wilson made a face. “Come on, I’m family. Shouldn’t you be trying to win me over too? I’ll pay for groceries if that helps.”
“I only need to win over Caleb. You’re not part of the deal,” Owen said.
“That’s cold,” Wilson muttered, pretending to be heartbroken.
Pearl shook her head. “Wilson, you’re such a baby.” That one stung. Wilson decided to shut up and eat his feelings.
After dinner, Wilson left. Aria and Margery were heading out too. Owen instinctively moved to follow. Aria stopped him. “We’re just going to grab some clothes and a few things. It’s easier if you don’t come.”
“Fair enough,” Owen said. “Text me when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Okay,” Aria agreed.
Margery watched the two of them and suddenly thought of Ethan. He used to treat her like that when they were in love. But then…
Aria broke her train of thought. “Come on, let’s go.” Margery blinked out of it and gave a small smile.
Ethan had claimed to love her but still ended up hurting her. All that proved was he really only loved himself. Loving her had just been a way to justify it.