Chapter 395

Padgett Novak stood up politely to greet Noreen, pulling out a chair for her.
Noreen shot a questioning look at Claire, who suddenly found the contents of her plate incredibly fascinating.
Padgett, however, offered an explanation. “Miss Chase mentioned that she wasn’t very familiar with Rivercrest City and that you’ve been busy with work, so she called to ask for recommendations for a good local restaurant. I happened to be free, so I decided to join.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ͟.net
Noreen sat down gracefully, giving the guilt-ridden Claire a pointed look. “Not familiar with Rivercrest City? Did you sleep through the four years you spent here for college?”
Caught in her lie, Claire didn’t miss a beat. She was an actress, after all, and knew how to handle a scene. “Well, I’ve been working out of town since graduation, so it’s been a while. Besides, with hardworking people like Mr. Novak at the helm, this city is developing at lightning speed. It changes every day! I can barely recognize the place.”
Noreen had to hand it to her.
The two of them had already ordered, and as soon as Noreen was seated, Padgett waved the waiter over. The dishes were all light, and most of them were Noreen’s favorites.
Claire beamed like a proud matchmaker. “Mr. Novak asked what you liked to eat, so I told him. He ended up ordering all your favorites. So thoughtful! He didn’t ask about me, though.”
Padgett looked slightly embarrassed and quickly handed Claire the menu, inviting her to order more.
“It’s okay,” Claire said with a wave of her hand. “I’m happy to be the third wheel. I’m not picky.”
Noreen kicked her under the table.
“Ow!” Claire yelped.
For a second, Noreen worried she’d hit her injured ankle, but then Claire grinned, a mischievous look on her face that clearly said, *I’m just faking it.* Noreen sighed. There was truly no controlling her.
Over dinner, Padgett initiated conversation with Noreen, though it mostly revolved around work. Claire felt her eyes start to glaze over. Couldn’t they just enjoy their meal? How was any romance supposed to blossom like this? No wonder he couldn’t land a date!
Seeing as he was paying for dinner, Claire decided to give him a little push. She piled some food onto Noreen’s plate. “You need to eat more, honey. You’ve lost so much weight since the breakup.”
Padgett paused, his fork halfway to his mouth, and glanced at Noreen.
Noreen shot Claire a look that screamed, *Shut up!*
But Claire, acting like a sieve, just kept talking. You don’t know the half of it, Mr. Novak. My best friend here is the most loyal person I know. She was with her first love for Seven years They only broke up last year, and now she’s completely sworn off dating. People ask her out, and she turns them all down.”
Padgett didn’t know much about Noreen’s past, and Claire’s words gave him a clue as to why she had rejected him.
“Why did they break up?” he asked, knowing it was forward but wanting to understand the full picture.
“Someone cheated, of course!” Claire said, her jaw tight with indignation.
“Here, have some beef. It’s your favorite,” Noreen said, trying to stuff Claire’s mouth shut.
But not even a mouthful of food could stop Claire. “The other woman is actually getting what she deserves lately! She’s all over the news.”
“The news?” Padgett was intrigued.
“Yeah, you must have seen it. That whole scandal about setting off fireworks in the Westbrook preserve? The other woman was the one responsible!”
Padgett was sharp. He put the pieces together in an instant. Noreen’s ex was Seth Harcourt of Aurelion Group. And Bianca Lowell was the one who had broken up their seven-year relationship.
It was certainly surprising. He also remembered something else: Claire said Bianca had broken up Noreen’s relationship *last year*. So why had Bianca
agreed to go on a blind date with him around that same time?
Padgett felt a wave of clarity. She must have been casting a wide net, looking for the biggest fish she could catch. At the time, she must not have thought much of his status or position, which is why their blind date went nowhere. The second time they were supposed to meet, he had intended to politely end things, but Bianca beat him to it. He’d respected her for it then and they hadn’t had any contact afterward. It wasn’t until Bianca was bidding on the port project that they crossed paths again.
Looking back, he realized Bianca had only started being cordial to him again after his promotion. The world he moved in was full of people who down, he
kissed up and kickas
used to that kind of behavior and didn’t judge it.
But still, he was glad things hadn’t worked out. He had never felt a spark with her
anyway.