After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 13: Here He Is

Before this day, Alice York had heard Zoe Jenson mention her exceptionally talented younger uncle on many occasions.

He was handsome, tall, and from a good family—a gentle and refined man.

But Alice York had never met the man.

"Alice, you remember, right? I’ve bragged about my younger uncle to you so many times. He’s truly wonderful, and he’s always been single, you know."

Zoe Jenson, channeling her inner heart as a matchmaker, saw Alice remained unmoved and pushed her sales pitch hard. "Even though he has the seniority of a ’younger uncle,’ he’s not even thirty yet. A total catch, a prime bachelor."

Alice York still said nothing.

She didn’t know how to respond.

It was all too sudden for her. She wasn’t the least bit prepared to be thrown into a blind date.

Zoe could see Alice’s dilemma. "Alice, I know it was a bit out of line for me to arrange this on my own, but my younger uncle is so hard to get ahold of. Even I rarely see him. Yesterday, my grandma mentioned he’d be coming today, and I immediately thought this would be the perfect chance to introduce you two."

Alice turned to Zoe. "You really should have told me yesterday."

So she could have been mentally prepared.

Instead of being hesitant and conflicted like she was now.

"I’m sorry, okay? It was thoughtless of me." Zoe leaned over, and grabbed Alice’s arm and shook it back and forth. "Alice, just this once. Please? What do you say?"

Alice couldn’t help but smile. "You’ve already arranged everything, and you’re still asking if it’s okay?"

Zoe grinned. "So you’re saying yes?"

Alice thought for a moment before saying, "There’s no harm in just meeting someone. If we click, we can see about developing things toward a relationship. If we don’t, we can just be friends. One more friend is one more connection, right? Isn’t that what you’re always saying?"

Actually, Wyatt Sterling’s ambiguous words that day had left her feeling constantly on edge.

She wasn’t sure if he had truly let her go or not.

For the past three years, she had kept a low profile, never daring to interact with other men under his watch. If a blind date could disgust him enough to back off for good, it might be worth a shot.

"Alice, you’re the best!" Zoe became so happy. "Let’s head out right now."

Alice nodded.

The restaurant was already booked, so all they had to do was drive there. It was hard to say who would arrive first, but Zoe figured it was better for the women to be a little late. Otherwise, it would look like they were desperate to get married.

After arriving near the restaurant and parking the car, Zoe got out and reached for Alice’s hand, only to find it was ice-cold.

Zoe rubbed Alice’s hands to warm them. "Don’t be nervous. I didn’t tell my younger uncle what this was about. Just be yourself. Afterward, if you’re interested in him, give me a subtle hint, and I’ll find a chance to give him an obvious one."

Alice smiled, pressing her lips together.

When they reached the table, only the man on the blind date, Young Zane, had arrived. Zoe’s younger uncle wasn’t there yet.

"Are you Miss Jenson?" the man asked, immediately rising from his seat.

Zoe sized him up. "Zion Zane?"

He looked pretty much the same as in the photo her grandma had sent—a clean-cut, handsome young man.

The man extended a hand, smiling a little shyly. "Hello, Miss Jenson. I’m Zion Zane."

"Hello." Zoe gave his hand a token shake, then linked arms with Alice. "This is my friend, Alice York. She came along with me."

Zion Zane nodded at Alice. "Hello, Miss York."

Alice returned his nod.

"By the way, where’s my younger uncle? Hasn’t he arrived yet?" Zoe asked, looking left and right.

"Professor, he..."

Before Zion Zane could finish, a clear, pleasant voice sounded from behind them. "Sorry, I’m late."

The voice was close to Alice and sounded somewhat familiar. She turned, and when she saw the man’s face, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.

It was him!

"Alice, let me give you a formal introduction. This is my younger uncle, Holden Locke. He’s currently a tenured associate professor at University A."

Zoe tugged on Alice’s sleeve.

Being a matchmaker was way more fun than going on a blind date yourself.

"So you’re Zoe’s younger uncle," Alice said, the surprise evident in her voice.

Zoe’s astonished gaze flickered between the two of them. "Alice, the way you said that... it sounds like you already know my younger uncle?"

"We’ve crossed paths a couple of times," Holden said, his voice smooth and clear. "We just lacked an opportunity for a formal introduction."

"So you’re saying you’ve met before? When? How did I not know about this?" Zoe fired off the rapid-fire questions.

"Yes, we’ve met before," Alice said, looking at Holden Locke again.

He wore a pair of silver and black half-rim glasses and a light brown, mid-length trench coat. Tall and slender, gentle and refined—he looked much the same as the last time she’d seen him.

She smiled and asked Holden, "Should you, Professor Locke tell the story, or should I?"

The window’s reflection captured Holden’s chiseled profile. He gave a faint smile. "Why don’t you tell it, Miss York."

The tone of their conversation was natural, with a hint of familiarity.

Zoe was dying to know the details and was about to press further, but Holden gracefully pulled out a chair for Alice York. "Let’s not all stand around. We can sit and talk."

Alice thanked him and sat down.

Zion moved to pull out a chair for Zoe, but she politely declined. "Thanks, I can get it myself."

A smile touched the corner of Holden’s eyes. "You should at least give Young Zane a chance to be a gentleman."

Zoe set her bag aside. "I’m easy-going. I don’t stand on ceremony."

Zion looked at her. "A personality like yours is rare, Miss Jenson."

Zoe propped her chin on her hand. "You’ve got good taste."

Zion gave a goofy laugh and scratched the back of his head.

Just as Alice reached for her water glass, she heard someone call out her name from a distance, their tone uncertain—

"Dr. York?"

Alice turned her head toward the voice and saw Melody standing in the distance.

Her hand suddenly tightened around her water glass. Holden, sitting opposite her, noticed the subtle movement. His gaze lifted, taking in her entire reaction. He ventured a guess based on the title she was called and her response, "A former patient of yours, Miss York?"

Alice shook her head. "No."

Holden was observant. "Your expression soured the moment you saw her."

Alice forced a strained smile, but before she could explain, Melody had already approached their table.

"It really is you, Dr. York! Oh, wait, in private I should probably just call you Alice. It’s more familiar that way." Unlike Alice, Melody seemed genuinely happy and surprised to see her.

Alice stood up as well. "Are you here for dinner too, Miss Lancaster?"

"I am. I’m meeting an important investor today." Whenever Melody spoke to Alice now, she unconsciously raised the pitch of her voice, trying to sound like a kind, older relative.

Alice, in contrast, felt an inexplicable knot of tension form in her chest.

She knew Melody was always by Wyatt’s side. For an event as important as meeting an investor, it was likely Wyatt was here as well.

So she asked tentatively, "Is Uncle here too?"