Chapter 784: Worry

Seeing them return together from grocery shopping, the old lady smiled a little more brightly. "I thought you two weren’t coming back for dinner."

Preston Vance said gently, "I heard from Chloe that she’ll be heading back to Breyburn in a few days, so I suggested we eat at home. Consider it an early reunion dinner with you."

The old lady replied, "Good, good. I’m very happy you thought of that. But you don’t need to worry about me. Mr. Wang will keep me company. You two should go ahead and do whatever you want."

Preston took off his coat and asked, "I’d like to head to the kitchen and start cooking now, if you don’t mind?"

"Oh, you." She smiled helplessly. "Alright, you two get busy. I’ll stay out of your way."

Preston said, "You haven’t really had a chance to taste my cooking yet. I promise, once you try it, you’ll always crave it."

"Alright, I’ll look forward to it," the old lady said with a chuckle.

Chloe had already gone into the kitchen to organize the ingredients and prepare dinner. When Preston walked in, she immediately waved her hands, gesturing for him to leave. He was a guest. How could she let him cook?

But Preston said, "Your grandmother already agreed. You can’t kick me out."

Chloe looked at him in surprise. She couldn’t believe her grandmother would actually let a guest cook.

"You don’t have to doubt me. I wouldn’t lie to you," Preston said with a faint smile, his eyes gentle behind his glasses. "I told her I wanted her to taste my cooking. So, leave the kitchen to me. If you really feel bad about it, you can be my sous-chef."

Chloe was rendered speechless, but she eventually conceded. She couldn’t possibly let him toil away in the kitchen all by himself, so she decided to help him prep. Watching him move with such smooth, practiced efficiency, she knew immediately that he cooked for himself often.

Noticing her gaze, Preston chuckled. "What is it? Are you getting impatient?"

Chloe gave a helpless smile, shook her head, and enunciated slowly, word by word, "Just. Surprised. That. You. Can. Cook."

Preston nodded. "The food abroad wasn’t to my taste, and the ingredients weren’t great either. To keep from going hungry, I had to learn how to cook for myself. By the way, your voice sounds a bit better than it did yesterday. How does it feel to you?"

Chloe had noticed that as well. Her voice didn’t sound nearly as rough as it had in the beginning, which meant her vocal cords were recovering wonderfully! A hint of a smile graced her lips. She was truly looking forward to the day her voice fully recovered. When that time came, she would be able to converse freely with others without having to rely on her phone—a limitation that had always brought her sadness and panic.

But in the next second, her thoughts drifted to Walker Grant back at Jardinelle, and to the photos he had sent her. He was always bumping into things on his own. She could already speak, albeit haltingly, but what about him? When would his eyes heal? She had her own recovery to look forward to, but he still hadn’t made any significant progress.

Chloe’s expression gradually grew solemn, a mix of complexity and worry surfacing in her clear eyes.

Preston took in every shift of her emotions. His eyes flickered slightly before he spoke. "Once you head over there, I’ll invite Mr. Aldridge back to examine both of you. His situation is a bit unique, considering it’s his eyes. But Mr. Aldridge said that if recovery is possible, it will definitely happen. Don’t worry too much. And don’t treat him as your responsibility; everything he did was of his own free will."

Chloe didn’t respond. Lowering her gaze, she went back to washing the vegetables.

Preston frowned slightly but didn’t push the topic any further. He knew that if he said too much, she would definitely feel averse and upset.