You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 832

Just as Patricia finished getting ready and was about to head downstairs, the bedroom door swung open. Oliver appeared in the doorway, wearing silk pajamas and looking every bit like someone who had just crawled out of bed.

“Where did you sleep last night?” he asked.

“The guest room.”

“Why didn’t you come to bed?”

“I got back too late. I didn’t want to wake you,” he said, reaching for his electric toothbrush at the double sink.

Patricia watched him, noticing the way he squinted at the light, the tired lines around his eyes. “What time did you get home?”

“Four-thirty.”

She glanced at the clock to double-check. It wasn’t even eight yet. “Aren’t you going to get some more sleep?”

“I’ve got a meeting at the Golden Bay office this morning. We head back to Riverdale this afternoon.” His schedule was always packed, never a moment to spare.

Patricia felt a twinge of concern. “If you’re so busy, I can go back by myself. I don’t mind staying here another couple of days.”

Oliver splashed water on his face and finally looked a little more awake. He studied her for a moment before answering. “Let you go back alone? That would be like letting a tiger loose in the wild.”

Patricia couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that.

He struggled to keep an eye on her even when they were both in Riverdale. If he wasn’t around, she’d probably eat spicy food for every meal, maybe hot pot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She never liked the Sichuan dishes their chef made at home. She only wanted the greasy, salty stuff from restaurants. The thought alone made his heart skip a beat, especially with all the news lately about processed food. One of these days, she was going to give him a heart attack.

Later, while Oliver went off to work, Selara offered to take Patricia out for a proper look around Golden Bay. Patricia had been here a few times, but she’d never really explored. Today felt like a good day for it.

Golden Bay and Riverdale had completely different vibes, even if they were both modern cities. Golden Bay was young, energetic, like an eighteen-year-old girl bursting with life. Riverdale felt more like a woman in her forties—mature, steady, maybe just a little bit dull.

She opened her maps app to see what else was nearby, her finger just about to type when a shadow fell across her table.

Patricia looked up.

A man was standing there, and his face seemed oddly familiar. He’d noticed her as soon as she walked in, but it was clear she didn’t remember him.

“Ms. Martin…” he said, sounding like he knew her well.

Patricia frowned, confused. “Do we know each other?”

“We sort of do,” he said, introducing himself. “Mrs. Newton is my great-aunt. We met at your wedding to Theo. Your dress got stuck in the car door…”

He let the sentence hang in the air, and suddenly Patricia remembered exactly who he was.