Bryson shot Brayden a chilly look, focusing instead on deboning the fish on his plate.
Feeling the tension, Brayden aimed to lighten things up, but winced when a sudden pain struck him. Lydia was glaring at him!
Maintaining her feigned smile, Lydia whispered menacingly to Brayden as she handed him a spicy pepper.
“It’s better to keep your mouth shut!”
“What’s going on?” Hannah was drawn to Brayden’s wince.
Feeling both intimidated by Lydia’s smile and a bit sheepish, Brayden shrugged.
“Nothing, a dog bit me.”
His face nearly turned a shade of blue as Lydia applied more pressure to his foot.
“A dog?” Hannah looked puzzled, her gaze shifting toward Bryson.
Unfazed, Bryson used serving forks to place some deboned fish onto Hannah’s plate.
“Ignore him.”
“Thank you,” Hannah murmured, eyes on the extra serving of fish.
Seeking to distract herself, Hannah took some spicy crab and offered it to Grace, “Miss Mitchell, this is a spicy crab dish I recently learned. Care to try?”
“Absolutely!” Grace’s eyes twinkled as she began to savor the crab, taking small bites.
“I’d like some as well,” a voice suddenly chimed in next to her.
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Hannah turned to see a faint smile on Bryson’s face as he observed her.
Hannah muttered to herself, “The crab was within his reach. He could’ve grabbed some if he wanted.”
Nonetheless, she picked up a piece of crab and set it in front of Bryson.
Observing the exchange between Bryson and Hannah, Melina felt a weight sinking into her heart, suspicious that Bryson’s behavior toward Hannah was uncommonly warm.
With a gentle interjection, Melina advised, “Bryson has a low tolerance for spicy food and seldom eats crab, Miss Moore. Even so, Bryson, please pass me the crab. Better not to let it go to waste.”
Before her words trailed off, Bryson had already sampled the crab Hannah had placed on his plate. He nodded his approval and told Hannah, “This is excellent.”
Pausing, Melina questioned, “Bryson, since when did your palate adapt to chili? You used to avoid it entirely.”
Dabbing his fingers with a napkin, Bryson met Melina’s gaze unflinchingly and replied, “Times change.”
Meanwhile, Lydia and Brayden, who had been engaged in a subtle standoff, exchanged knowing looks and quietly resumed their meal.