Never Mistake a Queen for a Lapdog novel Chapter 396

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.”

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.”

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify