Side Chick Era Over (Sharon and Carter) novel Chapter 391

Chapter 391

Julliard stood with a gentle smile and pulled out the chair for Sharon like a proper gentleman.

“You’re not late,” he said, “I’m just early.”

Sharon wasn’t used to this. She had never really dated. The man she’d spent the most time around was John, but they were more like family than anything else-so familiar that things like this, the unspoken courtesies between men and women, never even

crossed her mind.

Even when she was married to Carter, they rarely ate out together. And on the rare occasions they did, he never once thought to pull out her chair.

So now, faced with Julliard’s quiet attentiveness, she felt a bit… unprepared.

Waving the waiter over, Sharon looked at him. “Order whatever you like. Don’t hold back. This meal’s on me.”

Julliard smiled. “Alright.”

Not far away, two young women were watching the scene unfold. Disappointment flickered across both their faces.

“So he has a girlfriend after all… guess that’s the end of that.”

“Yeah… but honestly, they look perfect together.”

“Ugh. Why are all the handsome ones always taken?”

Sharon caught snippets of their conversation and couldn’t help but smile.

She had noticed them the moment she walked in-the way they kept glancing nervously in Julliard’s direction, whispering things like “You go,” “No, you go”-clearly debating who should approach him first for his number.

Her lashes fluttered as she lifted her gaze, landing softly on the man seated across from her, now focused on the menu.

If Carter was the kind of man who felt like a distant, untouchable moon, then Julliard was sunlight. Warm, easy, comforting.

He had a kind of gentleness that didn’t demand anything from you.

After selecting a few dishes, he looked up. “I’m done ordering.”

Sharon blinked, catching the names of the dishes he gave the waiter. Her brows lifted, surprised.

“You like these dishes too?”

Julliard’s smile deepened. “Yeah. Whenever I used to come here with Carter and Nate, we always ordered them. You like them too?”

She nodded. “That’s… quite the coincidence. They’re all my favorites.”

Something flickered behind his calm eyes. “Strange, though. Back when we’d all eat together, I never saw you order these. I always thought that you preferred lighter food.”

Her smile faded a touch. Memories flickered-old, sour ones.

“I was always thinking about Carter and Theo,” she said quietly. “Their stomachs aren’t great. Everything was tailored to them -lighter, bland food. I just… went along with it.”

Sitting here now, across from Julliard, she felt it even more-how right her divorce had been.

At least now, she could eat what she liked. Do what she wanted. She was no longer trapped in the constant loop of What’s best for the child? What’s easiest for my husband?

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She hadn’t thought about herself in… a long time.

Julliard’s gaze softened, landing on her with a quiet intensity. “Sharon… are you really able to let Theo go?”

Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the water glass. She lowered her gaze, hiding the shift in her expression.

“Without me breathing down his neck, maybe he’ll be even happier.”

Julliard let out a sigh.

“Sharon… he’s still a kid. He needs guidance, especially now. Carter’s buried in work. He barely has time for Theo. And Kelly…”

He hesitated, his voice deepening.

“She’s been taking Theo out every day. Playing nonstop until late. Last night… they stayed out so late, Theo didn’t even come home. He slept over at her place.”

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