Sydney Sawyer's face flushed with embarrassment when Sebastian Lockwood called her "his little girl." She lowered her head and followed him to two adjacent empty seats.
"Why don't you let her sit here with me? If you men are all drinking, it wouldn't be right for a young lady like her to be squeezed in the middle." Nancy Zane smiled, poised and gracious. "Surely you're not worried I'd neglect her!"
"Yeah, let the girls sit together," someone chimed in.
"That could work."
The wars between women are often waged without a single shot fired.
Although the two addressed each other as uncle and niece, Nancy Zane could sense that Sebastian Lockwood treated her differently from everyone else.
Sydney Sawyer glanced at Sebastian Lockwood. "Uncle, should I go sit over there?"
As she spoke, he placed a hand on her shoulder, the pressure firm but gentle, and guided her into the chair. "You're sitting right here."
As he spoke, Sebastian Lockwood glanced at Nancy Zane. "I appreciate the sentiment. But as I said, she's shy with strangers. I'm afraid she wouldn't be comfortable sitting with you. I can look after her myself."
Nancy Zane managed an awkward laugh, and many others at the table could sense something unusual in the air.
Donovan Sheridan let out a low cough. 'Guess it's up to me to break the tension at a critical moment like this.' "Is the food ordered? What are we eating tonight?"
"Just finished ordering," someone replied.
"That's not good enough. Mr. Chandler is treating tonight, and it's not every day we get this chance. I'm adding two more dishes. Where's the menu?"
...
Before the meal began, since there was a new face, Sydney Sawyer, everyone went around and introduced themselves again.
They asked for Sydney Sawyer's name and age, and upon hearing she was a senior in college, they asked about her internship. Afterward, the conversation shifted to their recent surgery, and no one paid her much attention anymore.
The conversation was about medical matters, full of technical jargon that Sydney Sawyer didn't understand, so she couldn't get a word in. Before the food arrived, all she could do was keep her head down and sip her water.
"Is the water that good?" Since a seat had been added, they were sitting close together. When Sebastian Lockwood tilted his head slightly, she could feel his breath on her face as he spoke.
"It's fine."
"Is your allergy all better?"
"Mhm."
As the dishes began to arrive one after another, Sydney Sawyer was surprised to see a platter of crayfish, and her mouth instantly began to water.
It was just the season when crayfish started to become widely available, but due to her recent allergic reaction, she had been on a restricted diet and hadn't dared to eat any shellfish.
'I already have no dignity left thanks to that idiot Andrea Wyatt. If I start messily eating crayfish in front of him now, my image will be utterly shattered.'
And so, she could only watch as the platter of crayfish spun around the table, the pile shrinking more and more.
At that moment, Mr. Chandler stood up. "Thank you all for your hard work on the surgery. All those long days and sleepless nights paid off. I'll toast you all with tea in place of wine."
There were several bottles of wine on the table, both red and white, but only a few people had poured themselves a glass.
After everyone raised their glasses, Mr. Chandler made a special toast to Sebastian Lockwood. "Sebastian, during this surgery, it was thanks to you discovering the problem in time. Otherwise, I don't know how I would have faced the patient's family."
"I was just doing my job," Sebastian Lockwood replied politely.
"Let's not talk about work while we're eating. Let's talk about something more lighthearted." The speaker was Mr. Chandler's wife. She looked Sebastian Lockwood up and down. "Dr. Lockwood, you don't have a girlfriend, do you? What do you think of the girls here in Keston?"
"Looks like Mrs. Chandler is trying to set Dr. Lockwood up," the others teased.
"We should keep the good ones in the family! There are plenty of wonderful, single young women at our hospital. Like Nancy, for example."
"A talented man and a beautiful woman. I think they're a great match."
...
Sydney Sawyer, chewing on a piece of fish, glanced up at Nancy Zane, who was sitting diagonally across from her.
Flushed from the teasing, she wore a bashful expression. "Oh, you all should stop teasing us."
"We're being serious. Why don't you two just get together? I think it's a great idea. Dr. Lockwood, what do you say?" The speaker was a female doctor.
Many a true word is spoken in jest. Sydney Sawyer could tell that quite a few people at the table genuinely wanted to set the two of them up.
Suddenly, the fish in her mouth no longer tasted so good.
Sebastian Lockwood, however, simply picked up a crayfish with his chopsticks and glanced at the female doctor who had spoken.
"Matters of the heart can't be forced. If you don't genuinely like someone, it's not only irresponsible to yourself, but it's also hurtful to the other person."
The two of them were considered the hospital's golden couple, and people often teased them. This time, it was also a half-joking attempt to set them up, but no one expected Sebastian Lockwood to take it so seriously.
The atmosphere at the table instantly turned strange, and Nancy Zane's face went pale.
Sydney Sawyer sighed. 'Another girl hurt by him.' She was reminded of her past self; it was a case of misery loving company.
Just then, Sebastian Lockwood suddenly passed her the small bowl from in front of him. It was more than half-full of peeled crayfish meat.
"This is…" Sydney Sawyer stared at him in disbelief.
Sebastian Lockwood was slowly and methodically wiping his fingers with a napkin. "You don't like crayfish?"
"I do."
Sydney Sawyer smiled at him, then lowered her head and contentedly began to eat the crayfish meat.
This gesture from Sebastian Lockwood was interpreted differently by everyone who saw it. Some thought he was just doting on his niece, while others felt a pang of jealousy.
And then there were people like Donovan Sheridan, who was filled with utter disdain…
'He'd known Sebastian Lockwood for so many years, but when had he ever seen the man wait on anyone?'
'Serving tea, pouring water, and personally peeling crayfish? If the Lockwoods saw this, their jaws would hit the floor.'
'Usually, when he asked for a small favor, what did this bastard say?'
'"My hands are for saving lives, not for doing menial tasks for you."'
'Well, then. Turns out I'm just not worthy!'
**
Sebastian Lockwood later peeled a few more crayfish for Sydney Sawyer before leaning close and whispering, "I'm going to step out and wash my hands."
"Mhm."
Sydney Sawyer answered with a muffled sound. She watched him get up and leave, and when she turned her head, she saw Nancy Zane get up as well. The two left the private room one after the other. Her brows furrowed slightly; she could already guess what Nancy Zane was up to.
Just then, the toasting portion of the dinner began inside the room, and many people left their seats. Donovan Sheridan seized the opportunity to slide into Sebastian Lockwood's empty chair. "Have a drink with me?"
"Okay." Sydney Sawyer picked up her teacup.
"Tea? That's not very sincere, is it? How about some wine?"
"I can't drink."
"But isn't your allergy better? Just have a little. This wine has a very low alcohol content. It'll be fine."
"I really can't." Sydney Sawyer was a lightweight.
Donovan Sheridan was dying to know what was going on between Sydney Sawyer and Sebastian Lockwood. Since he couldn't get a peep out of a certain someone, he decided to start with "his little girl" while he was away.
Sydney Sawyer tried her best to refuse, but the "weird uncle" was simply too insistent.
...
Meanwhile, Sebastian Lockwood had just come out of the restroom when he looked up and saw Nancy Zane waiting for him, leaning against the wall.
"Dr. Lockwood, can I talk to you alone for a moment?"