You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 716

Knock, knock, knock.

Brandon paused, chopsticks halfway to his mouth. He was sitting at his dining table, halfway through his dinner, and didn’t even bother to look up. He just assumed it was Ruby again. It wasn’t until he finished eating and gathered up his trash to take out later that he noticed something by the door. There was a gorgeous redwood food box sitting on the floor. It looked just like the one Patricia had sent before. That last time, she’d sent a ridiculously expensive serving platter inside, and he’d carried it around like it was going to explode at any moment. He had no intention of picking up this box. None at all.

He was about to close the door when his phone buzzed. Patricia’s name popped up on the screen. He stared at it for a few seconds before answering.

“Mr. Lantz, it’s just some homemade food,” Patricia said.

“Mr. Martin, I’ve already eaten,” Brandon replied.

“It’s just some dishes from your grandmother’s hometown,” she continued. “I was out at dinner with some clients at a place that serves great food from that region, and it made me think of you. So I asked them to pack up a few dishes for you. They’re nothing fancy, but they taste like home.”

Brandon tightened his grip on the phone, his knuckles turning white. For a split second, one thought flashed through his mind: Patricia always knows how to get to me. She never does what everyone else does. Other people would show up in person, try to corner him, wave money in his face. But Patricia? She just sent over a few simple dishes and managed to tear down every wall he’d built up around his heart. A hundred stories, gone in a heartbeat.

He unpacked the food at his table. As he lifted the lids, he froze. A rush of emotion slammed into him, so intense it made his back go rigid. Suddenly, he was a kid again, wrapped in the warmth of his grandmother’s kitchen, back in those fleeting, happy years. But those years were long gone, replaced by endless days of being passed around, then long nights in the orphanage.

It had been so many years, but just seeing those familiar dishes was enough to make his shoulders drop. He felt a little less alone.

“I wonder if Brandon even cares about those dishes,” Jackson said as he drove.

Patricia propped her chin in her hand, eyes far away. “He cares.”

“It just came up,” Patricia said with a shrug, her fingers toying with the hem of her skirt. Her lashes lowered, hiding whatever emotion flickered in her eyes.

Jackson was still frowning. “I don’t get it. We came to bring Brandon food so he’d remember who he is and keep his distance from Ruby. But from what he said earlier, he’s already made it clear he’s not getting involved with her. So we really didn’t need to bring him anything.”

Patricia laughed, light and soft. “You’re missing the point. When you give someone a gift because you want something, they’re happy, sure. But when you give them something for no reason at all, that’s what they remember.”

“It’s just a meal. Nothing major for us. But if it costs us nothing, why not do it?”

Outside, Jackson kept driving toward Cloud Peak. Brandon’s place was only a few minutes from their office by foot, but it was a bit of a trek from where they lived. And with rush hour traffic, they weren’t getting anywhere fast.