Chapter 104 | Meeting Henry!
Tess looked down at him with amusement in her eyes as she looked at his feet.
"That must have been disgusting..."
"Yeah," Dexter muttered flatly, still hosing down his foot. "It was."
"Good morning," Tessa said cheerfully as she smiled at him.
Dexter sighed. "Good morning."
Tessa blinked her eyes and flicked her long hair to the back.
Dexter turned off the tap and grabbed a rag from the hook on the wall, drying his leg.
"So why are you once again on my wall?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "If you wanted to greet me, you could just come to the front gate like a normal person."
Tessa shrugged, swinging her legs. "This is more comfortable. And it’s a shortcut."
Dexter rolled his eyes.
He shook his foot a few times to flick off the remaining droplets, then looked back up at the girl perched on his wall like a gargoyle.
"Shouldn’t you be in school?"
She blinked.
"School?"
For a second she looked genuinely confused before lightly smacking her forehead.
"Oh..."
"We’re on break."
Dexter narrowed his eyes.
Something about that answer sounded suspicious.
She looked like she was making it up on the spot.
Maybe she skipped school, but it wasn’t really any of his business.
Tessa tilted her head, her nostrils flaring slightly. Her expression shifted from amused to genuinely curious.
"Were you cooking this morning?"
Dexter paused. He knew immediately she was referring to the meal he had prepared for the girls.
The kitchen window had been open to ventilate the smoke, while the door was locked for Lyra not to smell it.
The aroma of that particular dish was potent enough to travel a considerable distance.
He thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. Why?"
Tessa’s eyes immediately lit up like two green fireworks. "Really? I didn’t know you were such a good cook!"
Dexter shrugged. "Well. Don’t judge a book by its cover."
Tessa smiled in excitement. "Can I have some? It smells really, really nice. Please? Can I have some? Please?"
Dexter blinked at the rapid-fire begging. He shook his head. "Not a chance. It’s all finished."
Tessa’s expression collapsed into the most devastating puppy-dog eyes Dexter had ever seen.
Her green eyes widened and her lower lip pushed out in an exaggerated pout as it trembled as though she was about to cry.
"Pretty please? Please, please, please, please, please—"
Dexter lips curled. ’How can ’please’ be pretty?’
"Fine!" Dexter held up both hands in surrender.
"Fine. All right."
He had originally left a small portion in the pot for Lyra, knowing full well that she would be hungry.
But seeing Tessa begging on his wall reminded him of the pastries he had purchased from her family’s bakery for the girls.
He had forgotten it when the girls rejected his jewelries, just remembering right now.
He could give the girls the pastries as an afternoon treat instead, and give Tessa the little bit of rice left.
It wasn’t truly a full portion, just the scraped remnants clinging to the bottom of the pot that was maybe half a plate at most.
He looked up at Tessa. "It’s only a little bit. Are you sure you’d want something so small?"
Tessa nodded vigorously, her red ponytail bouncing. "Yes! It’s just smells really good this morning through your window. I tried to respect your space, I really did, but the aroma was tooooo tempting. I had no choice but to come over. My feet just brought me here on their own."
Dexter chuckled. It sounded more like a compliment than an excuse, making his ego rise a bit.
"Alright alright. I will get it for you."
He shook his head with a faint smile and walked back inside.
He entered the kitchen, scraped the bottom of the pot carefully, and managed to gather a modest portion onto a small plate.
He covered it with a clean plate to keep the warmth in, then walked back outside.
The moment Tessa saw the plate, her eyes sparkled.
She immediately leapt off the wall, landing silently on his side of the compound as she snatched the plate from his hands with the speed of a hawk.
She lifted the upper plate, brought the plate to her nose, and inhaled deeply. Her eyes fluttered shut.
"Ah..." she sighed, her voice dripping with contentment. "It truly smells heavenly."
Then her eyes snapped open. She looked at Dexter sharply and suspiciously.
"Are you an Arcane Chef?"
Dexter’s blinked his eyes.
How had she guessed so quickly?
He shrugged, his face expressionless.
"Maybe."
Tessa’s eyes narrowed slightly, studying him as a brilliant idea popped up in her head. Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"All right. Maybe I have a business plan for you."
Dexter blinked. "Business plan?"
Before Tessa could respond, she suddenly turned her head toward her family’s compound and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Hey! Come meet our neighbor!"
She seem to have forgotten something but she immediately corrected herself. "D-ad! Come meet Dexter."
Dexter stared at her. "You’re talking to your dad?"
From the other side of the wall, a deep voice called back. "Tessa. Don’t just climb into another person’s compound through their fence. It’s rude and disrespectful."
Tessa rolled her eyes. Then she turned back to Dexter, her expression brightening again. "Dexter, come meet my d-ad!"
Dexter thought he might have heard some hesitation in her tone. He blinked slowly then sighed as he walked through his front gate to his neighbors place.
Halfway there, the gate on the other side swung open, and a man stepped out.
He was tall, almost exactly Dexter’s height, but broader with thick shoulders and muscular arms.
His large muscle was visible beneath the rolled sleeves of a simple baker’s apron.
He looked to be in his early forties as he smiled and extended his hand toward Dexter.
"Dexter, right? I’m Henry, Tessa’s father."
Dexter shook his hand.The grip was firm and strong.
He replied with a respectful smile. "I’m Dexter."