After her rebirth
Chapter 40

Felix's words hit Samuel right in the feels.

Samuel shot him a sneaky thumbs up.

"Ms. Manners is the doc taking care of Maximilian. His recovery? All thanks to her," Felix kept hyping up Katniss. Samuel's eyes lit up, "A doctor? Oh, that's perfect for Max."

Samuel was jumping the gun without even meeting her or knowing the deets.

But Samuel's reaction made sense. Max never had any girls around, except for the nanny and now Katniss.

Max had always been a lone wolf, with no interest in dating or marriage. Even Felix was getting antsy about it.

But with Max's health issues, romance was the last thing on their minds.

Seeing Felix getting swayed by Samuel, Max felt the pressure. If he didn't speak up, they'd be planning a wedding soon. "Grandpa, Katniss isn't..." Samuel cut him off, "Still not admitting she's your girl?"

Max just shook his head, exasperated.

Samuel grinned, "So you're basically agreeing."

He was stoked, "Go get Ms. Manners. I wanna meet my future granddaughter-in-law today."

Felix hesitated, unsure if he should call Katniss.

"Felix, you ignoring me 'cause I'm not paying you anymore and only listening to Max?" Samuel stood up, ready to go himself if Felix didn't move. Felix couldn't let that happen. "I'm on it."

"That's the spirit. If you didn't go, I would've," Samuel said, patting Felix on the shoulder, nudging him towards the door, and whispering, "We all know Max hasn't dated anyone. If we don't step in, he'll be single forever!" Felix felt uneasy but went anyway.

Max rubbed his forehead. "Grandpa, I'm sick, but not deaf."

Samuel sat back, smug, "So what if you heard? What are you gonna do about it?" He poured himself another cup of tea.

"Katniss showed up, and you started getting better. She's your lucky charm," Samuel said.

Max stayed quiet for a bit, not denying it. He didn't believe in fate, but Katniss's care made him feel warm inside. Samuel watched, thinking there was hope!

"If you don't make a move, you'll be single forever!" Samuel teased.

Outside, Katniss's sweet voice called, "Felix, did Max sleep well last night?" Samuel's eyes lit up, straightening his sleeves and trying to look cool. Katniss walked in, seeing Samuel's warm smile, looking a bit puzzled.

Samuel introduced himself, "Ms. Manners, I'm Max's grandpa. Call me Samuel." Katniss glanced at Max, seeing he wasn't mad, and obediently said, "Samuel." Samuel beamed, "You're a good girl."

Katniss looked confused but smiled along, seeing the old man happy.

Felix watched, feeling a bit guilty, like he was tricking a nice girl.

Max indulged in the warmth for a moment, his fingers curling slightly before he lowered his eyes and smiled faintly. But then Katniss frowned, making Samuel feel awkward.

"What's wrong?" Samuel asked, worried.

Did his laughter scare her? Samuel's heart raced. He didn't want to scare Max's future wife off!