Jackson informed Belle that he had already ordered some food online, scheduling it to arrive in an hour. Fortunately, traffic was light on their way home. Since they were still on the road, Jackson managed to coordinate with the restaurant to delay the delivery. If the restaurant had been on their route back to the city, he could have easily picked it up himself. Instead, of all the dining options available in the city, he had chosen one located in the exact opposite direction.
They arrived home first, and Neon quickly unlocked the gate for Jackson and Andrei. Not long after, the delivery driver arrived and rang the doorbell. Jackson stepped out to open the gate and handle the payment. He paid for everything himself, partly because he was the only one with cash on hand, but mostly by design—he wanted to ensure Eli wouldn't insist on splitting the bill.
"Wow! You ordered a lot of seafood!" Neon commented, his eyes lighting up as Jackson carried the food inside.
