Maybe once upon a time, he actually liked it here. But back when they were still married, he never wanted toe home-mostly because of her.
Now that the divorce was final, did he feel more at ease living here?
"Alright," Jarrod said, striding over and stopping right in front of her. "Grandma''s been asking a lot of questions. Do me a favor and help smooth things over."
Elodie had already guessed as much before she came.
It was either about the house or something to do with his grandmother.
She hadn''t even responded yet when Jarrod''s phone rang-FaceTime.
Elodie nced at the screen.
Sure enough, it was his grandmother.
Jarrod answered, and the olddy immediately spotted Elodie beside him. Her face lit up, her voice warm and doting: "Everyone''s home, I see?"
Elodie hesitated for a split second, then forced herself to reply, "Yes, Grandma. Things have been busy at worktely, so I haven''t had a chance to visit you."
If not for that divorce agreement of Jarrod''s...
She wouldn''t have to keep up this charade.
His grandmother spoke with genuine affection. "That''s alright, work is important. But you still need to take care of yourself. I told this stubborn boy to bring you back to the house, and he always says you''re too busy."
"I wasn''t lying, was I?” Jarrod replied leisurely.
His grandmother gave him a mock re. "You''ve got a lot of nerve calling yourself
a husband. Can''t even look after your wife! Just look at Elodie-she''s lost so
much weight."
Elodie knew, deep down, that his grandmother truly cared for her.
If it hadn''t been for the old woman''s protection these past few years, things would have been much harder.
She tried her best to reassure her, chatting for a while.
Just before ending the call, his grandmother suddenly said, "Next month, your grandfather''s old army buddy, Mr. Raleigh, is turning eighty. I''m not well enough to go anymore, so you two will have to go and represent the family for me."
Elodie hadn''t seen thating.
She and Jarrod, together?
Back when their marriage was a secret, no one even knew they were a couple.
Now they were divorced.
Showing up together would be even more inappropriate!
Jarrod understood that too. He shot Elodie a sidelong nce, then tactfully
replied, "We''ll see, Grandma. If we''re free, we''ll go."
Grandma was having none of it. "Don''t be silly! Raleigh saved your grandfather''s life. It''s a matter of respect you don''t get a choice in this!"
"Well, you two get some rest. I won''t keep you up," she added, making it clear there''d be no more discussion, and waved them off before disconnecting.
Elodie''s expression darkened. With the divorce still a secret, how were they supposed to handle this?
Jarrod nced over at her. "We''ll deal with it when the timees."
Elodie thought for a moment. "Fine. You figure it out."
He put his phone away, then added offhandedly, "You still have some stuff here. I asked you over partly for Grandma, partly to see if you want any of it back."
Elodie didn''t hesitate. "No, just toss it."
"My secretary brought back all the things you gave me for my office-Cara put them in the study, untouched. Anything you want to keep?" Jarrod asked.
Elodie was surprised Cara hadn''t thrown them out already.
"No, none of it matters anymore. They''re not worth anything now. Do what you want with them," she said after a pause.
All those carefully chosen gifts she''d given Jarrod over the years had gathered dust in his office. Maybe the items themselves were timeless, but her feelings were long gone.
She didn''t want them; to Jarrod, they were probably just clutter.
Better to throw them out.
Jarrod looked down at her, his dark eyes as unreadable as ever. After a moment,
he curled his lips into a half-smile. "Alright."
Elodie felt there was nothing left to say.
She stood, about to announce she was leaving.
Jarrod gave her a thoughtful once-over, his expression cool and distant.
Then, abruptly, he murmured, "You have lost weight."