Mansfield Ellington had been about to shield Eleanor from her ex-husband''s obvious attempt to hitch a ride, but to his surprise, she agreed to given a lift herself, simply to avoid troubling him.


    "Southern Command," Mansfield answered curtly.


    "And Mayor Ellington is...?"


    "My uncle," Mansfield replied easily, not minding the disclosure.


    Eleanor pulled the car up in front of the restaurant. Ian reached for the front passenger door, but Eleanor shot him a look. "Back seat."


    He paused for a second, surprised, but didn''t argue. He opened the rear door and climbed in.


    At that moment, Mansfield leaned in toward Eleanor, his tone gentle. "Take Maplecrest Avenue. There''s less traffic that way."


    A warmth flickered in Eleanor''s chest. For all his tough exterior, Mansfield had an eye for detail. She nodded. "Thank you."


    "Drive safe. Text me when you get home," he reminded her.


    "I will. You should head back," she replied.


    As Eleanor''s car eased away into the evening, she nced in the rearview mirror —Mansfield was still standing there, watching them leave. He only disappeared from sight when she turned the corner.


    "He''s awfully attentive, isn''t he?"n''s voice broke the silence, rough and tinged with the haze of alcohol.


    Eleanor gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Not your concern."


    Quiet filled the car.


    Eleanor rolled all the windows down. She didn''t care for the lingering smell of whiskey drifting from the back seat.


    "Could you pull over at that store?"n suddenly spoke up, eyes cracking open. "I need to grab some water."


    Eleanor spotted a convenience store just ahead and hit the brakes. "You''ve got two minutes."


    She looked at the bottle, remembered the taste, but didn''t take it.


    Eleanor let out a coldugh. "What''s it to you?"


    Eleanor drove him all the way to the Goodwin family''s front door. She didn''t bother hiding her impatience. "Get out."


    With that, he closed the door.


    Eleanor recalled how, justst Friday, their daughter had asked if her dad coulde along to the event. Apparently, even if Evelyn hadn''t asked,n wouldn''t have been able to make it.


    "For any of Evelyn''s activities in the future, you don''t need to show up," Eleanor called out, her words carried by the evening breeze as she drove away.<pn stood motionless for a moment, watching as her car disappeared down the street.