Eleanor and Joel made their way to the busiest shopping street in Kingston.
The night was alive with neon lights and crowds weaving along the sidewalk.
Eleanor stepped into a charming toy store, carefully browsing for a gift for her daughter. Evelyn already had a mountain of toys, so every time Eleanor picked out something new, she found herself agonizing over the choice.
She wondered what kind of toy would actually delight her daughter this time.
"How about this one? Looks like it just came out," Eleanor said, picking up a singing robot toy that could also chat and dance.
She checked its features and smiled. "This one''s great. I think Evelyn will love it."
Before she could say more, Joel had already picked up the toy and was heading toward the counter.
"Joel!" Eleanor hurried after him.
Joel had the cashier ring it up and presented his phone to pay.
Just as Eleanor was about to protest, the cashier-quick on the uptake-scanned Joel''s code without hesitation.
Eleanor couldn''t help butugh, resigned. “Joel, you really shouldn''t spend money on this."
"It''s been a while since I got Evelyn a present," Joel replied. "Let this one be from me."
"Thank you," Eleanor said warmly.
They left the shop with the gift and caught a cab back toward the guesthouse at the Military Medical University. Down on thewn, they spotted Byron ying ser with a group of his men. They called Joel over to join, and he happily epted.
Inside the lobby, Eleanor ran into Garrison. He noticed her arrival and greeted her. "Miss Sutton, just getting back?"
"Yes, I went out to pick up a toy for my daughter," Eleanor replied with a smile.
Garrison wasn''t surprised-Mansfield Ellington had already filled him in on Eleanor''s situation.
"I was hoping to chat with you, but it''s gettingte. Let''s catch up tomorrow if you have time," Garrison said.
"Sure, see you then."
Eleanor brought the toy up to her room, took a shower, and settled on the couch to review her research proposal. Out on the emptywn below, she could still hear the men cheering each other on as they yed ser, even at eleven o''clock. Eventually, drowsiness overtook her and she went to bed.
The next morning, Eleanor headed down to the dining hall at seven thirty. Byron and Joel were already seated, eating breakfast. Eleanor grabbed a tray and sat with them.
"Did either of you see Mr. Goodwinst night? I have an urgent document for him to sign, but he wasn''t in his room," asked Laird, Byron''s assistant.
"Didn''t Mr. Goodwin leave in a ck Land Roverst night? He must''ve had other ns."
"With someone in Mr. Goodwin''s position, I imagine there''s a line out the door to meet him," someone else chimed in.
Suddenly, Byron shot his men a look, signaling them to drop the subject.
They fell silent, remembering that Eleanor wasn''s ex-wife and not wanting to make things awkward.
Joel, ever considerate, handed Eleanor a mug of hot milk. "Did you sleep wellst night?"
"Pretty well, thanks." She epted the mug, ncing out of the corner of her eye to seen striding into the dining room.
He wore a sharp suit, his expression cool and focused. It was the same shirt and jacket from the day before-clearly, he''d been too busy to return to the guesthouse and change.
Laird immediately stood up. "Mr. Goodwin, I have a document that needs your signature."
"Eleanor," he called suddenly, "the military delegation will arrive at nine. Make sure your presentation materials are ready."
Eleanor finally looked up, her tone neutral. "They''re ready."
He nced at the caller ID, frowned, and stepped out of the dining room to
answer.
Just then, Garrison entered and walked straight over to Eleanor. "Miss Sutton, about the presentation slides you sent me I have a suggestion. Could we go over it privately before the meeting?"
Eleanor had just finished eating and rose to join him in a quiet corner.
Faye couldn''t help but stare after them, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes.
"I went over your datast night," Garrison said, handing her a sh drive. "There
are a few figures that could use tweaking, so I made some adjustments."
"Thank you. I''ll take a look in a bit," Eleanor replied gratefully.
Outside the dining hall,n finished his call just in time to see Eleanor and Garrison standing close together.
His eyes darkened as he strode toward the conference room.
At nine on the dot, the military representatives arrived. Mr. ck surveyed the room. "Today, we''ll finalize the schedule for the experiment."
Eleanor switched on the projector and began presenting the revised n. Her professional delivery earned her another round of apuse. When she finished, Mr. ck nodded in approval. “Let''s move forward with this. Animal testing will begin next week."
As the meeting ended, people began to file out.
Joel found Eleanor to let her know he''d booked their flight for three that afternoon, and that they still had a little time to coordinate with the military team.
The follow-up meeting ran until one-thirty, after which the group hurried to the airport.n didn''t go with them.
After a two-hour flight, theynded in Ashford City, where apany car met them and took them back downtown. As soon as Eleanor got home, she went to pick up her daughter.
Evelyn was thrilled with her new toy. When Eleanor told her it was from Joel, Evelyn''s eyes went wide in surprise. Hugging her gift, she eximed, "I love the present Mr. Kingsley gave me!"
At eight that evening, Eleanor''s doorbell rang.
Joslyn looked up, surprised. "Who could that be thiste?"
Just then, Princess-who''d been dozing nearby-suddenly leapt to her feet, barking excitedly at the door, her tail wagging furiously until she was practically whining with joy.
Evelyn''s eyes sparkled. "It''s Daddy! I know it''s Daddy. Come on, Princess, let''s go see!"
Eleanor ran a hand through her hair in exasperation, arms folded as she stepped into the yard. Joslyn had just opened the door, andn''s tall frame appeared in the doorway.