Eleanor epted the menu, her fingertips tightening just a fraction as she lowered her eyes to scan the options, making a conscious effort to ignore the presence of the man beside her.
She ordered two simple dishes and slid the menu over ton, who picked it up and added four more, all equally in and straightforward.
"Ian," Simone asked, "how''s the prep work going for the civilian project?"
"It''s all in Joel''s hands now. He makes the calls on everything." Ian lifted his cup and took a measured sip of tea.
Simone nodded. "Joel''s the right person for the job. The project''s in good hands."
"It only got off the ground thanks to Eleanor''s early research,"n said, his gaze lingering on the curve of Eleanor''s cheek.
"Just doing my job," Eleanor replied calmly.
Simone, sensing the shift in mood, quickly changed the subject. “By the way, Eleanor, is your little one in elementary school now?"
"Next September," Eleanor said with a gentle smile.
"Time flies. Hard to believe she''s starting school already," Simone remarked with a sigh.
Just then,n''s phone buzzed on the table. He nced at the screen, his brow drawing together for a moment, before declining the call.
The conversation shifted as Simone brought up repairs she was having done on her cottage. Eleanor listened and chatted with her, when Gavin''s phone suddenly rang. He nced at the caller ID, shot a quick look atn, and at a subtle nod fromn, excused himself to take the call outside.
A brief, ufortable silence settled over the table. Eleanor lifted her cup, taking
a sip of tea. This time,n''s phone vibrated again, this time with a text. He nced at the screen, his expression tightening almost imperceptibly.
"Professor Langley," he said abruptly, "I have an urgent matter to attend to. I''ll have to excuse myself."
Simone nodded knowingly. "Of course. Workes first."
Asn stood, his gaze lingered on Eleanor for a moment. She kept her eyes on her phone, her expression unreadable.
Just then, Gavin reentered. "Mr. Goodwin-"
Shrugging on his suit jacket,n strode quickly from the room.
The door closed behind him, and the room was silent for a few seconds once more. Simone knew full well thatn''s so-called urgent business was really just Miss Shannon acting up again.
She nced at Eleanor, hesitating as
if about to say something, but the food arrived just then. Simone waved Laird over to return a few dishes-there was no way the three of them could finish so much.
Eleanor urged Simone to eat, her manner soposed it was as ifn had never even been there.
"Eleanor, I''ll have Laird go with me to Kingston this time. If you''re too busy-"
"Professor Langley, you should check in for your tests first. I''ll be there on your surgery day," Eleanor assured her.
Simone looked at her, gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you. I was so strict with you before I almost cost you that research opportunity."
Every time Simone thought of it, she felt a pang of guilt. It was her own shortsightedness that made her nearly overlook Eleanor''s talent, even forcing her to skip ahead a year just to prove herself.
Eleanor gave a small, reassuring smile. "Please don''t me yourself, Professor. Science demands rigor. I understand. If I were in your position, I would''ve made the same choice."
Simone''s eyes stung. "You''re always so understanding..."
Eleanor gently nudged a te toward her. "Here, try the fish. It''s really tender."
Simone nodded, watching Eleanor
and silently wondering hown
could ever have let her go. How could he teave behind such an extraordinary woman? Miss Shannon might be beautiful, but
always seemed far too delicate for
real life.
Laird quietly ate her meal, lost in her own thoughts, asking herself what, exactly,
Eleanorckedpared to Miss Shannon.
Lunch turned out better than
expected. As they left the restaurant, Eleanor''s phone buzzed with a new
message she checked it it was ne
from Mansfield. The VIP suite at Kingston General Hospital is ready for you-just let us know when you''re arriving."