"Alright, I''ll be out front to pick you up around 11:30."


    "Okay," Eleanor agreed before the person on the other end hung up.


    Eleanor stopped at a red light and sensed the man beside her staring. She turned to nce at him. "What are you looking at?"


    Seeing her expression,n Goodwin realized she had clearly forgotten that he had just invited her to lunch.


    "I was the one who asked you to lunch first,"n muttered sullenly.


    Eleanor blinked, finally remembering. He had invited her at the supermarket, and she had refused without a second thought.


    "Joel needs to discuss work with me," Eleanor said, trying to offer an exnation, though she certainly didn''t need to. Who she ate with was her own business.


    "Can I join you?"n asked suddenly.


    "No," Eleanor replied, her rejection sharp and final.


    "Why not?" he couldn''t help but ask, his voiceced with a faint dissatisfaction. "It''s just a meal. If he can talk about work, so can I. I''m still Joel Kingsley''s boss, and besides, I have work to discuss with you too."


    Eleanor gave him a look. "My lunch with Joel isn''t a ce for outsiders to interrupt." Outsider?


    The word prickedn''s heart like a fine needle. It was true, he was an outsider in her eyes. So what did that make Joel? A close colleague, an insider?


    Eleanor''s hands tightened on the


    steering wheel. She knew what he was referring to-four years ago during the most painful and confusing period of her marriage, she had indeed confided in Joel


    Back then her disappointment in the marriage and her many frustrations withn had all beenid bare to Joel, who was like a big brother figure to her at the time.


    Eleanor''s expression cooled slightly. "That goes both ways. You kept more from me than I ever kept from you. If we''re talking about me, we both share it."


    "We''re divorced. Who I eat with and what we talk about should be my business now, right?"


    "I''m sorry. It started with me. I didn''t mean to bring up the past,"n apologized, his voice hoarse. He had crossed her line. In his current


    position, he had no night or standing to even be jealous.


    Eleanor said nothing.


    Eleanor stopped at another red light, her gaze fixed ahead. "The way things are now is for the best."


    She meant that things were fine, but her words still sent a dull ache through his chest.


    He wanted to say something more, but in the end, he just forced a small smile. "I understand. I was out of line just now."


    A silence fell over the car again, a sort of helpless calm.


    When they reached the underground garage, Eleanor separated their groceries into different bags and handed his to him. They rode the elevator together.