Elodie Thorne didn’t quite follow his reasoning, but she pressed her lips together and said, “Sorry, that’s not the same thing. Besides, that’s not even my place anymore.”

After all these months living apart, why would he want her to come back now?

Her attitude was exactly what Jarrod Silverstein expected. He remained calm. “Alright, I’ll come to your place, then.”

Elodie shot him a cool look, as if to ask, What’s wrong with you?

Jarrod lowered his gaze, absently twisting the wedding band on his finger. “My grandmother stopped by yesterday. She noticed there’s no sign you’ve been living there anymore, and I didn’t know how to explain it to her.”

The gesture drew Elodie’s attention to his ring. Apparently, Jarrod hadn’t taken it off.

But that wasn’t the point. She met his eyes steadily, her expression unyielding. “Mr. Silverstein, I’m here to discuss business. Whether it’s your place or mine, my answer is still no.”

She could be remarkably firm when she wanted to be.

Jarrod knew that about her all too well.

He didn’t push-he’d never been one to force her. “Suit yourself.”

“And the documents?”

“I’ll handle the negotiations.”

Surprisingly… straightforward.

Elodie almost found it unsettling; she’d braced herself for Jarrod to haggle or make things difficult.

“That’s it?” A little thrill sparked inside her.

He allowed himself a faint smile. “Or would you prefer we start all over again?” Not a chance.

Elodie stood up without hesitation.

“Thank you. I won’t take up any more of your time.” She didn’t linger. Having gotten an unexpectedly clear answer from Jarrod, she gathered her things and left.

There wasn’t the slightest hint of regret.

Jarrod noticed, of course.

He watched the door for a long moment, then looked down at the wedding ring on his hand, and finally stood to call Andrea.

Now that Elodie was certain Jarrod would handle the meeting himself, she decided to let it go.

Still, it amazed her how quietly he’d accomplished something so significant.

Of course, she was glad-anything that could drive domestic progress meant her

own research projects would move forward more smoothly.

In good spirits, Elodie actually felt like cooking tonight. On her way home that

evening, she picked up some fresh fruit and vegetables.

Once she got upstairs, she noticed

eemed to have (DOVEŠTV-

hall. There were new

in

marks by the door and a couple of unopened boxes on the floor.

Her apartment was in an upscale building, spacious and modern. There were only two units per floor, and in all the time she’d lived here, the place across the hall had been empty.

She glanced over once, then keyed in her code and went inside.

No sooner had she walked in than her phone rang.

It was a call from an academic fellow, letting her know he’d spoken with Klein

Whitaker, and her background check would be fast-tracked.

He even told her she could start work early, an exception to the usual process. That was good news.

Before hanging up, Charlie Sterling added, “Jarrod’s quite an interesting guy. Really caught us off guard.”

He’d already heard about the SX Alloy negotiation.

These days, Jarrod was the talk of

ele

the higher-ups-earning nothing but praise. Among the younger

generation, only Elodie herself could match him.

Even she hadn’t known what he’d accomplished, so she could imagine how surprised everyone else must’ve been.

Thankfully, Charlie didn’t pry. He just reminded her to check in before she reported for work, and hung up.

Elodie changed into something comfortable and started getting dinner ready.

She’d just tied her hair back when someone started banging on her door, loud and insistent.

She jumped, startled.

She’d lived here quietly for over eight months now, and no one had ever come knocking at night.

Living alone, she couldn’t help but tense up.

She moved softly to the door and peeked through the peephole.

When she saw who it was, her brows drew together in surprise.

So much for her imagined crisis.

She opened the door, and the person outside nearly lost their balance.

“Can I help you?”