Chapter 226
lan replied crisply, “Alright. Have her dropped off at my mother’s. I’ll head over p>
That evening, Eleanor dropped her daughter off at her ex-mother-in-law’s house. Evelyn, delighted, was all too happy to spend the weekend at her grandma’s.
Back home, Eleanor quickly packed her bags and headed to the airport to meet up with Joel.
In the early hours of the morning, Eleanor and Joel waited at the nearly empty terminal, discussing details about the upcoming conference.
Suddenly, a group of people appeared from the direction of security. Eleanor glanced up, spotting Byron leading his team, with lan surrounded by colleagues as they strode toward them.
lan looked striking in his tailored suit, his sharp features and confident air only heightened by the airport lighting. He exuded such authority that everyone around him seemed to fade into the background.
“Ms. Sutton, Dr. Kingsley,” Byron called out as he approached.
Eleanor and Joel stood up together. Joel gave lan a polite nod. “Mr. Goodwin p>
Eleanor chose to ignore lan entirely.
Waiting for the same flight in the middle of the night felt oddly intimate and awkward.
Abruptly, lan leaned around Byron, directing a question at Eleanor. “It gets pretty cold in Kingston this time of year. Did you bring enough warm clothes p>
Eleanor replied coolly, “Thanks, but I’ll manage p>
Nonetheless, she pulled out her phone to check the weather in Kingston. One glance and she silently cursed her luck-she’d only packed for early autumn, but apparently Kingston was already flirting with winter temperatures.
Boarding began.
Eleanor and Joel had booked economy seats-first class was already sold out.
Byron tapped Eleanor’s shoulder. “Ms. Sutton, I’ve got a first class seat. Why don’t you take mine p>
“That’s kind of you, but I’m fine, thank you,” Eleanor said with a smile.
lan, walking ahead, paused at the entrance to first class. Three flight attendants greeted him with bright, eager smiles. “Good evening, Mr. Goodwin p>
lan stopped at the doorway, turned to Eleanor, and said, “You should take this seat p>
He was clearly offering Byron’s spot.
Eleanor replied evenly, “No need p>
With that, she and Joel continued on to the rear of the plane.
Once airborne, Eleanor slipped on her eye mask, settling in for a brief nap.
Joel, beside her, thumbed through the book he’d brought. His striking looks and quiet intelligence drew more than a passing glance from the flight attendants as they moved down the aisle.
Two hours later, as they exited the plane, a wave of icy wind greeted Eleanor at the jet bridge.
She immediately felt the temperature drop-at least ten degrees colder than she’d expected.
Shivering, she shrugged her shoulders and turned to Joel with a rueful smile. “Did you bring enough layers? I totally forgot to check the forecast p>
Joel laughed and, without a word, slipped off his gray plaid jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Here. Wear this p>
Eleanor glanced at his thin shirt. “But what about you p>
“I can handle the cold,” he replied.
The two of them walked out, chatting and laughing, only to find lan waiting just outside, his jacket draped over his arm. It was obvious he’d intended to offer it to Eleanor, but when he saw her already wearing Joel’s coat, his expression shifted ever so slightly.
Byron’s team, standing off to the side, exchanged awkward glances. So Eleanor already had someone looking after her. Didn’t that make Mr. Goodwin’s gesture a bit redundant?
Eleanor caught Byron’s eye and waved. “VP Chase, we’ll get going ahead p>
“Ms. Sutton, we have a car waiting-why not ride with us?” Byron offered quickly.
“That’s alright. We’ll just grab a cab.” She and Joel headed off toward baggage claim.
Since there was a five-star hotel right next to the conference center, Eleanor and Joel wheeled their luggage over to check in-and ran into lan and his group once again.