“Take the day off. Tomorrow, I’ll take you out for some fun,” Ian said, then turned to Eleanor. “If you need to work, you can send Evelyn over to my room anytime.”
Eleanor did have some prep work before her meeting, so she nodded. “Pick her up at three.”
With that, she went back to her meal.
At three o’clock sharp, Ian arrived to pick up Evelyn. She happily followed him out. As Eleanor was about to grab her laptop, her phone buzzed with a new message.
She reached over and checked—Xavier was texting.
“Vivian told me Evelyn called in sick?”
“Yes, I brought her along on a work trip to Drexford,” Eleanor replied.
“Did Ian go too?” Xavier asked.
She typed back, “Yeah, he’s taking her skiing while we’re here.”
“Alright. Have fun,” came Xavier’s response.
“Thank you,” Eleanor replied politely.
She had just pulled out her laptop and hadn’t even opened her files when another message came in. It was from Mansfield.
“Are you free tomorrow? I’d love to take you and Evelyn out for dinner. I’m heading back to Kingston the day after.”
Eleanor paused. Bad timing.
“I’m in Drexford on business with Evelyn—looks like we’ll be here for about ten days. Next time, dinner’s on me,” she wrote back.
“Oh, what a shame! Are you there alone with Evelyn?” Mansfield replied.
“Alright,” Eleanor agreed.
Ian’s gaze softened a little. “Let’s go—the restaurant’s on the fourth floor.”
Inside the elevator, Evelyn’s happiness was impossible to miss; her face glowed as she held Ian’s hand with one of hers and reached for Eleanor’s with the other.
As the elevator descended, Ian felt his daughter’s small, warm hand and glanced over at Eleanor.
Eleanor stared straight ahead, her face unreadable.
With a soft “ding,” the doors opened onto the fourth floor. The soft notes of a violin drifted in.
The restaurant looked cozy and upscale. Just then, Evelyn squealed with delight, “Mom, look! It’s snowing outside!”

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