Chapter 23

Marla managed to get herself invited to dinner and ended up sitting on one side of Kane, while Elise was on the other.

As he entered the dining room, Kane gave Elise a peck on the cheek and it was only when Marla stood looking at him expectantly, that he absentmindedly helped her into the chair. Rolling her eyes, Elise sat down moving her chair in by herself. She wasn’t helpless and could manage her own chair just fine, thank you very much!

For his part, Kane seemed oblivious to any undercurrents between the two women, merely inquiring how their day went. Marla happily reported that she and Julia had shown Elise some of the woods.

Elise wanted to point out that Marla had basically tagged along, but Kane seemed so pleased that their day had gone well that she didn’t want to burst his bubble. His face seemed exceptionally drawn and he kept rolling his shoulders and turning his neck as if his muscles were too tight. She wondered what had happened that day to make him