Watts seemed back to his usual self as he walked over. “Just got here?”
Elodie nodded while tucking away her blueprints.
For a moment, she wondered if that flicker of emotion she’d caught on Watts’s face earlier had been a trick of the light—because now, he was as relaxed as ever, smiling with that easy charm, his eyes fixed on her face. “You’ve seemed run down lately,” he said, “Is the work here getting to you? You should take it easy. Lily Lockwood’s been assigned to help with your workload—don’t be shy about delegating. It’ll be good training for her, too.”
Elodie was well aware, but for things that mattered, she preferred to handle them herself.
Of course, she took training Lily seriously, but some things just had to be prioritized.
“I know, I will,” she replied.
She hesitated, then added, “Are things still rough for you over at Eldrion Global? I can’t just pretend nothing happened—I do worry about you.”
Watts shrugged, unconcerned. “It’s no big deal. You know President Barnes is my mother, so they can’t just kick me out of Eldrion Global. Sure, it’s a hassle, but that’s part of growing up. You’ve got to take some punches to get tougher.”
He didn’t make any grand promises about handling it effortlessly—he was just being honest and straightforward.
Elodie thought for a moment. “I can’t really help with company politics, but I won’t forget what you’ve done. If VistaLink Technologies ever lands a good project, I’ll make sure you’re in on it.”
It was the fairest way she knew. No strings attached—just settling the account.
Watts caught her meaning and smirked. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to go begging for favors from a woman. Honestly, this is my first time dealing with fighter jet tech. If you could keep an eye out and steer me away from any big mistakes, we’ll call it even. Deal?”
A simple enough request.
Elodie nodded. “If you need anything, just ask.”
With that, she turned and headed toward the other side of the test site.
Watts watched her go, his expression unchanged, but there was a shadow of something deeper in his eyes.
Elodie was pregnant.
He’d heard about it from Patricia.
Not that he let any of it show.
This baby couldn’t have come at a worse time.
His phone rang. He answered.
Patricia’s voice was cool. “So, what’s going on between you and Jarrod? Has he come gunning for you yet?”
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