Chapter 48
Chapter 48
“Mm p>
Frank hesitated a moment before answering, “I’ve got a meeting tomorrow afternoon. It might run late p>
Elissa felt her heart sink, slow and heavy.
“I see p>
“What do you see? Let me finish,” Frank’s voice was gentle but firm. “I just won’t make it back in time to pick you up. We’ll meet directly at Murphy Manor, alright p>
The tension in Elissa’s shoulders eased in an instant, and the corners of her mouth lifted almost involuntarily. “Of course, that’s fine p>
As long as she didn’t have to go back alone, she’d be alright.
“Mm. Are you almost home p>
She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I’m close p>
Frank’s tone softened further. “I bought you some cupcakes. Left them in the fridge–don’t forget to have one p>
Elissa froze.
He’d given her plenty of expensive gifts before–those never surprised her. But bringing home cupcakes just for her? That was new.
She was caught off guard. “Thank you, Frank p>
But that little flicker of surprise faded quickly.
She scrolled through her phone and saw Marcia’s post:
[This morning I just mentioned craving cupcakes, and tonight he brought some home p>
Her cupcake.
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It must have been something Frank picked up on a whim, just because Marcia wanted them.
She tossed her phone carelessly onto the bed and collapsed after it, staring at the ceiling. The thought of the Murphy family dinner tomorrow night tangled her nerves all over again.
If she was honest, Matriarch Paige Murphy had done her a real kindness.
When her parents died, those two months in the orphanage had been nothing short of nightmarish for a five–year–old.
There’d been a girl there, only a year older, the undisputed queen of the orphans‘ little kingdom. Elissa had barely arrived before the girl took a dislike to her.
She’d been banned from playing with anyone else, had her dresses snipped up, found tacks hidden in her shoes, turtles drawn on her face with markers, and even lost the jade pendant she’d worn since birth–snatched right off her neck.
Elissa tried to tell the teachers, but every child insisted she was making
things up.
The teachers, of course, believed the crowd.
She’d hidden in the backyard, sobbing in a lonely corner, aching for her mom and dad. That’s when Paige Murphy had arrived.
If Paige hadn’t taken her in, if Rowan hadn’t brought her to his own part of
the house…
She probably wouldn’t have even made it to adulthood.
As a child, Elissa had been the picture of well–behaved–so obedient it was almost foolish.
And the world is unkind to the foolish.
So someone spent nine years teaching her how to be clever. How to fight back.
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Elissa stared up at the ceiling, the light stabbing at her eyes until they
ached.
“Sir, we’ve arrived p>
Rowan was lounging in the back seat, eyes closed, pretending to nap. At lan’s words, he cracked an eye and glanced out the window. The usual sharpness in his gaze softened–just a little.
A moment later, another emotion flickered across his angular features: a rare, fleeting exasperation.
He made no move to get out of the car.
lan prompted again, “Sir, we should go in. Grandma’s already seen us p>
Rowan shot him a lazy look, then swung his long legs out and stepped from the car.
“Grandma p>
Inside, Janice Garrett–nearly eighty–peered behind him, confirmed he’d come alone yet again, and her face fell into stern lines.
“Why are you by yourself again? I told you last time, if you don’t bring me a granddaughter–in–law, don’t bother coming home p>
Rowan strolled over, hands shoved in his pockets, and dropped onto the sofa. “Grandma, if you really want, I could bring you a new one every day.” “Don’t you dare p>
Janice didn’t miss a beat; she grabbed her cane and smacked him with it, all seriousness lining her wrinkled face.
“When it comes to love, you ought to be devoted. If you ever mess around with a girl’s feelings, you can forget about calling me Grandma p>
“Alright, alright, I’ll do as you say p>
Rowan let her scold and whack him until she was satisfied, only then
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gently setting her cane aside.
If anyone else saw this, they’d be stunned speechless.
The infamous Rowan, tolerating a lecture without a word of protest.
He frowned at the mug on the coffee table, its dark contents unappetizing. “What’s that p>
“Medicine,” Janice declared, picking up the mug and launching into her usual melodrama. “I’m so worried every night I can’t sleep. Had to see a doctor. Some nice young lady told me that if I keep this up, I won’t have long left. She wrote me a whole stack of prescriptions p>
“Where’d you dig up such a quack p>