Chapter 4

Ella gave herself one last look in the mirror, smoothing down the soft blouse she had chosen and adjusting the light necklace that rested against her collarbone. She felt a flutter of nervous energy she couldn’t quite name. Serge was already at the landing by the front door, slipping on his shoes with that calm efficiency of his. He looked good in the simple button-down and dark jeans — tall, quietly put-together, the kind of presence that didn’t need to demand attention.

“Ready?” he asked when she stepped into the entryway, his voice low.

Ella nodded, joining him at the door. “Yeah. Meagan said she’d meet us there around six-thirty.”

They were heading to Chicken & Pickle — one of those casual Nashville spots that combined good food with pickleball courts. Ella had suggested the outing a couple of days earlier, framing it lightly: “It would be fun to get together with Meagan outside of work. This will be on us, of course.” Serge had simply said yes, nothing more. No questions, no probing. He hadn’t mentioned Meagan at all since that night in bed when Ella had let slip her thoughts. That silence didn’t unsettle her. If anything, it felt ... right. Serge had always seemed to read her on a level most people never reached. She suspected he already understood exactly what she was circling toward.