Elliott stood in the doorway, wearing a loose T-shirt and casual shorts. His hair, soft and slightly tousled, looked like it had been carefully styled to appear effortless. For a moment, he reminded me of the Elliott I used to know—except the warmth in his expression was gone. His piercing blue eyes held a depth that was impossible to read, devoid of the charm they once carried.
I hadn't expected him.
Fate had a way of tilting the odds. I'd been plotting how to get closer to Elliott, and now here he was, handing me the perfect opportunity.
Yet a pang of unease tugged at me. Elliott wasn't like the others—he'd never been.
Smiling as if unaffected, I said lightly, "What a surprise, Elliott. I brought some fragrance samples with me. Shall we talk?"
"Sure," he replied flatly, stepping asi
