Page 74 of The Farmer Has a Wife

“I… don’t know,” said Eleanor. “Let’s just put that on hold for a short while. There are other things to be done first.”

“What exactly are you planning to do, Nor?” Elizabeth asked.

Eleanor took a deep breath. “I’m going to fix it.”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “Fix what? Fix it how?”

Ignoring her, Eleanor leaned forward again. “Tell me, Elizabeth, what’s the bravest thing that you’ve ever done?”

For a second, Elizabeth hesitated, then she said, “Skydiving.”

Eleanor snorted. “That’s not brave. It’s simply falling and hoping for the best.”

“And what do you call brave, then?” Elizabeth asked, slightly stung. “Because I’ll have you know that ten thousand feet is an awful lot higher than you might expect it to be, particularly when you’re staring down at the ground from a plane.”

“No,” Eleanor said, smiling softly. “No. Brave is letting someone in. Brave is knowing how fragile we all are, and yet opening up the door anyway and inviting someone in. Someone who might shatter all the plates and break all the windows. But someone who might just make themselves at home instead.”

“Are we talking about the house again?” asked Elizabeth.

“We’re talking about love,” Eleanor corrected. “Loving someone enough to risk everything.”

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed at her temples again. “And what happens if Danni isn’t interested in taking you back?” she asked. “The papers of formal separation have already been signed, you know.”

Eleanor’s chest ached at the thought, but she nodded, resolute. “Then I’ll at least know that I tried. And I’ll know that I wasn’t a coward. I’ll know that the brass ring was there and I jumped for it. I won’t spend the rest of my life wondering.”

“If you’re about to do what I think you’re about to do, then you might find yourself living the rest of your life without a roof over your head.”

Eleanor said nothing, and eventually Elizabeth shook her head and exhaled.

“Alright, what do you need me to do?”

A weight lifted off Eleanor’s shoulders. “Set up a meeting with the representatives of the trust and the bank.”

Elizabeth picked up a pen and scribbled something down. “Consider it done. But Eleanor?”

Eleanor was about to stand up, but she paused. “Don’t you dare try to talk me out of this.”

“I wasn’t going to,” said Elizabeth. “I know better than that. But I will just say that if you’re planning on grand-gesturing your way back into Danni’s life, then I really would prefer it if you didn’t get arrested. I’m too old to be answering two a.m. phone calls from the police station.”

Eleanor huffed a laugh and got up. “Your wish is my command,” she said as she walked out of Elizabeth’s office.

She felt lighter than she had in years. For the first time in her life, she was choosing love over duty.

And God help her, she wasn’t about to mess it up this time.

Chapter Thirty Two

Danni had spent the better part of the last twenty-four hours making choices that, if she thought too hard about them, would probably make her throw up. But for once in her life, she’d decided to trust her gut rather than her pride. The problem was, trusting her gut felt an awful lot like free-falling with no parachute.

Which all led her to standing here, in Elizabeth Allen’s office, trying to look like she had everything under control. And trying to look like wearing actual trousers rather than jeans and shoes rather than boots didn’t make her want to roll on the floor kicking her feet like a toddler.

Elizabeth steepled her fingers and looked at Danni over the rim of her glasses with a tired, knowing look. “I assume you’re here about the divorce?” she asked dryly. “And if that’s the case, I’m afraid that I’m obligated to tell you that my client has—”

“No,” said Danni.

“No,” echoed Elizabeth. She gave Danni a skeptical look. “I’m representing your wife, you do understand that—”

“It’s not about the divorce,” Danni interrupted again. “I signed the paperwork, I’m not planning on contesting the divorce. From everything I’ve heard that means that you won’t even need to represent Eleanor for that. We wait out the year, file online,and we’re good to go.” Saying the words felt weird, discussing it felt weird, but divorce was the least of her problems just at the moment. She’d jump over that fence when and if she came to it.

---