CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT – A LOVE TRIANGLE

Trent's features softened gratifyingly at her acquiescence, a spark of that old fondness flickering to life in his eyes. Without another word, he simply turned and set off down the sidewalk at a meandering pace, leaving Scarlett to catch up at her own speed. It wasn't until they'd covered half a block in companionable quiet that he spoke again. "So...you seem a bit preoccupied tonight. Everything okay?" His tone was casual, laced with that familiar undercurrent of concern that was so quintessentially Trent. Scarlett fought the instinctive urge to deflect, to erect her walls as was her custom. Instead, she settled on a careful halfway truth. "It's just...work has been unusually stressful of late. My boss has been acting quite erratic and out of character. I'm not sure what to make of it, honestly." She risked a sidelong glance at Trent, taking in the furrow of consternation creasing his brow as he processed her words. "That doesn't sound like good old Henry at all. The man's always