Chapter 31 When It Finally Reached Him

• For the first hour, dinner went exactly the way Emily had hoped.
• Noah showed up right on time—the kind of punctuality you develop when growing up in a system where being late could literally cost you your placement.
• He shook Kael’s hand with a careful, assessing firmness, acting like a younger brother trying to look more intimidating than his lanky med-student frame actually allowed. To his credit, Kael was patient. He answered Noah’s pointed questions about his intentions with the same seriousness he’d use for a difficult medical diagnosis.