Jonah strolled over with a grin on his face, looking at the two of them Haillie finally let go of Ellinor and turned her face towards Jonah with a smile, âJonah, I was just thanking Ellinor for fixing my foot I was so stoked that I just kept hugging.
her.â
As she spoke, Haillie turned to Ellinor with a pretend look of concern, âEllinor, I didnât scare you, did 17â
âNopeâ
Ellinor was pretty chill about it, dusting off her clothes that got wrinkled during Haillieâs embrace as if she had just had a fly land on her shoulder Jonah shifted his gaze to Ellinor, his eyes squinting in a smile, âI canât believe you can treat sprains at such a young age, whoâd you learn that from?â
Haillie was peeved hearing Jonah call Ellinor so casually and even compliment her. She was steaming inside Before Ellinor could answer, Haillie cut in, âJonah, Iâm also surprised that Ellinor knows so much at such a young age, she must have learned it back in the sticks! Country kids know how to fend for themselves; theyâve got some mad life skills, nothing like us whoâve been pampered from birth!â
On the surface, it sounded like she was praising Ellinor, but the underlying message was a snide remark about her background Haillieâs few words seemed to draw a line between Ellinor and the rest of them, alienating Ellinor, hinting that she was not from their class!
Ellinor took the hint but just shrugged it off with a smirk.
Jonah said, âHaillie, since youâre all better, thereâs no need to have the hospital send a car.
He pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket and handed it to Haillie, âThe first number on the call log is the doctor I contacted for you; now you can call him and explain.â Haillie took Jonahâs phone, paused awkwardly, then forced a smile, âUm, okay, I guess I should call back and explain, I canât have the medical staff come all this way for nothingââ
After giving Haillie his phone, Jonah didnât spare her another glance.
He turned to look at Ellinor, his already smiley eyes twinkling with admiration and curiosity.
He didnât show a hint of prejudice or ridicule towards Ellinor after Haillieâs remarks.
Jonah naturally walked over to Ellinor and casually draped his arm around her shoulder âEllinor. I sprained this wrist a while ago, and itâs never been right since. Seeing as Iâm good buddies with your hubby, could you fix it for me?â
This affectionate gesture didnât feel inappropriate, more like a playful big brother messing with his little sister.
Ellinor glanced at Jonah, looked down at the arm around her shoulder, then raised an eyebrow at him, âAre you sure you want me to treat you?â
Jonah met Ellinorâs piercing gaze, immediately withdrew his arm, and said with a smile, âIf youâre genuinely offering to help, Iâd be thrilled! But if youâre looking for an excuse to teach me a lesson, Iâll pass!â
Ellinor smirked, âYouâre a smart cookie!â
Jonah chuckled, âIf you keep disrespecting me like this, watch out, I might tell Theo to take you home and spank your butt!â
At the mention of âtake you homeâ, Ellinor thought Jonah was about to say something indescribable, and her cheeks instantly turned red.