Chapter Three: The Grandmother’s Eyes

The drive to the countryside took three hours.

Khloe’s old car rattled the whole way. Jacob sat beside her in a plain dress shirt and pants borrowed from her brother. Clean-shaven. Hair combed.

He looked almost normal.

Almost.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Me? No. Just mildly panicking.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“You have a weird gift for staying calm in completely ridiculous situations.”

“Maybe I’ve had a lot of practice.”

She glanced at him. “You say that like you’ve been through worse.”

“I have.”

She wanted to ask more. But her grandmother’s house appeared through the trees.

Flowers in the garden. Smoke curling from the chimney.

Her mom rushed out before the engine stopped.

“Finally!” She pulled Khloe into a tight hug. Then turned to Jacob. “And this must be Jacob. So nice to meet you, sweetheart.”

He smiled. “The pleasure’s mine.”

“Grandma’s excited. She’s in her room. Go see her. Take your husband.”

Khloe’s stomach fluttered as she walked down the hallway.

The bedroom door was open. Grandma Margot sat in her armchair, wrapped in a floral shawl.

Her skin was pale. Her hands trembled. But her eyes were still sharp.

“Grandma. I want you to meet someone.”

Jacob stepped forward.

Margot stared at him.

Her small eyes narrowed. Studied his face. His jaw. His cheekbones.

“Jacob,” she murmured.

Something shifted in her expression.

“That name sounds familiar.” She tilted her head. “You’re not that missing billionaire, are you?”

The room went silent.

Jacob froze.

Khloe’s mom laughed nervously. “Come on, Mom. As if Khloe would marry a billionaire. You must be confusing him with someone else.”

Margot didn’t laugh.

She kept staring. Pulling memories from a locked box.

“I think you’re mixing me up with someone,” Jacob said. Polite smile. Steady voice.

“Maybe,” Margot muttered. “But those eyes. I remember those eyes.” She leaned forward. “You don’t forget eyes like that.”

Khloe stepped closer. Took her grandmother’s hand. Squeezed.

“Grandma. Everything’s fine. Jacob’s new around here. You’re thinking of someone else.”

The old woman stared for a few more seconds.

Then she smiled.

“You’re right, dear. Age plays tricks on me.” She patted Khloe’s hand. “He seems like a good man. If he takes good care of you, he has my blessing.”

Khloe exhaled.

Jacob subtly relaxed his shoulders.

But his heart was racing.

He couldn’t afford to be recognized. Not now.

---

Dinner was a feast.

Roast chicken. Rice with almonds. Potato salad. Apple pie.

Jacob served himself modestly. Used the right fork. Folded his napkin in his lap. Complimented the wine like someone who’d studied vintages.

Khloe noticed.

So did her mother.

“You’ve got good manners, Jacob. What did you do before meeting my daughter?”

Jacob paused.

“I worked with people in different places. Nothing permanent.”

“Like what?”

“Consulting. I helped small businesses grow.” He smiled. “Now I’m taking a break. Starting fresh.”

The answer was convincing enough.

Khloe let out the breath she’d been holding.

“So was it love at first sight?” her mom teased.

Khloe glanced at Jacob. Panic flickered behind her eyes.

“Sort of,” he said. Smiling at her. “It was an unexpected connection. But very real.”

For a moment, everything felt too real.

The way he looked at her wasn’t pretend.

There was warmth there. Admiration. Something that made her cheeks burn.

She looked away.

After dessert, Jacob offered to do the dishes. Khloe’s mother practically swooned.

Khloe took her grandmother to the bedroom.

“So. What did you really think of him?” Khloe asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Margot smiled. “He’s special. I’ve always had a good feeling about people. But he’s not telling the whole truth. That’s obvious.”

“I know.”

“But, Grandma, he helped me when I was at my lowest. I don’t know how I would have made it through these last few days without him.”

Margot squeezed her hand.

“Sometimes people’s secrets don’t define who they are. What matters is how they treat us.”

Khloe kissed her forehead.

Went back to the living room.

Jacob was finishing the dishes. Shirt sleeves rolled up.

“You’re pretty good at washing dishes,” she said.

“I know how to do a few things. I was a boy scout.”

She laughed. “My mom really liked you.”

“And your grandma?”

“She didn’t kick you out. So we’re doing okay.”

Jacob dried his hands. Looked at her. More serious now.

“You know. If you ever want to stop all this, just say the word.”

“I know. But for now, it’s working.” She paused. “In a weird way.”

They sat in silence.

Khloe watched him.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the way he spoke. The way he moved.

Something wasn’t right.

“Let me ask you something,” she said. “Why were you on that sidewalk that day? Why that spot?”

Jacob hesitated.

“It felt like a safe place. I needed to disappear. That sidewalk made me feel invisible.” He looked at his hands. “I needed to be invisible for a while.”

“Running from what?”

He smiled. Didn’t answer.

That night, Khloe slept in her childhood bedroom.

Jacob slept on the couch.

Neither of them slept well.

They were both too busy thinking about each other.

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