“Good.”
But she couldn’t stop trying, couldn’t stop digging. “Was that an issue for you before? In your marriage, I mean?”
“You could say that.” He sipped his beer. “She slept with my partner.”
“Oh.” For a man like Jack, loyal and principled, the combination of physical and emotional infidelity, the betrayal of friendship, vows, and honor, would be unthinkable, unanswerable. The worst kind of blow. Her heart hurt for him. “Oh, Jack.”
He set down his bottle, the glass clicking precisely against the countertop. “I need a shower before we go out.”
Running away, she thought. “I can wait.”
He tugged at his buttons, a black glint in his eyes. “You’re not going to offer to scrub my back?”
Hurt and helplessness roiled around inside her. “Normally, I would love to scrub your back. Since I’m not really into sex being used as a diversionary tactic, I think I’ll pass.”
“Fuck,” he said tiredly. “What do you want from me?”
“I just want you to talk to me. Could we talk, please?”
“Fine.” He leaned against the counter again, arms crossed over his chest. “What do you want to know?”
Her chest ached.Tell me you love me. Tell me everything’s going to be okay.
“You could start by telling me why Renee was looking for you.”
“She wanted to let me know there was a job opening in my old department. Detective squad with a chance to get back onto the tactical response team.”
“She didn’t have to come down here to tell you that.”
He was silent, giving her time to work it out.
Lauren moistened her lips. “I suppose the job comes with... special compensation.”
“She mentioned perks, yeah.”
She nodded, unsure how to respond.
“I’d be living near my family again, for one,” he said, watching her closely.
She struggled to contain her reaction. This wasn’t about her. This was about Jack, what he needed, what he wanted. “Is that what you want?”
“All other things being equal?” He shrugged. “Sure. But I like it here. I like small-town policing. I like being able to follow every case from beginning to end. I’ve got no plans to leave.”
“Well, that’s good,” she said, relieved. “That’s good to know.”
“Unlike you.”
“What?”
“Marta told me you have a book tour coming up. When is that, a couple weeks, a couple months away? Funny how we never talk about that.”
She gaped at the unexpected attack. “It’s not like I’ve been keeping secrets. I’ve been totally honest with you. You’ve always known I was leaving.”
But he was right, too, she thought guiltily. They never talked about it. Because that was a need she preferred not to acknowledge, one pain she didn’t want to feel.
“Yeah, I’ve always known.” He stuck his thumbs in his pockets, those black, alert eyes fixed on her face. “So what do you care what I do or where I go after you’re gone?”
The blood drained from her face, from her brain, leaving her light-headed. Her lips felt numb.
