“That’s sad,” I tell him. “There are so many fabulous things to see all over the world.”
“There’s a lot on my list of things to do once I retire,” he says with a smile.
“How old are you?” I ask. I know he’s older than I am, but I’m not sure by how much.
“Thirty-seven,” he replies. “Thirty-eight next summer.”
“I’ll be thirty-two in May.”
“I know.”
Our eyes meet and we laugh.
“So do spies work until they’re sixty-five?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Not usually, though some do. To be honest, I think my days are numbered. I don’t love the job the way I used to.”
“How come?”
He stuffs his hands in his pockets and looks away, staring at the bright lights ahead of us at the entrance to the Christmas market. “I thought I was fighting for the good guys, and mostly I have been. But no matter how noble the intentions, there’s always politics involved. People vying for someone else’s job and using what we do to gain power. It’s hard to know who to trust, including your bosses. And sometimes the red tape makes it almost impossible for me to do what I have to do. I’ve given my country nineteen years. Maybe it’s time for me to do something else.”
“You’d retire? Really? Won’t you be bored?”
“Chains, my buddy that’s been helping me with your situation, owns a security and bodyguard company, so I can always get a job with him, but I’m not worried about being bored. I’d like to take some time off, travel, do some things I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Like what?” I feel like a giddy schoolgirl on a date with the high school football team quarterback. I want to know everything about him, immediately, as if we might not have a lot of time and he’ll disappear from my life like a thief in the night—again.
“Like tour the inside of cathedrals all over Europe,” he says with a faint smile. “Swimming with sharks in the South Pacific. Snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The list is pretty long.”
“Have you ever wanted to settle down?” I ask quietly, my heart beating a little harder as I wait for his answer.
“You mean, with a woman, or in one place?”
I frown. “Both, I suppose.”
“To be honest, I’ve never wanted a house in the suburbs, a dog and two-point-five kids. I’d be open to having a special woman in my life, maybe even a kid, but settling in one place, working some nine-to-five job and doing the same thing every day sounds like hell on earth to me.”
I dip my head, slightly embarrassed because that’s exactly the kind of life I have. Minus having someone special in my life.
“I love my job,” I say after a moment. “So, it doesn’t feel like drudgery. I love being able to dig into the minds of kids, whether they’re five or fifteen, and help them discover the world around them. There’s always a bad day now and then, that’s part of life, but in general, I love what I do.”
“That’s how I used to feel about what I do,” he says. “The last few years have changed me. A lot has happened, things that have changed my view of the world more than me as a person. But I suppose those go hand in hand.”
“I suppose they do.” We enter the Christmas market, and despite the dark turn our conversation took, it’s hard to feel down amid the bright lights, decorations, and the wonderful scents we’re immediately assaulted with. My stomach growls, reminding me it’s been hours since I’ve eaten.
“Potato pancakes,” Ace says suddenly. “Do you like them?”
“I love them,” I respond with a grin. “Though I try not to indulge too often.”
“It’s almost Christmas. Come on!” He tugs me toward a booth, and we get in line.
“You’re going to get me fat,” I protest mildly, though I’m mostly kidding. I haven’t been running the last week, but I do it often and it keeps me in shape. “I’m going to have to run a hundred miles this weekend.”
“Do you run?” he asks.
“When I can.” I nod. “This time of year is hard because of finals coming up. Lots of paperwork, papers to grade, grades to turn in…”
“When does school let out?”
