“The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.”
“Of course he did,” Jack muttered, clearly annoyed but not angry.
“Have you read it?”
“Yes.”
“Did you like it?”
He hesitated. “I found it relatable.”
“How so?”
“You’ll understand when you read it.” He gave her a sideways glance and smirked. “Do your own homework.”
She crinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue. “Fine.” But after another long stretch of road, she asked, “Is Nick more than some guy you hired to run the foundation, Jack?”
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
“My mentor and closest friend.”
She settled in her seat, letting that little tidbit sink in. Another magical puzzle piece to clarify the mystery that was Jack Thorne.
The drive should have been awkward—two people who bared their bodies and souls now sealed inside a car with nowhere to hide from the enormity of what they’d done. But instead, the conversation unspooled the way it might have on a first date, had they met under ordinary circumstances in an ordinary world.
“Favorite food,” she said, angling toward him with her bare feet tucked beneath her on the leather seat.
“Myrtle’s lamb stew. Yours?”
“Toast with butter and strawberry jam.” She caught his sideways glance and shrugged. “Don’t judge. It was the one thing my mum always made sure we had.”
“I’m not judging.”
“And who’s Myrtle?”
A warm smile curved his lips. “She’s the closest thing I ever had to a real mum. You’ll meet her when we get back.”
“She lives with you?”
“Yes. So does Nick.”
She grinned at the thought of returning to his home and meeting more of the people that filled his life.
“Favorite midnight snack?”
“Peanut butter on a spoon.”
They traded answers like currency. Favorite colors, favorite books, favorite movies. She didn’t have any shows on account of not having a television. But sometimes, when she visited Maryanne, they would watch The Golden Girls. She liked Rose and Sophia best.
She learned Jack couldn’t cook, had never been on a holiday that wasn’t business, and listened to jazz the way other people took medication.
“Jazz is messy.”
“That’s why I like it. It commands your attention and distracts the mind from everything else.”
She liked his reasoning. “Tell me something you’ve never told anyone else.”
