He looked insulted. “That’s a hell of a thing to say.”
“Sorry. Being a widow has made me lose my filter. Obviously, I don’t feel that way anymore. You’ve been amazing, and I’m so appreciative of everything you’ve done to help me find out the truth about Cozy Glenn.”
His face softened. “It’s the least I can do.”
“I just meant to say that I always thought you were the kind of guy who didn’t take life seriously. But I now know that’s not true.”
“It is up to a point.” He shrugged. “I mean, what’s the point of taking life too seriously? We aren’t here for very long. Why not take some risks and have a good time?”
I considered his words. “Good point. Maybe the rule follower in me was envious that you did whatever you wanted.”
“You married very young. Was that because you wanted to follow the rules?”
“Totally. God forbid I become an old maid. I was almost twenty-two.”
He whistled low. “I could barely take care of myself at that age.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine Ayla getting married right now. She has so many plans for her future.” At least she had before Ali died.Worry zipped through me. I needed to call Ayla, and Adam, to check up on them. “She’s always insisted that she’s not getting married until her late twenties at the earliest.”
“She has a good head on her shoulders. You and Ali did a great job raising those kids.”
Any mention of the children put a smile on my face. I was so proud of them. Ali and Ididdo a good job with Ayla and Adam. But I agonized about what they might soon face. “What do you think Ali was up to?”
He avoided answering directly. “I always thought you and Ali were the perfect couple.”
I guffawed lightly. “Believe me, there is no such thing.”
“You weren’t happy?”
“I was, but no marriage is perfect. For the most part, Ali was great. He was easygoing about most things, but sometimes dealing with him was like suddenly hitting a brick wall. Especially around issues related to money. And I would have liked to have socialized more as a couple. Ali was more of an introvert.”
“Hmm. You and Ali made me believe in marriage. Watching how you two were together got me thinking that maybe it was something I could do. That I would actually want to do.”
“We couldn’t have been that convincing,” I pointed out. “You’re still not married.”
He shrugged. “I haven’t found the right woman.”
“Have you ever come close?”
“There was a girl once, a long time ago, but she was already spoken for.”
“You’re running out of time. What are you? Forty-six? You don’t want to be an old dad.”
“Whoa,” he said with a smile. “I didn’t say anything about having kids.”
“You don’t want kids?” I thought everyone wanted children. It felt like the natural way of things.
“I used to think I did. I would be open to having kids if I married a woman who wanted them.” Most of Nasser’s family still lived in Ohio, where he was born. But he’d stayed in the DC area after finishing law school in the city.
The elevator pinged. I didn’t immediately tense up. We’d been standing in the corridor for over an hour, and the elevator pinged a lot.
A woman in her forties with blondish hair emerged. She wore a sporty outfit yet still managed to look expensive and put together. Not super slim, she was obviously in good shape. Her face came into focus as she approached. I’d never met the woman, but I had seen her face before. As she walked by, a shadowy image from another lifetime crystallized into a real person.
I straightened abruptly, shock taking my breath away. The expression on my face prompted Nasser to look over his shoulder to see what I’d reacted to.
“Lizzie?” I spoke her name just loud enough to be heard.
Lizzie Martins did a double take, looking at me with a quizzical expression. Her eyes were big and blue. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
