“It’s serious?”
“It can’t be serious, Nash. I’m married,” I just about growl, my frustration getting the best of me.
“Okay, here’s the food, guys.” Bea puts a plate down in front of Nash. It’s the biggest muffin I’ve ever seen, taking up almost half the plate.
There’s another plate put down in front of me, with a sandwich cut in half from corner to corner.
“You let me know what you think about this sandwich, JJ, okay?”
“Anything for you, Bea.” I smile up at her, and she shakes her head with a smile.
She’s a pretty woman. Dark hair, light brown eyes. She has a wedding ring on, but I’ve never heard her talk about her partner.
“Shout if you need me.” She walks off to go back behind the counter and do what she needs to do.
“He’s just a guy,” I say, picking up my sandwich and taking a bite. It could use some salt, but it’s pretty good. Spinach,tomatoes, some kind of cheese, all mixed into a scrambled egg between toast.
“Just a guy,” Nash says as he stabs a piece of the muffin with his fork. “Were you with him when I called?”
“What? No.”
“Liar,” he says.
“I’m not lying.”
“Like fuck you aren’t. Not only can I tell because you’re my brother, but I’ve been a cop more than half my life, JJ. You are lying.”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. My loyalty is with Franklin.”
“What the fuck,” he says with a huff. “Why? He sure as fuck isn’t loyal to you. And how can you claim loyalty when you’re fucking someone else?”
“Because it doesn’t matter,” I say the words slowly.
“Doesn’t matter so much that you’ve been with him more than once and spent the night, which I know is something you donotdo. Franklin doesn’t act like your husband. Where is he? Do you even know what he’s doing?” He scoffs, taking another bite, then his tone changes, turning softer. “Getting a divorce doesn’t make you a failure, JJ. It makes you stronger. Going through that isn’t easy. But you deserve to be happy. Don’t stay with him because you think you can fix this. It’s been fourteen years. Maybe it’s time to throw in the towel. It’s not your fault. It’s his, and I know you know that.”
I sigh, putting down my sandwich because now, I’m not hungry. I’ll have to eat it though. I don’t want to offend Bea, and it is good. Plus, I could use something in my stomach.
“Why am I here, Nash?” I ask, not having any fight in me anymore. The last thing I want to do is talk about Franklin. My life revolves around him, and quite frankly, I’m sick of it.
Nash wipes his hands on the paper napkin, then pins me with a firm stare.
“I got a job.”
“No shit. You’ve been working the same job for years.”
“No, a new one.” He clears his throat. “In New York.”
Well… fuck.
My stomach drops.
“New York? Are you serious?”
He nods once, still holding my gaze.
“What’s in New York?” I ask, trying to hide the emotion clogging my throat.
“I need a change. I’m tired of this city. I’ll be going to Homicide. Specifically, working on unsolved cases. I could do a lot of good there. This undercover shit? I’m tired of it. It’s too much. I’m not getting any younger, and I need something different. I just…”
