“Both.”
He leaned back, dragging a hand through his hair. “That’s comforting. Not.”
“I didn’t ask you to trust the situation,” she said. “Just…me.”
Jack turned his head again, watching her. Really watching.
“That’s the problem,” he said. “I do.”
Her breath caught.
“Trust you, that is. However, the last time I did that,” he continued, voice lower, “you broke my heart.”
The words landed with quiet precision.
Madelaine’s vision blurred for a split second before she blinked the tears away.
“I didn’t want to,” she whispered. “I swear it.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Well. You did.”
She nodded, because there was no denying it.
They drove in silence for several miles after that, the hum of the engine filling the space where words had failed.
Finally, she thought of perhaps a less fraught subject to discuss. “How’s your family?”
It was a fragile offering. A shift. The best she could do.
Jack exhaled slowly, tension easing in the car, just a fraction.
“They’re all good,” he said. “Same as always. Mom and Dad still travel around the country in their RV. We’re lucky if we hear anything on a monthly basis, but they seem very happy.”
“What do you do for a job, Jack? I’ve always wondered where you landed.”
“Actually, I work in security belowstairs at the Big Bang Truck Stop.”
“Really? Security?” She would never have thought he’d become a company man.
“Well, mostly I do computer stuff, not kicking down doors or packing a gun. Found out I have a knack for computer languages and figuring things out in the cyber world.”
“Huh. Never would have pegged you for security or computers. What made you go in that direction?
He glanced at her, a ghost of a smile tugging at his mouth. “Well, I was pretty groundless for a few years. It was time to settle into something.”
“Why were you groundless?” The foolish question was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Why was talking to Jack making her so socially feeble?
He answered her foolish question anyway. “Because I was waiting for someone.”
Her heart stumbled and her eyes burned. She nodded. “Oh.” Not the most articulate thing she could say, but it was all she could manage.
“Yeah. Turns out,” he added lightly, “that was not a great investment for the length of time I spent doing it.”
She winced. “You’re right. And I deserve that.”
“Yeah,” he said again. More softly, he said, “Maybe.”
She risked a glance at him.
