Page 38 of Her Dom's Secret Past

“That makes sense. I’ve lived in apartments too. This is the first time I’ve actually bought a house.”

“Have you been fishing yet?”

“Not yet. I’ve spent the past few months getting unpacked and sorted. Think I’ve finally reached the point where I can relax and start enjoying things.”

“How’s the leg? Your shoulder and stomach?”

“Stomach feels pretty good, now only the occasional twinge. My shoulder is improving. I’m actually getting a pretty good range of movement now and no pain. Means I can reel in those big fish when I catch them. My leg is still sore at times and I try not to overdo things. I’ve actually been going to a local physio and she’s helped me a lot.”

“Sounds a good idea,” I said, but at the same time I was a little jealous of the physio. She’d been able to see him and I hadn’t.

“Yeah, it was. I’m glad I started sessions with her.”

I glanced at the clock. It was ten to seven, time to cook the beans and dish up.

“I’ll get dinner organized. Won’t be long.”

“Can I help?”

“It’s okay. You can sit and talk.”

John followed me into the kitchen, pulled out one of the stools at the counter, and sat. I quickly plunged the beans into hot water for a few minutes. While they were cooking, I got the chicken out and spooned a serving on each plate. After draining the beans, I tossed in some toasted almond slivers and put some on each plate.

“There’s wine in the fridge, help yourself.”

John stood and opened the refrigerator door. “What would you like?”

“Juice, thanks. Glasses are in the cupboard beside the fridge.”

John poured a wine, a PinotGrigiofor himself, and my juice. He followed me into the dining room and we sat. The conversation was light and casual. We mainly spoke aboutRollyand the seal, and although the conversation was light and easy, there was a real undercurrent of tension. We both knew that some serious talking was coming up and it was invading the room. Finally, silence fell and John pushed back his seat.

“Maybe we should go back into the family room.”

Hearing those few words, I felt sick. I nodded, my hands sticky with perspiration. I rubbed them down my sides. We carried the dirty dishes out to the kitchen and I put them into the dishwasher.

“Tea?”

“Maybe we should talk first.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s sit.”

He patted the spot alongside him on the settee. I sat nervously. This very well might be the last time I saw him. He took my hand and glanced down at it. I held my breath as he raised his face.

“Remember you asked me if I’d been hurt in an accident and I agreed?”

I nodded.

“Shit. How to do this, where to start?”

He seemed as nervous as I was, and I could almost sense his fear matched mine.

“Right. I worked for the government, I told you that. What I didn’t tell you was the line of work I was in. It was um … how to explain? Um … peacekeeping and information gathering.”

I was baffled. “What, you sat in an office trying to find out stuff about people?”

“No, I worked in the field as an agent.”