Page 42 of Chilled

“No.” She wasn’t jealous of her sister, and she’d never consider a man like Stan as husband material. In fact, she’d been the only one in their family who hadn’t liked him.

“Then what’s your problem?”

“My mother.” Once she said it, the sour taste of guilt burned the back of her throat. Her mother couldn’t help her disease or the things she said. But the remarks hurt, nonetheless.

“Ah.” Nick nodded like he could see inside her head.

The thought didn’t make Brenna any more comfortable. “What do you mean by ‘ah’?”

His lips twisted into a crooked grin. “I have a meddling mother, too. Let me guess, she thinks you should have it as good as your sister and every time you’re with her she asks why you aren’t married.”

“Yeah.” The man truly could read her mind. But why was she telling him her secrets? What was it about Nick Tarver that made her want to bare her soul?

“And is that what you want?”

Was that what she wanted? Did she envy her sister’s ideal life? “Someday.” Then again, her sister’s life wasn’t so wonderful if she’d found the need to go to a marriage counselor.

“In the meantime, you like chasing bad guys.”

“Right.” She turned in her seat and pinned him with her own stare. “What about you, Mr. I’m-all-about-the-job Tarver? Did your divorce turn you against having a wife, a house in the suburbs and two-point-five children?”

“Hey, this wasn’t about me.” He held up his hands as if to ward off her attack.

Good, Brenna wanted him on the defensive after putting her through her paces for the past few minutes. “You’ve been grilling me. Now, it’s my turn.”

“Shouldn’t we be watching for Greeley?” Nick asked, pointing toward the large white-sided house with the black shutters.

“Well? What about it, Tarver?” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited. At first she didn’t think he’d answer.

Nick sighed, running his finger down the curve of the steering wheel. “I had all that, minus the two-point-five kids.”

“And you can’t have it again?”

“I had a wife and an apartment, and I thought I had a good marriage.” His jaw tightened, the only display of emotion reflected in the light from the dash.

“But...?”

“Like you said, I was all about the job. Home late every night, away on assignments too often...you know the drill.”

“Didn’t your wife know about your work before you married her?”

He snorted. “I guess not.”

Brenna already felt like a heel for prying, but she couldn’t help asking, “So she left you?”

“No, I left her.”

His admission was not what Brenna had expected. She sat forward. “Why?”

Nick glanced her way. “I left her after I caught her in my bed with my partner.”

“Oh.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. Wow. She’d certainly opened a can of worms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you into that.”

With a shrug, he looked back out the window. “It’s okay. That was two years ago. I’m over it.”

Brenna doubted that.

By the tone of his voice and the way he didn’t meet her eyes when he spoke the words, Agent Nick Tarver wasn’t over his wife’s betrayal.