Page 109 of Death on Riddle Road

Even if that ended their relationship, I hoped someday they’d both look back and know she had done him a good turn at the most difficult time of his life.

I did not wonder aloud how that counselor found out about the situation so quickly over the holidays.Because I didn’t really wonder.

Teague volunteered nothing.

****

Another romance —not between high school kids — might also be on the line.

And I very much feared Teague would not have cause to look back and think that I had done him a good turn.

Now, Teague gave a luxuriant stretch from his spot beside me on the couch, watching football.He ended the motion by sliding one arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.

“I’m liking this consulting gig,” he said.

“Really?”I couldn’t help wondering if he’d prefer to be back to full-time law enforcement.

“Absolutely.Lot less paperwork, but you still get to catch the bad guys.”

“Or gals.”

He kissed the top of my head.“Or gals.”

“Teague, how did you lose the sight in your eye?”

He twisted to look at me.“You don’t ask about that.”

Here we were at the precipice...

“There’s a reason for that,” I said.

...and those words pushed me to its edge.

“I’ll tell you the reason, but that doesn’t mean I’m forgetting you don’t talk about what happened that blinded you in one eye and why you didn’t fight to stay with your old department when your old partner says you were the best.And not only are you good at it, it’s important to you, yet you stopped doing it and I want you to tell me why.Maybe I need you to tell me why.”I sucked in a badly needed breath.“But before I can ask, I have to tell you...”

“Tell me.”

“I want you to know this isn’t Kit’s fault.It was my decision to do it.I’m afraid it’s going to cause you difficulty and I don’t know how we’re going to work that out or—”

“How about telling me before we jump down all those other rabbit holes.”

“Right.Okay.Well, here it is.I’m not who you think I am.Well, I am.Now.But I wasn’t always.Except who I am now is more of who I am than who I ever was before.”

I shook my head at the word spaghetti I’d just twisted up in front of him.

“I know that makes no sense...”

Teague waited.

It was one of the things I usually liked about him.That he didn’t jump in, try to guess — or guide — what I might have intended to say.

But this time I could have used some guessing and guiding.I’d wound down to silence and didn’t know how to restart.

“It makes sense,” he said slowly.“But you’re going to need to say it.”

“Why?”I asked a little desperately.

“Don’t you think the way things are going between us that we need to tell each other things.You said you wanted to hear things from me.Well, I want to hear them from you.”