Page 17 of Fatal Betrayal

"How did you get that scar on your nose?" she asked.

"Took a fastball to the face when I was a senior in high school."

"Oh, my God. That was your mother's worst nightmare every time you got on the mound."

"That was the worst injury I ever had. It was bad. There was a lot of blood."

Now she felt a queasiness to go along with her headache. "Let's get a coffee," she said, moving toward the end of the line. "I got off a plane late last night. I didn't get a lot of sleep."

"We should order something to eat as well. I'm guessing you didn't stop for breakfast this morning."

"I've never been a breakfast eater."

"No. Always too eager to start the day."

"More like eager to get out of the house when I was a kid," she said. "And we don’t have time to eat."

"Do you have time to collapse?" he countered, with the old Cooper logic that she'd never been able to avoid.

She didn't want to admit he was right, but she needed energy and sustenance. "Maybe I will get one of those pre-made sandwiches," she conceded. "I can eat it in the car."

"Where were you flying in from last night?"

"New York. I had to wrap a few things up before making my move official."

"You've just come back to LA then?"

"Yes. I got my apartment last month, moved in a bed and shipped my car a few weeks ago, but the rest of my furniture is coming later this week." She realized she was rambling and giving him too much information. "Where do you live now?"

"Santa Monica."

Great. They were living in the same city. Just what she needed.

"How long have you been in Santa Monica?" she asked, her gaze not meeting his. She didn't want to appear too curious about him, but she was.

"Three years. Moved around before that."

An awkward silence fell between them, and she was relieved when it was time to order.

"Let's sit down and eat," Cooper suggested, when they got their food and drinks. He moved toward an empty table and pulled out a chair. "Or are you going to be stubborn like you always were?"

She hesitated, but seeing the knowing look in his eyes, she decided to prove him wrong on at least one point. "Fine." She sat down across from him and took a swig of coffee, feeling immediately better. Then she unwrapped her sandwich. As she took a bite and looked across the table at him, she said. "This is so weird."

"You said that before."

"Because it still feels strange to be here with you. It's the same and yet really different, because we're not kids anymore."

"Nope," he muttered, his mouth full of a big bite of his chicken pesto sandwich. He swallowed, then said, "We're definitely not kids."

"I didn't think I would ever see you again, much less have to work with you."

"Can't say I saw this coming, either, Andi."

"I still don't understand why Neil thinks you should follow me around? Has he always been suspicious of law enforcement, or did that come from the time he's spent with you putting together your docuseries?"

"Our relationship has definitely changed some of his opinions about the criminal justice system, profiling, and how sometimes law enforcement gets it wrong. He wants to make sure that doesn't happen now. He's panicked, and he doesn't want to make a mistake."

"I understand that, but I'm not sure what you're going to be able to do, Cooper. I would have gotten the same information from Jillian, whether or not you were there."