Read Online Betrayal by John Lescroart - Free Book Online Page B

stupid war in Iraq. And I don’t need his letters to make me feel sorry for him. He made the decision to go over there. He decided to leave me and do that. Now I’ve moved on and he can’t just think he’s going to explain his way out of it and if I’d just understand how hard it was for him, then somehow we’d get back together. I’m not going to do that.”
    “No. I can see that.” Nolan held out the letter again. “Last chance.” When she didn’t move to take it, Nolan slipped it into the pocket of his shirt and said, “I’ll tell Evan you’re in fine health. Excuse me. Nice to have met you.” Moving past her, he started down the steps.
    When he got to the bottom, she spoke. “Mr. Nolan. Ron.”
    Turning, he looked up at her. “I’m not against the military,” she said. “I’m against Evan being in this war. There’s a difference.”
    Nolan raised his hand in a salute. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “If you say so.”
     
     
    A T SEVEN-THIRTY, he rang her doorbell again.
    She answered the door in tennis shoes, a pair of running shorts, and a black Nike tank top. Her hair back in a ponytail. She still hadn’t put on any makeup and it looked as though she’d been crying.
    “I’m not going to read that letter,” she said first thing. “I already told you.”
    “Yes, you did. I’m not here for that.”
    “Well…what?”
    “Well, pretty clearly you’re not with Evan anymore. I thought maybe you’d like to go get a drink somewhere.”
    She crossed her arms. “You’re asking me on a date?”
    “I’m asking if you’d like to go get a drink or something. Not that big a commitment.”
    “I thought I made it clear how I feel about getting involved with military people.”
    “You did, which would break my heart if I were a military person. Which, fortunately, I’m not.”
    “But you said you were with Evan over there?”
    “I am. But I’m a civilian. I work for Allstrong Security. Evan’s based with our headquarters group. I’m back home on assignment here for a couple of weeks and tonight I’m looking at dinner all by myself, which isn’t my favorite.”
    “So, as a last resort…”
    “Not exactly that, but we had a couple of issues we could have fun talking about if we left Evan out of it.” He looked around behind her into her apartment. “It doesn’t look like you’ve got much of a party going here anyway.”
    “No.” She sighed.
    Sensing that she was weakening, he asked, “Have you eaten?”
    “No.”
    “You can pick the place,” he said. “Anywhere you want, sky’s the limit.”
    Sighing again, she broke a weak smile and nodded. “That’s a nice offer. Eating by myself isn’t my favorite, either, and I’ve been doing a lot of that.” She met his eyes, then looked away, wrestling with the decision.
    “I don’t want to have another fight about this war or about Evan.”
    “I don’t want to fight either. I just want to put myself on the outside of some good food and drink.”
    “That does sound good.” She gave it another second or two, then stepped back a bit, holding the door open for him. “You want to come in and sit down a minute, I’ll go put on some clothes.”
     
     
    S HE PICKED AN UNDERSTATED and very good Italian place on Laurel Street in San Carlos, maybe a mile from her apartment, a car ride short enough to preclude much in the way of conversation. Nolan, usually voluble in any situation, found himself somewhat tongue-tied from the minute she walked out of her hallway in low heels and the classic simple black spaghetti-strap dress. She wore a gold necklace that held a single black pearl, and matching earrings. She’d put her hair up, revealing a graceful neck, showcasing the face in relief.
    Neither the bathing suit she’d been wearing when he’d met her nor the tank top, tennis shoes, and running shorts when she’d opened the door tonight had prepared him for the sophistication that she now exhibited. Before, of course, she’d been