knowing. But it's not normal for me. It's not normal at all. I might drink a beer every couple of weeks on the weekend. Usually we're gone somewhere working a case, and I never drink then. This time, being here by myself without my usual support staff, was different for some reason. Not sure I can explain it."
"You don't have to explain," she insisted. But looking at his face, she could tell he needed to try.
"Five days, Mel," he said simply.
"Excuse me?"
"My bureau chief gave me five days in Kansas to see if I could solve this case. The rest of my team went to Tacoma, as I mentioned yesterday."
She nodded. "I remember. Henry asked if a missing kid in Tacoma outranked a bunch of dead hookers in Wichita. You said absolutely not."
He loosened his grip on her hand and studied her palm. "I lied about that. Of course it does. I was all but on the plane to Tacoma when this case came across my desk. Had to put in a special request with my chief. To say he wasn't thrilled would be an understatement. I did my best to convince him, and he gave me five days."
"Five days," she repeated, skin tingling as Nate's finger traced the lines on her hand.
He looked up. "Four, now. I've never felt so much pressure on a case before. It's agonizing, because I know I can figure this thing out. I just don't know if I can do it in five days."
"Four now," she repeated again.
He smiled and released her hand. "We should eat. What would you like for your main course? I'll order the next time Skippy comes back."
"Veal parmesan?"
Nate smiled again, and nodded. "Sounds good to me. Try this." He took some meat and put it on her plate. They ate for a few minutes, and when the waiter returned Nate placed their order.
Mel pushed her small plate away. "If I eat any more of that heavenly bread, I won't be hungry for the veal. So…." She watched his face. "You miss your team. Anybody you especially miss, or are they all pretty much about the same?"
He stacked his plate on hers and set them aside. A small grin crept across his face as he sipped his wine. "I think I know what you're asking. No, I'm not seeing anyone on my team. They're a crackerjack group and I trust them with my life on a daily basis. But that's about as intimate as it gets."
The timing felt right, so Mel pressed on. "No Mrs. Willis waiting at home back in Texas with a baby on her hip?"
That made him chuckle. "Babies? Not me. Women, not now. Never an ex-. Dated a few, sure. Been serious a couple of times, but things just didn't fall into place. I trust you'll understand when I say it takes a certain breed of woman to be married to the FBI. My first serious romance ended when I got accepted into the academy. The second went belly up when one of my teammates was shot and killed. She freaked out that it could have been me. We went to counseling and everything, but she just couldn't get over that one small issue."
"What small issue?" Mel was trying to keep up.
"That I could die." He shrugged. "She was way too hung up on that. I'd never given it much thought. After that I did, but it was too late. She was gone."
"I'm sorry." Mel placed her hand on his knee.
He shrugged again. " C'est la vie . Such is life. So what about you, Melanie Curtis? Boyfriend waiting in the wings that I should know about? Husband? Lover? Secret children? I should add , they'd scare me worse than any man."
She laughed. "No children, so no worries there. Like you, a couple of serious relationships in the past, but none that stuck. The first one, also like you, couldn't handle my being a cop. Drove him nuts every time the phone rang, wondering if something had happened to me. He cut his losses and walked away before we got too attached, or so he said. Personally, I felt pretty attached. Took me a while to get over Dean." She paused and sipped her wine.
"Dean," he repeated.
"Dean." She nodded. "What were the names of your—?"
"Rita and Carol."
"Rita and Carol," Mel mouthed the names after him. She didn't know
"You don't have to explain," she insisted. But looking at his face, she could tell he needed to try.
"Five days, Mel," he said simply.
"Excuse me?"
"My bureau chief gave me five days in Kansas to see if I could solve this case. The rest of my team went to Tacoma, as I mentioned yesterday."
She nodded. "I remember. Henry asked if a missing kid in Tacoma outranked a bunch of dead hookers in Wichita. You said absolutely not."
He loosened his grip on her hand and studied her palm. "I lied about that. Of course it does. I was all but on the plane to Tacoma when this case came across my desk. Had to put in a special request with my chief. To say he wasn't thrilled would be an understatement. I did my best to convince him, and he gave me five days."
"Five days," she repeated, skin tingling as Nate's finger traced the lines on her hand.
He looked up. "Four, now. I've never felt so much pressure on a case before. It's agonizing, because I know I can figure this thing out. I just don't know if I can do it in five days."
"Four now," she repeated again.
He smiled and released her hand. "We should eat. What would you like for your main course? I'll order the next time Skippy comes back."
"Veal parmesan?"
Nate smiled again, and nodded. "Sounds good to me. Try this." He took some meat and put it on her plate. They ate for a few minutes, and when the waiter returned Nate placed their order.
Mel pushed her small plate away. "If I eat any more of that heavenly bread, I won't be hungry for the veal. So…." She watched his face. "You miss your team. Anybody you especially miss, or are they all pretty much about the same?"
He stacked his plate on hers and set them aside. A small grin crept across his face as he sipped his wine. "I think I know what you're asking. No, I'm not seeing anyone on my team. They're a crackerjack group and I trust them with my life on a daily basis. But that's about as intimate as it gets."
The timing felt right, so Mel pressed on. "No Mrs. Willis waiting at home back in Texas with a baby on her hip?"
That made him chuckle. "Babies? Not me. Women, not now. Never an ex-. Dated a few, sure. Been serious a couple of times, but things just didn't fall into place. I trust you'll understand when I say it takes a certain breed of woman to be married to the FBI. My first serious romance ended when I got accepted into the academy. The second went belly up when one of my teammates was shot and killed. She freaked out that it could have been me. We went to counseling and everything, but she just couldn't get over that one small issue."
"What small issue?" Mel was trying to keep up.
"That I could die." He shrugged. "She was way too hung up on that. I'd never given it much thought. After that I did, but it was too late. She was gone."
"I'm sorry." Mel placed her hand on his knee.
He shrugged again. " C'est la vie . Such is life. So what about you, Melanie Curtis? Boyfriend waiting in the wings that I should know about? Husband? Lover? Secret children? I should add , they'd scare me worse than any man."
She laughed. "No children, so no worries there. Like you, a couple of serious relationships in the past, but none that stuck. The first one, also like you, couldn't handle my being a cop. Drove him nuts every time the phone rang, wondering if something had happened to me. He cut his losses and walked away before we got too attached, or so he said. Personally, I felt pretty attached. Took me a while to get over Dean." She paused and sipped her wine.
"Dean," he repeated.
"Dean." She nodded. "What were the names of your—?"
"Rita and Carol."
"Rita and Carol," Mel mouthed the names after him. She didn't know
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