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She grinned at Luke until he cleared his throat and looked away. “You’re sweet.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Do you want kids?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never thought much about it.”
“Not even when you were married?”
His body turned to steel. How the hell had he stumbled into this conversation? “We were young,” he said, adding nothing else.
“But you must have had plans. How long were you married?”
Luke crossed his arms. “Three years.”
Tessa crossed her own arms and glared at him. “I’m not interrogating you, Luke. You don’t have to get so defensive.”
“I’m not defensive,” he snapped. “I just don’t like to talk about it.”
“I hardly asked anything at all.”
“Okay, but we both agreed there were places we weren’t ready to go.”
“I know, but I’ve talked to you about my brothers. I just thought…”
Oh, he couldn’t believe this. As if he didn’t have enough on his plate. “Is that the way you think it works? Tit for tat? Fine, then. You tell me about your worst breakup. Go ahead.”
She rolled her eyes at his challenge. “I would, but I’ve never been through a bad breakup.”
“Come on, Tessa. I’m not one of your brothers. It’s pretty clear you’ve been in relationships before.”
“I’m not pretending I haven’t dated. I’ve dated plenty. It’s just never gotten serious.”
He took a step back. “Really?”
“What?” she snapped. “I’ve been busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Working.”
His eyebrows rose. “In a mine?”
She glared at him with enough heat that he felt singed. “I haven’t exactly had a normal life. I’ve been a small-business owner since I was fourteen. And in high school and college, I didn’t have time for a boyfriend. I had a house to take care of. A family.”
Oh, shit. He’d stumbled into her parents’ death again, with all the grace of a raging elephant. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
“Well, I wasn’t raised in a foundling home or something. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Sorry,” he said again, his gaze sliding to the floor.
“Dating has been fine for me. I just didn’t have the emotional stamina for anything else, okay?”
“Sure. I understand. But I want you to understand, too. I’ve never talked to anyone about my divorce, and I’m not going to start talking about it like this. I’m not going to be poked and prodded like I’m in therapy.”
“I only asked a few questions! You’re over reacting.”
“Probably,” he managed past his tight jaw. “Look, I’ve got to get back to work.”
