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“Are those reasons connected with why you were wandering aimlessly through the forest when I found you?”
She moved closer to the fire. “I found out this morning that my parents are getting a divorce.”
If he felt any surprise, it didn’t show. “And that was a shock?”
“Yes! You’ve seen the way they are together. They act like teenagers. We all thought they were on a second honeymoon.” She saw a faint change in his expression. “You didn’t think that??
?
He cut another slice of cheese. “I thought they looked like a couple who were trying too hard. Putting on a public display.”
She stared at him and then sat back down again. “Damn, you’re right. Why didn’t I see that?” She put her face in her hands and then let them drop. “Once again I completely misjudged a situation.”
“Once again?”
“Never mind.” She bit her lip and stared into the fire. “They were trying too hard, you’re right. It was so unlike them.” The fact that she hadn’t asked more questions bothered her. She was trained to be observant, and yet she hadn’t noticed. “I’m so mad with them. And sad. And—” She glanced at him. “Sorry. You don’t need to hear this.”
“Talk, Katie.” He pushed his plate away. “It sounds as if you need to.”
Would talking even help? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she felt thoroughly miserable. “I can’t believe they didn’t tell us. And it’s a mess. It changes everything. The reason I was lost in the forest was because I overheard them talking and was upset. I went there for breakfast because I wanted to check on my mother, and that’s when I heard them discussing their divorce. I walked out. Which probably wasn’t my most adult moment, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“You didn’t turn to your sister?”
“I needed time to process the information, and decide how best I could support her.”
“What about someone supporting you? Do you ever lean on anyone?”
She frowned. “No. I don’t need to.”
He watched her for a moment. “So you walked, without really knowing where you were going.”
“I was on the main trail, but I was trying to avoid people and took one of the smaller paths. Before I knew it, I was lost. And met a mountain lion—” She curled her legs under her, trying not to think about how badly her walk of distress could have ended. “You probably think I’m unbelievably stupid and irresponsible.”
“I think you were upset. Finding out that your parents are breaking up is always a shock.”
“It’s not as if I’m a toddler or a teenager. It shouldn’t matter.”
“They’re still your parents. It’s natural to feel upset. I did when my parents divorced, which made no sense given the way they were together.”
His parents were divorced. She wasn’t the only person on the planet to have gone through this.
Tears closed in on her again. Crying in front of Jordan? Really? She blinked. “I’m angry with myself for letting my emotions cloud my decision making.” The last time had come with serious consequences.
“If you feel like crying, cry. Don’t hold back on my account.”
“I never cry.”
“Are you a robot?”
“Excuse me?”
“Ever since I met you at the airport you’ve been acting as if someone programmed you. You’re angry that emotions affected your decision making, but that makes you human. Frankly I’m relieved to see your emotions are still alive. I was afraid you might have strangled the life out of them, you hold on to them so tightly.”
“My job requires me to be in control of my emotions. I can’t break down every time I see something sad or stressful.”
“You don’t need to defend yourself against me. I’m not attacking you.”
“It feels that way.”
