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“What do you mean?”
“I know you’re shoving the memories down right now, but eventually, you’ll excavate them, deal with the pain, and then move on.”
“What choice do I have? It’s part of life, and all I can do is let it flow through me. I’m not going to change the circumstance, so I shake it off when I’m done grieving and go about living.”
“I lock the box it gets shoved into and pray it stays that way.” He stole the piece of French toast from her plate. “I create a wall, and you make sure to keep a door open.”
“There is no right answer. We each found a way to cope.” She plucked a strawberry from the bowl in the middle of the table. “So the black ops thing was a no go?”
Nathan cut the piece of French toast on his plate into eight equal squares. “It wasn’t any different than working at the NSA. I spent my time in a dark room filled with monitors and a woman who thinks she’s smarter than me despite dropping out of MIT.”
“The woman part is a little different.” Tancy leaned forward. “Who is the technical genius that got under your skin?”
“Joy. She’s the wizard behind the curtain and probably the most aggravating human in the history of humans.”
“Oh, so you like her?”
“I do not.”
“That means you do.” She watched him vacuum all eight pieces of French toast in less than a minute. “Do you have anything in common?”
“I wasn’t on a date, Tanc. I was there to avert a hostile takeover of a nuclear power plant.”
“Why can’t you do both. It’s not like you can’t do that sort of thing in your sleep.”
“True, but that’s not the point.” He wiped his mouth and then folded the napkin twice. “She loves Star Trek. Can you see me spending time with someone who doesn’t understand that the Star Wars Universe is far superior?” He shook his head slowly. “I have my standards and won’t be tempted by a sci-fi warrior punk princess who has an unnatural affinity for paranormal romance.”
“Well, I might be. She sounds very cool and someone who’d be a great addition to our book club.”
“Back off, sis. You can’t initiate her into your coven quite yet.”
“Fine.” Observing her brother, she wondered if he might feel a bit adrift. “So what are you going to try next?”
“There’s a family business interested in my skill set.”
“It wouldn’t happen to be Alex Moretti of the Moretti crime syndicate, would it?”
“Could be.” He looked up. “You ran into him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, and so did Faith. Seems my bestie and Mr. Moretti had a moment that neither has been able to let go.”
“I could see something like that working.” He scratched his chin. “Who better than a mob boss to take on the indomitable Faith Harper?”
“I won’t disagree but don’t like the idea of Faith being in danger.”
“Alex has cleaned up most of their interests, and only about thirty percent isn’t considered completely legitimate. Which isn’t all that different than most things.”
“You wrapped that up quite nicely.”
“Thanks.” He placed his fork and knife at a ninety-degree angle. “I’m going to Miami tomorrow to meet with him. They have an online gambling business that could use an update and a casino in Macau that needs some attention.”
Rubbing her forehead, she told herself not to launch into a lecture. “Please be careful.”
“I always am.”
As she was about to respond, the doorbell chimed. “Who could that be?”
“Go find out, and I’ll do the dishes.”
