AllFreeNovel
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“Nope. If you want me to know, you’ll tell me. So, in the mood for a drink?”
“Absolutely. You can pick me up at the car rental place on the main street. I won’t be needing it any longer.”
“Can do. And then I suspect you want a ride to the dock if you’re leaving tonight.”
“I’m flying, not sailing,” I stated.
“Damn. Mom really must have grilled you too hard if you want out that bad,” he joked.
I knew his mind was running with a million questions, but as promised, he didn’t voice them. “I might need to take the space shuttle if I sit through another dinner like that one. It was...”
“Mom. Just getting pushier with age,” he laughed.
“Great. Something for us to look forward to,” I sighed.
“What are you complaining about? You live all the way on the west coast. I’m stuck in the same damn town.”
“And yet you wondered why I moved so far away,” I joked.
“Yup. Older and wiser.”
“Well, I’m older. Not so sure about the wise.”If I was, I wouldn’t be doing exactly what the FBI just warned me not to do.
I was glad Rian had called. Right now, I needed a distraction, but it was also a good time for me to talk to him about things we didn’t usually discuss. The future of my business, if God forbid, anything ever happened to me. Never let those dark thoughts enter my mind, but I was going on a journey that held a lot of unknowns.
It wasn’t long before my rental car had been dropped off and Rian and I were at a local pub eating chicken wings and drinking beer. It was something we did each time I was in town. We’d laugh and joke and enjoy a stress-free night. That wasn’t the case tonight. How was I going to talk to him without telling him what I was doing?
Rian must’ve picked up on my head in deep thought. “Is there something you want to tell me or trying to figure out how to tell me?”
“Guess Jones isn’t the only one who reads people,” I said.
“Comes with the job. But no pressure. If you don’t want to talk, we can just order another beer.”
“How about we do both.” I waved to the bartender and ordered our drinks. Then I turned to Rian and asked, “Have you ever questioned if your choice in life was right?”
“You mean to join the police department?”
“Okay, we can go with that. But overall. You know, being single. Have you ever regretted not...having a family?”
His eyes widened. “Damn it. Mom really got to you, didn’t she?”
“It’s not mom. It’s just that I concentrated so much on building my business and now I worry I don’t even have anyone to leave it all to if something were to… happen. Guess that would be you. Not that you’ve ever shown any interest in custom sailboats,” I said.
“Still not interested. And why are you talking about something that’s not going to be an issue for years to come?” he asked.
“Just thinking. I never thought I had any regrets, but lately, I’ve noticed I do. Not sure if it’s too late to rectify that or not,” I admitted.
“Are you talking about your business, or maybe...someone special?” he prodded.
“There was someone. A very long time ago. Never dated or anything, but there was something about her that I have not been able to forget. “
“So you’ve been in love before and lost?”
I shot him a look. “Who said anything about love? She just caught my attention in a way that no one else has. She’s...unique.”
“And yet you are still thinking about her all these years later. Sounds serious to me. What is stopping you from being with her now? Is she married or something?” he asked.
“No. Not that I know. It’s just...complicated.”
