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That wasn’t happening.
Ever.
Her marriage was built on a foundation of trust and honesty. She’d lied to Ethan once about her relationship with Chris, and what it had actually been, and they all knew the outcome.
This was the same.
There were no secrets.
If Ethan broke that code, he knew the rules since he’d set them into play.
On top of that, Gene was also her friend. While she’d been burned by friends before, Gene was a different kind of person.
He had rules and a code.
Both men did.
She tried to explain.
“What I saw was one man comforting another who just found out that he wasn’t getting married. Gene literally just found out that his partner wasn’t leaving with him. It’s perspective. You’re worried about something that won’t happen.”
“I know what men are like.”
“And I don’t?” she asked. “Because I have three I call husband, so I’m pretty sure I know a lot about men.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, and my proof is tangent. We can go back to what you learned in the car today that I had to share with you. You didn’t know about the tattoo or Gene’s sexual preference. I’m willing to bet there’s more that you don’t know.”
“Well, he hides things from me.”
No shit, Sherlock.
She didn’t have to wonder why.
This was the proof.
“Maybe because of how you’re reacting. You make him feel like it’s all dirty secrets. You’re shitting on a relationship that Gene holds dear. They didn’t break up out of anger, Tommy. They simply released each other.”
“I don’t understand how over a decade later, he’s still pining away for him.”
She sighed.
“You don’t know what happened between them, or why it went down. Gene asked Ethan to go with him when he left DC. Ethan couldn’t go, but they parted best friends after seven years. There was no ugly breakup. They have a history, and you have to accept that. You’ll never be Ethan like Ethan will never be Tommy. You both were valuable to Gene.”
“I’m not, or he’d be here with me. We could have gone anywhere in the country, and he picks down the street from his ex. That says it all.”
She shook her head.
“You’re pissed at him and he’s not even here.”
Tommy stared at her.
“All you have to do is tell him you can’t give him a job. We could stay here.”
“I’m not doing that for a couple of reasons. Why? Well, because my team could use Gene. He’s an ex-Fed, he’s in good shape, and he’s smart. I’ve read his files when he was partnered with Ethan. I know that he’s exactly the kind of person I can use on my team.”
“So that’s the only reason?”
