“And I’m helping the sheriff solve a case,” she replied in a calm voice. “You can’t expect me to ignore that just because we’re sleeping together.”
“That’s what it comes down to then.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You can’t ignore your job because it’s the only thing you care about, Jamie. It’s your entire life.”
“And yours isn’t?” she shot back. “You worked hard to build your company. Well, I worked hard too. I dragged myself out of a trailer park, waitressed my way through junior college, busted my butt to get the grades I needed to transfer to Duke. I didn’t sleep for four years! I slaved to get to this place in my career and I’m not going to apologize for loving what I do, or for wanting to keep on doing it.”
He didn’t seem to hear a word she’d said. “Your career will always come first for you. You just proved that.”
She went silent. It suddenly dawned on her what this was about. God, how could she have been so blind?
“We never stood a chance, did we?” she said sadly.
He looked stricken. “That’s not true.”
“Yeah, it is. Know why? Because you’re not over Teresa.”
Her quiet accusation hung in the air, the silence broken by Cole’s harsh laugh. “I got over that woman long ago.”
“But you’re not over what she did to you.” Sorrow lodged in her throat. “She betrayed you. She wounded your pride.”
“Are you trying to profile me?” he muttered.
“No, just calling it like I see it.” She shook her head. “We should have never started this up. You said so yourself, you weren’t ready for a relationship, and I see now that you were right. You haven’t worked through your issues about your ex-wife.”
“Don’t turn this around,” he said in a low voice.
“I think you were just waiting for an excuse to push me away,” she murmured. “You didn’t want to admit that making another commitment actually terrifies you, so you pretended you were fine with getting involved with me, all the while waiting for a reason to back out.”
He frowned at her. “You interrogated me as if I was just another criminal.”
“I went in to get your side of the story,” she corrected. “Because I’m in love with you.”
He gave a sharp intake of breath.
“But my feelings don’t matter,” she said, ignoring the painful constriction of her chest. “This was a mistake. This entire…thing between us. You’re not over Teresa’s betrayal and the fact that your own judgment failed you. And instead of dealing with it, you’ve decided to accuse me of a betrayal I didn’t commit. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone into that room, but I did it because I wanted to help you. Those questions would have been asked regardless, I thought it would be easier if they came from me.”
Her hands shook as she reached up to rub away the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She wasn’t even sure she’d gotten through to him. His rugged face revealed nothing, not a single iota of emotion.
With a sigh, she took a step back. “Take care of yourself, Cole.”
When he didn’t respond, she simply cast a last sad look in his direction, turned on her heel, and walked away.
“They don’t have a case,” Martin Worthington declared as Cole walked the older man to the door.
Martin had said the same thing in the kitchen as the two men discussed the case over coffee, and Cole felt better thanks to his attorney’s confidence. Better about the investigation, anyway. About the heart-wrenching confrontation with Jamie…well, he was still ravaged from that.
“Just do as the sheriff requested and stay put,” Martin continued, tucking his black leather briefcase under his other arm so he could shake Cole’s hand. “And don’t worry. The gun isn’t registered to you, your fingerprints aren’t on it, and even if the DNA results put your skin cells under Teresa’s fingernails, you have an alternative explanation. She grabbed you in front of witnesses. Trust me, Cole, this won’t even go to trial.”
“Thanks, Martin.” He gave the attorney’s hand a firm shake, then bid him goodbye and closed the door.
The moment he was alone, an unsteady breath left his mouth.
Everything Jamie had said to him kept replaying through his head like reruns of a bad TV show. She’d been completely off base, accusing him of looking for a reason to push her away.
That was insane. Wasn’t it?
During his conference with his lawyer, he hadn’t let himself consider Jamie’s words. As far as he was concerned, she’d gone from a lover to a stranger when she’d marched into the interrogation room and acted like an emotionless federal agent.
Now, in the solitude of his home, he allowed himself to think about what she’d said.
He walked to the kitchen door, his gaze drifting out at the backyard. It was surreal to think that she’d been shot this morning. So many crappy things had happened since then, and the sun was only now beginning to set.
As hues of pink and orange filled the sky, Cole finally opened his heart to permit the truth to slide in.
Jamie was right.