Of course. Here we go again. He appears out of nowhere, disappears just as fast. Forget him.
She was about to leave when she saw him hurrying toward her, out of breath, holding a small bouquet of daisies and waving apologetically.
Emily folded her arms.
— Just so you know, usually it’s the woman who’s allowed to be late.
Ethan flushed and started apologizing at once.
— Emily, I’m sorry. Really. Last-minute briefing. I couldn’t exactly walk out on my captain. This job has terrible timing when it comes to personal plans.
Seeing how sincere he was, she softened.
— Fine. So where are we going? Or are we just standing by the stairs for old times’ sake?
He smiled sheepishly.
— I was thinking we could walk through the park. It’s a nice evening. Full disclosure, payday’s still a week away and I’m pretty much broke. Police salary, you know. So I can’t offer a fancy dinner. But I can promise decent ice cream and good conversation.
Emily wasn’t disappointed in the least. In fact, his honesty won her over even more. She had no desire to sit in an expensive restaurant anyway. A walk in the fresh air sounded perfect. They strolled slowly down shaded paths, talking easily.
After a while she asked:
— Tell me something real about yourself. You’re still acting like a classified file. I don’t actually know anything about you.
Ethan let out a breath.
— Not much to brag about. I was married once. I’m divorced now. My ex-wife, Lauren, left me for a guy with money.
— For a while I thought it might break me, — he admitted. — That’s part of why I volunteered for the undercover assignment. I figured I didn’t have much to lose. I loved my wife. I really did. But what could I offer her? A small apartment and a paycheck that disappeared too fast. She wanted beach vacations, shopping trips, jewelry—the whole package.
— She kept pushing me to take bribes or leave the force for private security or business, — he went on. — But that’s not me. I believe in what I do, even if it’s hard and dangerous. The truth is, this kind of job doesn’t fit everyone’s idea of family life. Not every woman wants to live with night shifts and emergency calls.
Emily shook her head thoughtfully.
— I don’t know. I think real love can survive a lot. I loved my fiancé that way, and he loved me. He gave up his family’s money for us. We were happy, really happy. We were going to get married… — her voice caught, and she stopped.
Ethan asked gently:
— What happened? Did he leave? Is that why you’re doing this alone?
Emily sat down on a nearby bench, took a breath, and said with effort:
— No. He died. Car accident. I would give anything to go back and change that day.
— Daniel was a wonderful man, — she said, tears slipping down her face. — I didn’t know I was pregnant until after he was gone. I went to his parents hoping they’d help. Instead they treated me like trash and threw me out. So now I clean offices and try not to think too far ahead, because honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to manage.
Ethan looked genuinely shaken.
