He took a sip of his drink, set down the glass, and squeezed her hand. “I resigned for good reason, Nate. I’m married now. Will have a family soon—someday soon. Agents are more suited for single men.”
Her stomach sank. That had been one of her reasons. Not the dangers, but how much he enjoyed his job. How good he was at it. She hadn’t wanted him to change. Hadn’t wanted him to give up his job for her. She bit her lips together as the bottom one started to tremble. That was exactly what he had done.
“There are other positions besides field agents.” Nate picked up his glass. “We can talk about it later.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Henry said.
A heavy silence hovered over the table for several long moments. His mother finally broke it.
“Do you have a house, or an apartment here, Henry?” Esther asked. “In Los Angeles?”
“No, I lived in hotels during most of my time here.” He looked at her and smiled. “But we’ll start looking right away. Tomorrow.”
Betty returned his smile and nodded.
“Well, let us know what you find,” John said. “We want to assist you in buying one, as your wedding gift.”
Henry shook his head. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Yes, you can,” John said.
“It’s a gift, Henry,” Esther said. “We insist.”
Sensing something, although she wasn’t sure exactly what, and used to a demanding parent, Betty said, “Thank you. That is so very kind of you. We will let you know as soon as we find something suitable.”
“The government owns a house here in town,” Nate said.
“Yes, it’s near my parents’ house,” Betty said, noting how Henry had stiffened again. “It’s been abandoned for several years.”
“It’s still in good shape, isn’t it?” Nate asked.
“Yes, other than needing a good cleaning, it’s fine.” Afraid someone might question how she knew that, she added, “My father has tried to buy it several times.”
“Well, let me check into that,” Nate said.
“Oh, that would nice, wouldn’t it, Betty, to live near your parents?” Esther asked.
“Yes, it would be,” she answered.
“Anyone interested in dessert?” Nate asked.
“Not for me, thank you,” Betty said, glancing at Henry, who had stopped eating sometime ago. “I’m so full I couldn’t eat another bite. It all was very delicious.”
“Could we invite the two of you to lunch tomorrow?” Esther asked. “We don’t mean to impose, but we haven’t seen Henry in four years.”
“That would be lovely,” Betty answered due to Henry picking up his drink instead of answering.
“Wonderful. Thank you, dear. Shall we say, noon, here?” Esther asked.
“We’ll be here,” Betty answered, feeling queasy because she had a strong sense that Henry wasn’t happy. Happy about anything that had been said. He hadn’t been happy since his uncle had mentioned him resigning.
The evening didn’t last much longer, and Betty held her breath nearly the entire elevator ride back up to their room.
Henry grasped her waist as soon as the door was shut, and locked. Pulling her up against him, he kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m sorry about that.”
“About what?”
“My parents. My uncle.”
“They didn’t do anything wrong.”
He released her and walked over to the window. “Offering me a different job. To help us buy a house?”
“They love you, Henry. Very much. I can tell by the way they look at you.” She laid a hand on his back. “It’s the same way I look at you. They just want you to be happy.” That was what she wanted, too, and had taken that away from him.
Betty’s touch melted Henry’s insides. He turned around. “I am happy. I’m married to you.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. It’s just going to take me a bit to adjust. When John and Esther adopted me, the headmistress said it was because I was an experiment. John had pioneered the junior college in Virginia, and she said there wasn’t a better way to prove his idea was successful than to enroll his own son—adopted son—in the school. I believed her. To the point that, upon graduation, I believed he got me the job at the Bureau.”
Betty’s expression was that of confusion, and disbelief. “Why would you believe that? Your uncle said you got that job because of your grades. So did your parents.”
He shrugged. “Because I was young, and scared. She told me it wouldn’t work, and that I wouldn’t have anywhere to go then.”
“She sounds like she was awful. Mean and controlling.”
He nodded. “She was. That’s why I had to steal food for the younger children. And blankets. And help them with their classes so they wouldn’t get reprimanded.” He’d remembered so much more about his childhood, and it all seemed crystal clear now. He felt bad, too. His parents had already given him so much. Including love that he’d never accepted. They’d given him so much more than he would ever have had without them, he couldn’t let them keep giving. Not Nate with another job, or his parents by allowing them to help pay for a house. He’d do those things on his own. It was beyond time.
“You were their Robin Hood.”
He grinned. “I should never have told you that.”
“I’m glad you did.”
He stepped forward and slid his hands around her waist. “And I’m glad that you showed me that I love you more than I’d loved the FBI.”
She returned his kiss, but he felt she was holding something back. He lifted his head. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
The smile she flashed was a feigned one. One that said, I’m pretending to smile right now because that’s what you want to see. “Something is,” he said.
“I—I was just wondering what sort of job you are going to get here.”
He shrugged. “What kind of job do you want me to get?” He kissed the side of her neck, right below the ear. He was tired of talking about himself and ready to act upon their love for one another.
“I want you to have a job that makes you happy.”
He picked her up and plopped her down on the
