Page 40 of Tell Me All Your Lies

“Well, they aren’t all—” I start.

She holds up a hand to cut me off.

“Or investments. Whatever you want to call them. Point is, you don’t need to be the one out and about in the field. Frankly, you don’t need jobs from the agency either.”

Not a question. My little lucky charm has done her research.

“I like being out in the field. While I still can. Plus, the agency gives me access that sometimes is difficult to get without working for the government.”

“While you still can?”

“I’m not getting any younger. Once we catch the Marlin, I’ll probably rein in my activity.”

Cara laughs loudly, only instead of grating on me, it sounds like the sweetest melody. Another situation I’ll think about later.

“Sinclair,” she says through stifled laughter.

“Am I amusing you?”

“Grant. Come on. You told me you’re forty-nine years old. That’s young. I mean, my dad is old, but you aren’t.”

A sting courses through me. She’s comparing me to her goddamn dad.

“Maybe I feel like I am.”

“Back to this?”

“Just saying, Collins, time goes by quickly. I may be almost fifty years old, but my body, and frankly, my mind, feel like I’ve been through enough to last me a lifetime.”

A few minutes of silence pass.

“You know I don’t think you’re anything like my dad, right?” she asks.

It comes out more serious than our playfulness has been the entire car ride.

“Don’t worry, I know you don’t. I also know a girl like you shouldn’t end up with a fifty-year-old man like me.”

“Why is that?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

She hums.

“Whatever you say, Sinclair.”

Cara crosses her arms over her chest and brings one of her legs up to fold under her body on the seat. She’s closing herself off to me again.

Good.

Cara opening up to me will do neither of us any good in this line of work.

The suiteat the Draper Hotel is meant for a couple on their honeymoon. In mostly white and gold designs, it’d be the perfect place if I were trying to impress my new bride.

This is my assistant Rob’s doing. He asked what I wanted, and I told him we needed a suite for space, but this is beyond that. Hell, we could have gotten any number of other rooms at this hotel instead of this one that would have worked.

The Draper Hotel is my favorite place to stay in San Diego, all because of the beachfront view. The very one I’m staring out at right now, and Cara is too.

“It’s beautiful,” she says.

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