Three Little Words. Susan Mallery

about having me back, but this is ridiculous.”

      Isabel thought about the time after Ford left—when she knew her heart was going to break. “You almost never came back to town. Was that because of Maeve?”

      He leaned against the counter. “At first,” he admitted. “Mostly I stayed away because being around my family was too complicated. They wanted to get involved in everything—especially my mom. I became a SEAL my third year and that was intense. I couldn’t talk about what I did or tell them where I was going. I took the easy way out and avoided the situation.”

      He sipped the wine. “Maeve wasn’t wrong to break up with me. When it happened I would have told you I’d miss her forever. But within a few weeks, I realized she was right. We were kids, playing at being in love. I guess she has the real thing with Leonard.”

      Isabel tried to read emotion into his words. She couldn’t tell if he really didn’t mind that his ex-girlfriend had married the guy who’d come between them or not.

      “They’ve been married twelve years now,” she said.

      “The kids are more impressive. What’s she up to now?”

      “Four with another on the way.”

      He swore. “That many? I didn’t know Leonard had it in him.”

      “Me, either. He’s an accountant now. He started his own company and has several impressive clients. He’s doing well.”

      “With a family that big, he’d better be. How do you feel about being an aunt that many times over?”

      “It can be overwhelming,” she said, which was mostly accurate. In truth, she’d been living in New York for the past six years and hadn’t been around her family all that much. She doubted Maeve’s youngest could pick her out of a lineup. She and her sister didn’t talk much, either. They’d both been busy and they didn’t have all that much in common.

      Guilt poked at her, making her think she should call her sister and arrange a visit.

      “You okay?” Ford asked, studying her.

      “Fine. You’re not the only one with family issues.”

      “Probably, but I’m the only one with a mother who set up a booth at a Fool’s Gold festival with the sole purpose of finding me and my brother wives.”

      She laughed. “That you are.”

      * * *

      THEY PULLED TOGETHER dinner pretty quickly. In addition to the steaks, Ford had provided two russet potatoes. Isabel popped them in the microwave, then made the salad. She carried both their glasses of wine outside while he heated the grill and put on the steaks.

      “You can use the grill anytime you want,” she said. “I don’t mind.”

      Ford flipped the steaks, then closed the lid. “Thanks. I may take you up on that.”

      “Meat good?” she asked.

      He grinned. “Meat and fire. And beer.” He reached for his glass. “Or wine.”

      She studied him, taking in the broad shoulders and easy smile. She searched for some hint he was still dealing with his time in the military, that he’d been scarred by all he’d seen, but there was no indication at all. If he had ghosts, they were the kind only he saw.

      “Did you like being a SEAL?” she asked.

      “Yeah. I liked being on a team. I also liked that we never knew what was going to happen next.”

      “Certainty and variety. Two key components to happiness.”

      He raised his eyebrows.

      She shrugged. “I have a marketing degree, but I also have a minor in psychology. People like a sense of security. It’s hard to have fun if you’re starving or homeless. But we also like variety. Positive change engages the brain.”

      “Pretty and smart. Impressive.”

      She told herself he was a natural-born flirt and if she believed anything he said, she was an idiot. But that didn’t stop the tingles.

      “Why did you retire?” she asked.

      “The last five years I was on a joint task force. Important work, but more stressful.”

      “Dangerous?”

      He grinned. “Danger is my middle name.”

      She smiled. “I’m sure that’s not true, and I can easily get confirmation from one of your sisters.”

      “Damn small town.” He sipped his wine. “The work was intense and I was moved around a lot. The team changed. After a while it started to get to me. Justice called about CDS and I said yes.”

      “Were you worried about coming home?”

      “I was worried about my mother.” He grimaced. “With good reason.”

      Because it would be easier if he didn’t have family or didn’t get along with his. It was hard to tell a parent no when she was as loving and supportive as Denise.

      “You should send her on a cruise around the world,” she suggested. “It worked for me.”

      “If only she’d go.” His dark gaze settled on her face. “What about you? You’re back because you’re divorced?”

      “Uh-huh. The paperwork is final, so I’m a free woman.”

      “You okay?”

      “I’m fine. Eric and I didn’t contest anything. We owned an apartment together. He bought me out, so I have that money to help start my business.”

      “The one you’re starting when Paper Moon sells?”

      “Right. So it’s all good.”

      “No hard feelings?” he asked.

      She’d told the almost-true version of the story so many times, the words came out automatically. “No. Eric’s a great guy, but we grew apart. We’re better as friends.”

      He turned and checked the steaks, then flipped them again and closed the lid.

      “It all sounds civilized,” he said. “Better than hating each other at the end.”

      That would have required more energy than either of them had for the relationship, she thought sadly.

      “I admire how you handled the situation,” Ford said.

      Praise she didn’t deserve. She opened her mouth to say it was nothing, but what came out instead was “I thought everything was fine. I thought we had a great marriage. We were best friends with each other. We went to restaurants and gallery openings and estate sales on weekends. He supported my dreams and I supported his.”

      Their sex life had been nonexistent, but as sex wasn’t important to her, she hadn’t minded. In a way it had been freeing to simply be herself with a man.

      “I liked spending time with him,” she continued. “It was easy.” She paused. “But it wasn’t love.”

      “Doesn’t sound like it,” Ford said quietly.

      She looked at him, then away before putting her wine down on the outdoor table. She was holding the glass so tightly she was afraid she was going to break it.

      “He fell in love with someone else,” she admitted, still remembering the shock when he’d told her. He’d sat her down, taken her hands in his and admitted he’d fallen in love.

      “He was so excited. So happy. There was an energy I’d never seen before. I think that shocked me more than the infidelity. The enthusiasm. He’d never acted that way about me.”

      “He was gay.”

      She snapped her attention back to Ford and struggled