Deadly Ties by Jaycee Clark Page A

what I do, what I drive.”
    “For all I know you could be engaged to an intern or some socialite woman from the country club.”
    “Jealous?”
    She leveled him a look.
    “No and no. There was Scarlett but I was about to dump her when she dumped me.”
    Taylor tilted her head. “Aw. Poor baby. That kicks the pride doesn’t it?”
    He ran his tongue around his teeth. “You been dumped?”
    “Been there and done that. Scarlett? As in O’Hara? Oh my,” she breathed in a heavy Southern accent. “Why Rhett, did she find her long lost Ashley?”
    “I hated that movie.”
    She straightened. “It was actually a book first, but so did I, the heroine was too tedious.
    So what was Miss Scarlett’s problem with you? I have to ask, is she from Georgia?”
    Her grin was contagious. “Oh yeah. Her state representative daddy plays golf with mine.
    Same functions whatever. But she had a problem with my responsibilities.”
    Taylor shook her head. “High maintenance. Never took you as the type who would go for that.” “We’re off subject.”
    “Was there one?”
    “The fact you know more about me, than I do of you. You even know about my lack of relationship success with a Georgia woman, and you know about my family.” The glass of tea cooled his palms. “Now you, I know you’re new here and that you’re a caring social worker and you have a son named Ryan. That’s it.” Well, maybe he knew a bit more, but not compared to what she knew of him, and he found himself wanting to know more.
    “You know I let my job get to me sometimes,” she said with a smile.
    “True, but I don’t know why.” There it was that slight tensing of her again, an almost indiscernible pull of brows. “Besides,” he added, “that has to do with work.”
    Her sigh settled between them. “What do you want to know? Though I get to answer only the questions I can or want to and get to ask one in turn.”
    Gavin nodded. “Fine.”
    He shifted his weight in the seat, stretching his legs out a bit more, and felt his pant’s leg graze along her skirt. He cleared his throat and asked. “What are you doing in D.C.? And don’t tell me working. I mean, what made you move from Austin to here.”
    Her eyes looked away from him and back towards the door, then settled back on the glass that sat in front of her. “It seemed the best for all concerned after the divorce.”
    “Ah. Methinks me found a tale.”
    Gavin wanted to understand Taylor and he had absolutely no idea why. Normally, he just went after the chase, spent some enjoyable evenings and times with women, but nothing serious.
    None of his previous relationships had ever plagued his mind like this one woman whom he knew very little about, and wasn’t even sleeping with.
    “Look,” he told her, “you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
    “No, that’s okay. I don’t know why I make such a big deal out of it anyway.” Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. Finally, her eyes lifted back up to his. “Charles and I were

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    married for almost eight years. Got married in college.”
    Ah, the elusive Charles. “What happened?”
    A rueful smile frowned her mouth. “Oh the normal I guess.”
    “Normal?”
    “I don’t know, exactly. We were both busy in work. I thought we should start working on starting a family, and he kept putting me off.…” Her voice trailed off as her finger slid through the condensation on the side of the glass. Just before she looked away he saw the pain flash into her gaze. “But anyway, between both our jobs, we didn’t. Ryan came along and we adopted him.
    Then, the divorce was finalized and a few months later Ryan and I moved here. That’s it.”
    “I doubt that. What was wrong with the guy?” This is none of your business. “Sorry.”
    “No, it’s okay. I actually never told anyone. Just let everyone think what they wanted to, or rather what he led them to believe.” She said the last part almost to herself. “It