All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [44]
Natalie straightened in her chair. "I resent that for a number of reasons."
"Resent it all you want. The way I see it, we have at least four suspects, probably more based on the list you just gave me." Cole wanted to discount Dylan out of hand, but he had to admit he'd been surprised by Dylan's animosity toward Natalie. He'd also been taken aback by Dylan's reaction to the book, actually suggesting that it wasn't such a bad thing.
"We aren't any closer to the truth than we were yesterday," Natalie said with a sigh.
"I wouldn't say that. We've talked to everyone. Now we just have to figure out who's lying."
"You make it sound like that will be easy. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You were always good at getting what you wanted," she muttered.
"So were you."
She sent him a regretful smile. "Except you. I never got you."
Little did she know that she'd come closer than any other woman.
Chapter 7
Finding Malone didn't seem nearly as pressing after Natalie had finished off a chicken burrito. She hadn't felt so stuffed or satisfied in a long time. They'd tabled all discussions of the past when their food had arrived, turning their conversation to more neutral topics: Natalie's residency, Cole's work at the paper, movies, and politics. Cole had always been well read. He knew everything that was going on in the world, and Natalie loved hearing his opinions. She'd known smarter men in her life, brilliant doctors who could discuss the cellular structure of the human brain, but Cole knew the interesting stuff. She hadn't read much besides textbooks and medical journals the past few years. While she hadn't been lying about having had a few boyfriends, dozens was a vast overstatement for the two rather disappointing relationships she'd made her way through in the last decade. It hadn't been just work that had gotten in the way; it had been Cole, memories of how great love could be.
As she listened to him now, relating a story about a thief who got caught with his pants down, she couldn't help thinking fondly of how many times he'd made her laugh. Despite his intense drive to succeed, Cole had always had a fun side, a way of making her relax, forcing her to let go of the little worries that drove her crazy. Cole had understood her like no one else had. He'd respected her ambition to be a doctor, her need to achieve and make something of her life, because it was a need he shared, too.
Unfortunately, their ambitions had begun to collide even before Emily's death. With ten years of distance and clarity, Natalie saw now that Cole had begun to think their love was an obstacle to what he wanted. As single-minded as he was, he couldn't believe that they could make it work. At least, that's what she thought. She didn't really know for sure exactly what had gone wrong. There had been no real "break-up" conversation where accusations or complaints had been hurled, where they'd cleared the air. Instead, their relationship had soured slowly like a carton of milk sitting out too long, until Emily's tragic death had tipped that carton of milk over. Then the accusations flung had been all about Emily and not about each other.
"You're not listening," Cole said.
"Sorry," she said, wondering what she had missed. "I was daydreaming."
"About anything interesting?"
For a split second she thought about asking him why it had all gone wrong. Then the waiter brought their check and began clearing their plates, and the opportunity was lost. It was better that way. They had to solve the Emily problem before they could do anything else. Not that she wanted to do anything else, she told herself hastily. She just wished Cole had grown some warts or gotten fat or started losing his hair instead of turning into one of the most attractive men she knew. She got some money out of her purse to pay her share of the bill, but Cole insisted on taking care of it.
After