Her dress was sleeveless and he could see her arms, all the way down from the little knob of bone at the top of the shoulder. They were slim and brown and narrow. Almost no muscle there at all, just tiny biceps like tendons. She was gorgeous and she took his breath away, but she was a puzzle, physically. She was tall, but she was so tiny he didn’t see how there was room for all the essential organs inside her. She was as thin as a stick, but looked vibrant and firm and strong. A puzzle. He remembered the feel of her arm around his waist, fifteen years before. Like somebody was tightening a thick rope around his middle.
‘I can’t stay here tonight,’ he said.
She looked across at him. ‘Why not? You got some-
thing to do, I’ll come do it too. Like I said, I’m with you on this.’
‘No, I just can’t stay,’ he said.
‘Why not?’ she asked again.
He took a deep breath and held it. Her hair was shimmering in the light.
‘It’s not appropriate that I should stay here,’ he said.
‘But why not?’
He shrugged, embarrassed. ‘Just because, Jodie. Because you’re thinking of me like a brother or an uncle or something, because of Leon, but I’m not that, ami?’
She was staring at him.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said.
Her eyes were wide. ‘What?’
‘This is not right,’ he said gently. ‘You’re not my sister or my niece. That’s just an illusion because I was close to your dad. To me, you’re a beautiful woman, and I can’t be here alone with you.’
‘Why not?’ she asked again, breathless.
‘Christ, Jodie, why not? Because it’s not appropriate, that’s why not. You don’t need to hear all the details. You’re not my sister or my niece, and I can’t keep on pretending you are. It’s driving me crazy, pretending.’
She was very still. Staring at him. Still breathless.
‘How long have you felt this way?’ she asked.
He shrugged, embarrassed again. ‘Always, I guess. Since I first met you. Give me a break, Jodie, you weren’t a kid. I was nearer your age than Leon’s.’
She was silent. He held his breath, waiting for the tears. The outrage. The trauma. She was just staring at him. He was already regretting having spoken. He
should have just kept his damn mouth shut. Bitten his damn lip and gotten through it. He had been through worse, although he couldn’t exactly remember where or when. ‘
‘I’m sorry,’ he said again.
Her face was blank. Wide blue eyes staring at him. Her elbows were on the table. The dress fabric was bunching at the front and cupping forward. He could see the strap of her bra, thin and white against the skin of her shoulder. He stared at her anguished face and closed his eyes and sighed in despair. Honesty was the best policy? Forget about it.
Then she did a curious thing. She stood up slowly, and turned and hauled her chair out of the way. Stepped forward and gripped the table edge, both hands, slim muscles standing out like cords. She dragged the table off to one side. Then she changed position and turned and butted it with her thighs until it was hard back against the counter. Reacher was left sitting on his chair, suddenly isolated in the middle of the room. She stepped back and stood in front of him. His breath froze in his chest.
‘You’re thinking of me like just a woman?’ she asked, slowly.
He nodded.
‘Not like a kid sister? Not like your niece?’
He shook his head. She paused.
‘Sexually?’ she asked quietly.
He nodded, still embarrassed, resigned. ‘Of course sexually. What do you think? Look at yourself. I could hardly sleep last night.’
She just stood there.
‘I had to tell you,’ he said. ‘I’m really sorry, Jodie.’
She closed her eyes. Screwed them tight shut. Then
he saw a smile. It spread across her whole face. Her hands clenched at her side. She exploded forward and hurled herself at him. She landed on his lap and her arms clamped tight behind his head and she kissed him like she would die if she stopped.