Page 448 of The Sinner: James

“Are you going to tell me, or do you want me to guess?”

“Since when are you so nosy?”

I lock his eyes, taking another drag.

“Was it the doctor’s advice?”

“Always,” I say, humor lining my voice.

His eyebrows lift.

“Don’t tell me...” he says. “Is it because of Rain?”

I look down and blow the smoke to the side, smiling secretly.

“Maybe,” I say, lifting my gaze and taking another drag.

“Did she ask you to quit?”

“Some time ago.”

“Does she want to have kids?” he asks.

“Since you are an expert now... Yeah, maybe,” I say.

His eyes light up.

“Is she pregnant?”

I chuckle.

“No, she’s not,” I murmur, looking at my glass briefly. “But she wants to get pregnant, and this is part of the deal,” I add, focusing on him again.

“A deal that you can’t keep.”

“I can, and I will. I haven’t had a smoke in weeks.”

“That’s not keeping it,” he says, motioning to my cigarette.

“Stop busting my balls, Preston,” I grump, running my hand over my eyes. “It’s been a hell of a week, and it’s not done,” I say, locking his eyes again.

“Your work is done.”

“Yeah, my work...” I say hoarsely.

He brings his glass to his lips and takes a swing.

“Great move with David Moore, by the way,” he says, setting his glass down.

“It was luck.”

He studies my face for a moment as my gaze slides to his blue-gray shirt and navy tie.

I raise my eyes.

“The man is flushed with money. He’s done really well for himself these past years. And he was looking for something big to invest in. Something with a solid payout. He’d never been in this industry before, and he was really interested. Also, he has a lot of time on his hands.”

“Not married, huh?”

---