He’d listened. And remembered. What a concept. She tasted the wine with an indulgent sip. “That job used to be my life. Now it feels like a lifetime ago. And no, I don’t miss it.” Maybe she missed the steadiness and predictability, but nothing else. It was amazing how quickly her world had been turned on its head, from plodding and predictable to uncertain and chaotic. “What about you? What was your former job?”

“Staying ahead of the bill collectors,” he said with a chuckle. “I don’t miss that, either.”

“Well, congratulations on all your books. What an extraordinary achievement, Trevor. Really.”

He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back. “I like you, Natalie Harper,” he said.

“Thanks. To be honest, I’m a bit tongue-tied around you.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Okay, now I more than like you.”

“What a nice thing to say.” She turned toward him on the sofa, tucking one leg under her.

“Remember what I said—guys don’t want to be thought of as nice.” He feigned a wounded look.

“Well, you should. Nice guys are my favorite kind. Every woman I know would agree with me.”

“What’s your least favorite kind?” he asked.

“Married guys.” It just popped out of her.

He set down his wineglass. “Something tells me there’s a bit of background to that. Is there a married guy who did you wrong?”

“No. Not that I know of, anyway. I sure hope not.” She helped herself to more wine. “The guy who fathered me was married. Mom didn’t know until she was pregnant.”

“Damn. Some guys are too shitty to live.” He put his hand on her leg. “I hope your mom found somebody good enough for her.”

“I think about that a lot,” Natalie said. “She had boyfriends. Good guys, as far as I knew. But nothing that lasted.”

Tilting her head to one side, she studied him. He was put together. Handsome and charming. Too good to be true? She hoped not. “How about you? Mom and dad …?”

He grinned and looked away, shifting the wine bottle in the ice bucket. “Still together.”

“And are they still living off the grid?”

“You could say that, if a gated community in Palm Springs is considered off the grid.”

“They must be incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved in your career,” she said.

The way he was watching her mouth left no doubt as to what was on his mind.

She skirted the thought. “So … what about you? Unattached? Dating? Heartbreak?”

“All of the above. But not currently.”