“Les? It’s Dev.”
“Dev? Hi, what’s going on?”
“Where are you?”
“About ? fteen minutes away on the Northway. Why?”
“Can you pull over for a minute so I don’t lose you?”
“Hold on…okay, go ahead.”
Leslie sounded composed, unrattled.
“Your dad’s had an accident—it looks like a broken leg, at least.
Your mother’s with him, and they’re on their way to Glens Falls Hospital right
now.”
“All right.” Leslie took a deep breath. “Is he in any danger?”
“I don’t know, Les. I don’t think so, but I got here just as the EMTs were
transporting him.”
“I’m headed there now, then. Thanks, Dev.”
“Call me if you need anything.” Dev heard the crackle of static.
“Les? Les?”
She disconnected, feeling impotent. Even though she knew Leslie didn’t need
her, she wished she could join her. She shook her head, wondering at the
strength of the ties that she’d once thought were irrevocably broken.
v
• 97 •
RADCLY fFE
Most of the lights were out in the lodge when Leslie pulled into the parking lot
shortly after 11 p.m. She was so tired she felt numb.
She contemplated going directly to her cabin, but she needed to make sure
everything was all right with the guests. Thankfully, it wasn’t yet the height of the
season and they weren’t full. She tossed her briefcase in the backseat of the
Jeep, locked the door, and made her way inside.
A single lamp burned on the walnut sideboard just inside the wide double doors.
The great room and the dining room beyond were empty. Light shone beneath
the swinging door from the kitchen and she headed that way. She stumbled to a
stop as she shouldered the door open and stepped into the next room. Dev, in a
navy T-shirt and blue jeans, stood at the long kitchen counter with a white
butcher’s apron tied around her waist, covering platters of food with plastic
wrap.
“Dev?” Leslie said in surprise.
Dev set aside the carving knife that she’d been using to slice ham.
“Hi. How’s your dad?”
“He’s sedated, but stable. What are you doing?”
“Cleaning up after dinner.” Dev walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a
bottle of Heineken. She held it up in Leslie’s direction.
“Want one?”
“God, yes.” Leslie slumped onto a stool at the central island.
“They’re going to operate on him early tomorrow morning. My mother wanted
to be close tonight and got a room at a motel across the street from the
hospital.”
Dev opened two bottles, handed one to Leslie, and pulled a chair around the
table so she could sit facing her. “What did they say, exactly?”
Leslie shrugged. “What do they ever say? His leg is shattered and there’s a
hairline fracture of his pelvis. There might be some nerve damage.” Leslie’s
voice cracked and she covered her eyes. Her ? ngers trembled.
“Hey,” Dev said gently, resting her hand on Leslie’s knee. “You look beat. Why
don’t I walk you down to your cabin so you can turn in.”
“No. I need to get some things together for my mother. I promised her I’d bring
them ? rst thing tomorrow.” She scanned the kitchen.
• 98 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
“Besides, you need some help in here. God. You shouldn’t even be doing this.”
“Why not?” Dev said, feigning affront. She pointed to a row of typed pages af?
xed to the refrigerator with multicolored magnets shaped like ? sh. “Your
mother has the menu laid out for every meal, every day of the week, and she
cooks ahead. It was easy enough to ? nd everything and put it together.” She
grinned. “At least, no one complained. Yet.”
“There’s only, what, eight guests? In another week, there’ll be thirty. Are you
planning to give up your day job?” Hearing the sharp edge to her voice, Leslie
covered Dev’s hand and squeezed. “But thanks. If you hadn’t been here, my
mother would have had to stay, and she’d be out of her mind with worry.”
“It was no problem,” Dev said. “And I’m not volunteering for permanent KP.
I’m only good until we run out of the semi-prepared stuff. But your mother’s not
going to be able to manage by herself.”
“I know. I’m going to have to get some temporary help in here for her right
away.” Leslie set her beer aside and started to pace. “A cook, for sure. And
someone to run the boats and look after maintenance, because my father’s not
going to be able to do much for the rest of the season. And that damn truck has
to go. I had to stop twice to let the engine cool off.”
Dev sipped her beer and watched Leslie slide effortlessly from exhaustion and
distress into sharply focused control. It was impressive.
It was probably costly too, she imagined, physically and emotionally.
She wasn’t surprised that Leslie had a blood pressure problem.
“All that’s going to take more than a few days,” Dev pointed out.
“I can stay another week or two,” Leslie said, her expression distant as she
calculated what needed to be done and how she would manage that and the
work she wanted to do. “I was planning on being up here a few weeks anyhow.
If I need a little longer, I can keep working out of the local of? ce while I get
things squared away here.”
“Uh,” Dev said carefully, “I sort of got the impression you were supposed to be
taking it easy while you were here. Not taking on another job.”
Leslie waved a hand impatiently. “I’m ? ne. I haven’t had any problems since
I’ve been here.”
• 99 •
RADCLY fFE
“You did the day you arrived.”
“I’d just gotten out of the hospital and hadn’t had any sleep at all.” Leslie ? xed
Dev with a pointed stare. “Not that it’s any of your business, Devon, but I
arranged for the damn tests they wanted me to have.”
Dev grinned. “Good.”
“Of course,” Leslie said, searching through the utility drawer for paper and a
pen, “I’ll have to reschedule those now.”
“Why?”
