Leslie, in an uncharacteristic show of uncertainty, shuf? ed one foot in the sand
as she scanned the woods behind Dev.
“You sure about this?” Leslie asked softly.
No. I’m not sure about anything where you’re concerned. Dev nodded,
grateful for the barrier between them. Sunlight slanted across Leslie’s face, and
she was so beautiful. Because looking at her was sweetly painful, Dev knew it
was time for them to part.
“Yeah. I’ll be ? ne. You should take off.”
Reluctantly, Leslie climbed back into the boat. Dev waded into the water and
pushed her out from shore, then returned to the tiny beach.
“I’ll pick you up in ? ve days, right?” Leslie called.
“Right.”
“Be careful.”
Dev waved and Leslie started the motor, carefully backing away from the
shallows before revving up the power. Dev followed the boat until it was just a
tiny speck in the distance. She hoped that when Leslie returned, the ache of
longing she felt every time she looked at her would ? nally be gone.
• 139 •
• 140 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
How are things going?” Leslie asked, four days after she’d dropped Dev off on
the island. She leaned against the porch railing and breathed deeply of the cool
morning air, picturing Dev in the woods in her jeans, boots, and T-shirt. The
radio transmission was remarkably good, and it sounded as if Dev were right
next to her. She looked forward to their twice-a-day communications, not only
because she worried with Dev working alone, but also because she enjoyed
their brief shared updates.
“On schedule. I’m working my way around the southern tip of the island today,
and should ? nish up tomorrow. How about you?”
“My father’s coming home today. We have a new cook. Life is good.” Leslie
heard Dev laugh and realized life was good. Once her mother had returned, the
two of them had been able to handle things at the lodge with enough time left
over for Leslie to look over the cases from the local of? ce. She worked, she
walked on the beach, and she’d started to sleep more than three hours a night.
“Sounds good,” Dev said. “So I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Will do. Take care.”
“Always.”
Leslie clicked off the radio, smiling as she envisioned Dev at work on the island.
She never would have predicted Dev as a scientist, and a ? sh expert at that,
but now it seemed so natural. So Dev, really. Dev had always been an
observer, apart from things, so very private. It had always been special when
Dev had shared her thoughts and feelings, because Leslie knew it was rare for
her. Being Dev’s friend had made her feel special.
• 141 •
RADCLY fFE
“Was that Dev?” Eileen asked.
Leslie jumped. She hadn’t heard her mother come out onto the porch.
“Yes,” Leslie replied, aware that her mother was studying her intently. “She’s ?
ne.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re checking in with her,” Eileen said casually.
She crossed the porch, carrying a cup of coffee. “How come I never met her
when the two of you were teenagers? You’re obviously very good friends.”
Leslie contemplated some neutral explanation and then thought perhaps it was
time to bridge another rift in her life. “We weren’t friends like I was friends with
the other girls. We didn’t do social things together. We just…talked.”
“But you were close, weren’t you? I can tell from the way you talk to her. And
the way she looks at you.”
“What do you mean—the way she looks at me?” Despite herself, Leslie felt
herself blushing.
Eileen sipped her coffee and smiled softly. “I think even if you hadn’t told me
you were a lesbian, I would have noticed that she follows you with her eyes the
way I’m used to seeing men watch women.”
Leslie snorted, thinking of Mike and the few men after him she’d dated. “I doubt
it. Dev is nothing like a man.”
“There are some men who truly do appreciate women,” Eileen said gently.
“Your father is one.”
“I know,” Leslie admitted. “You’re right. Still, Daddy is special.”
She braced her hands on the railing and leaned out, letting the sunlight strike her
face, enjoying the warmth and the smell of summer. “Dev always treated me as
if I were precious,” she said softly, almost to herself, because it was the ? rst
time she’d ever given a name to what Dev had made her feel. She looked at her
mother. “I guess I wanted to keep that all to myself. Maybe that’s why I never
brought her home.”
“Maybe it was because you didn’t think I’d understand,” Eileen said sadly. “I’m
sorry if I made you feel that way.”
Leslie shook her head. “No. It wasn’t about you. I didn’t understand myself
what I felt.”
“And you didn’t…understand…until you were in college?”
“Not exactly,” Leslie said with a sigh. She curled an arm around the porch post
and sat on top of the railing, her legs dangling free.
She leaned her head against the column and thought about how long
• 142 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
she’d denied her feelings. “I never considered that what was happening between
Dev and me was anything except a wonderful friendship. I was clueless.” She
shook her head. “God. Worse than clueless. And then one night she kissed
me…no, we kissed…and I didn’t handle it very well.”
Eileen said nothing, but she brie? y stroked Leslie’s arm.
“Some bad things happened. Dev had an accident.” Leslie closed her eyes.
“Part of that was my fault.” When her mother murmured with concern, Leslie
waved her away. “It’s a long story, and Dev and I have already talked it out.
But it took me years to admit that what she and I had was what I really
wanted.”
“And you have someone now?”
Leslie hesitated. “Yes.”
“Did you ? nd it again?” Eileen asked softly. “What you had with Dev?”
“No.” Leslie met her mother’s eyes, her expression ? at.
“Perhaps you will yet.”
