path through some of her darkest nights, and she’d lain down to sleep countless
times with the sound of Leslie’s laughter ringing in her heart. Now she had the
memory of Leslie in her arms, and for a while at least, whether she
• 187 •
RADCLY fFE
wanted it or not, there wasn’t room for anyone else. Maybe when Leslie was
gone, and the dreams ? nally died, there would be.
When Leslie turned in Dev’s direction, one hand shading her eyes in the hazy
glare of a ? tful dawn, Dev gave a start. Although Leslie was too far away for
their eyes to meet, Dev felt the tug of connection nevertheless. When the boat
pulled away from the dock with Natalie at the wheel, Leslie settled onto one of
the benches. She wrapped her arm around a cleat and faced forward, hair
blowing in the wind. Even as the sound of the engine died and the boat
disappeared like a candle winking out, Dev could still feel Leslie’s presence.
Someday soon that link would be gone, and she wondered if she would rejoice
or bleed.
v
Three days later Dev stood in almost exactly the same spot, watching Leslie’s
mother climb the hill from the boathouse toward her.
It was Saturday afternoon on the Fourth of July and the weather had not
disappointed. It was hot, and it was going to be hotter by nightfall in the
boathouse. She could see from where she stood that all the windows had been
opened. The large wooden frames swung out over the water on either side of
the green rectangular building like rows of dominoes.
The huge double doors that opened onto a concrete ramp leading from the
water had been rolled back, probably in the hope of creating some crossventilation.
Eileen was waving to her, so Dev, carrying her briefcase, walked to
meet her at the top of the path.
“Hello, stranger,” Eileen said, brushing a damp tendril of hair from her cheek. “I
haven’t seen you since the morning after the storm.”
“I had a lot of catching up to do at the lab,” Dev said, which was true. It was
also a convenient way to avoid running into Leslie.
She’d been leaving for the lab before six in the morning and returning well after
ten every night. On her way, she grabbed coffee and a bagel at the roadside
mini-mart that had once been her parents’ store, and ordered take-out delivered
to the lab for dinner. Natalie had shown up as promised with pizza one night, but
she’d been busy too, with the holiday weekend looming, and Dev hadn’t seen
her since. All in all, Dev had managed to be at Lakeview only long enough to
sleep. And for at least half of every day she managed not to think about Leslie.
“Leslie’s been saying the same thing about work.” Eileen fell into
• 188 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
step with Dev up the gravel path toward the lodge. “She’s been at her of? ce
every day from sunup until I don’t know when. I’ve missed you two at
mealtime.”
“Sorry,” Dev said.
“No need to apologize. I understand you’ve both got a lot to do.”
Eileen halted where the path branched off to the cabins. “I hope you’re coming
down to the party tonight. All of the guests will be there and quite a few of the
locals too.”
“Well, uh…” Dev gazed off over the trees toward the lake. She hadn’t intended
to come. “I might drop by for a few minutes. I’m not much of a party person.”
Eileen laughed. “Well, I hope you do. Are you still planning on staying with us
through Labor Day?”
“Yes,” Dev said, frowning. “Is that a problem?”
“Oh no, not at all.” Eileen smiled. “I’ll see you tonight, Dev.”
Dev waved goodbye and continued on toward her cabin.
Somehow, she wasn’t even surprised when she saw Leslie coming toward her.
It didn’t seem to be possible to avoid her, even when she tried. Not when they
were anywhere near each other. In a ? ash, she took in Leslie’s tailored tan
slacks, her pale silk blouse, the sandals with just a bit of a heel. Her blond
waves fell just to her collarbones, where gold glinted at her throat. Even from
thirty feet away, Dev could tell she had dressed for someone special, and the
realization struck her like a ? st.
“Hello, Les,” Dev said as they both slowed to face one another.
“Devon,” Leslie said quietly. She had known today would be dif? cult; in fact,
the next twenty-four hours were likely to be the hardest of any she’d
experienced in years. Rachel was coming, and she wasn’t certain she was
prepared to see her. Dev was still here, and that would make it all the more dif?
cult. But she’d had plenty of practice in dif? cult situations, where the slightest
misstep or wrong word could be disastrous. So she’d showered and dressed
and prepared herself as she always did before any kind of confrontation. Her
shields were up, her emotions tucked away. When she’d left her cabin, she’d
known she was ready. And still, the sight of Dev coming toward her in jeans and
a blue button-down-collar cotton shirt had set her heart racing. She knew the
rush of pleasure at seeing Dev didn’t show, and she was glad.
“Recovered from the storm?”
“Oh. Sure. I…” Dev ran a hand through her hair and gave a rueful smile. “I
never was good at small talk.”
• 189 •
RADCLY fFE
Leslie smiled softly. “I know.”
“How much longer will you be here?” Dev heard herself asking and knew it was
dumb. As if any answer wouldn’t hurt.
“I’m probably leaving tomorrow afternoon.”
Dev couldn’t hide her surprise. “So soon?”
“It’s been almost three weeks, Dev.”
“It doesn’t seem that long.” Dev moved closer to Leslie as a young man and
woman, chatting animatedly, hurried along the path past them in the direction of
the cabins. “But then again, sometimes a day here seems like forever.”
Leslie took in the woods, the glint of blue water through the trees, the warmth of
sunshine on her skin. “It hasn’t changed at all, has it?”
“Not much. Being here with you this summer reminds me of what it was like
when we were kids, and the future was so far away,” Dev said, her words
echoing with melancholy.
Leslie searched Dev’s soulful hazel eyes, recognizing the loneliness Dev had
never quite been able to hide, even behind her tough facade. They had always
seen one another’s truths. When they were together, the pieces of herself she
revealed to no one else slid silently, seamlessly, into place. Even now, she felt it.
