“You should, because I’m never wrong. Goodbye, darling.”
When the door closed behind Rachel, Leslie returned to the living room and
picked up her wine. She sipped slowly, completely alone. It felt both liberating
and terrifying.
Dev slowed the park service truck at the mouth of a vacant campsite while
Natalie jumped off the running board, trotted down the dirt path to the clearing,
and checked that the ? re was out in the ? re pit.
She jogged back, hooked her arm inside the open window, and steadied herself
against the outside of the door. She grinned in at Dev.
“Only ? ve more to go.”
“You didn’t tell me I was going to have to work for my dinner.”
“I did say you could stay back at the of? ce and wait for me.”
“This saves time,” Dev said, turning onto the last loop of road that snaked
through the campsite. “Plus, if I waited there, I’d have to listen to Jimmy
complain about the heat.”
“Or the bugs.”
“Or the tourists.”
“Or—” Natalie laughed and hopped down as Dev slowed again.
When she climbed back aboard and they moved on, she peered through the
window again. “Hear anything from Leslie?”
Dev stared straight ahead. “No.”
“You haven’t called her?”
“No.”
“Going to?”
Dev shook her head.
“Should I ask why not?”
“Among other things, she’s got a girlfriend.”
“Ah.”
“This is your stop,” Dev said, braking.
Natalie checked the last few sites on foot while Dev followed along the narrow
dirt road. When she returned to the truck, she settled into the passenger seat
and slipped her hand onto Dev’s thigh. “I’m sorry.”
Dev glanced at her. “About what?”
“For bringing it up. I waited two weeks. I thought that was a decent interval.”
“It’s okay.” Dev pulled into the parking lot behind the ranger’s of? ce. Two
weeks. It felt like two minutes. She could still feel the warmth of Leslie’s hand in
hers. She could still hear her voice, smell the subtle scent of her perfume. Leslie
was everywhere around her, but never anywhere as much as in her thoughts.
There was no time frame for missing Leslie. No beginning, and no end. It was
simply part of her life and had been for as long as she could remember.
“Hey. Don’t go drifting off, Dev. There’s nothing back there but pain.”
“I know,” Dev said. “I’m okay.”
“Not quite, but you will be.”
“Your friendship means a lot to me. Thanks.”
“Don’t even go there,” Natalie said. “We are friends. And that means you don’t
have to thank me.”
Dev grinned and backed into a parking space. “Yeah yeah.”
“And I’m still going to make a move on you.” Natalie leaned across the gearshift
and gently bit Dev’s earlobe. “But I’m going to give you a little more time to get
prepared. A day. Maybe two.”
Dev laughed. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Natalie patted Dev’s thigh. “Anytime.”
“I’m not in any shape to get involved, Nat,” Dev said quietly as they locked up
the park service vehicle.
“Can’t shake her?”
Dev shook her head. Leslie was always in her thoughts, in her dreams. Leslie
was in her blood.
“I could help.” Natalie grasped Dev’s hand as they walked toward her SUV.
“You do help.”
Natalie laughed. “I meant in a bit more active way.”
Dev laughed too. “I know.”
“So when I make a serious offer,” Natalie said, pausing before unlocking her
vehicle, “you can tell me if it’s what you want or not.”
“Nat,” Dev said gently. “I don’t want to mislead you. I don’t think—”
“Ah ah—you have to wait until I make my move to turn me down.”
Lifting her hands in defeat, Dev nodded. “Okay. And just so you won’t think
I’m running scared, I’ll tell you right now I’m going to be out of town for a
couple of days at the end of the month.”
“Oh yeah? What’s up?” Natalie unlocked the doors and they slid in.
“I’ve been scheduled on and off for the last four months to testify in a case
involving industrial contamination of a river upstate, and they keep rescheduling.
I just heard it’s ? nally going to go.”
“So you’re heading upstate?”
“No,” Dev said quietly. “Actually, the trial is in New York City.”
“Oh.” Natalie glanced at Dev as she pulled out onto the highway.
“And?”
Dev shook her head. “And nothing.”
“Okay,” Natalie said, reaching for Dev’s hand. She squeezed it brie? y, then let
go. “My timetable still looks good, then.”
Dev smiled, but she feared that time alone would not be enough for her to forget
Leslie.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I’ll be out the rest of the afternoon, Steph,” Leslie said to her paralegal. “I’ll
check messages later and get back to you on anything urgent.”
“Finally taking a few hours off? You’ve been back a month and I think you’ve
been in here every day.” Stephanie ? xed her with a reproachful frown and
lowered her voice. “Weren’t you supposed to be trying something new? Like
taking it easy now and then?”
Leslie leaned both hands on Stephanie’s desk and whispered back,
“I have been taking it easy. I’m out by eight every night.”
Stephanie shook her head. “That’s not exactly cutting back.”
“I feel ? ne. I’ll be in court.”
“Wait!” Stephanie quickly scanned her calendar. “I don’t have you down for
anything. Did I forget something?”
“No.” Leslie shouldered her briefcase and started toward the door.
