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Boston, not heaven.
Callie forced herself to her feet and raised her hands above her head
to stretch for a few moments.  I can t complain about buying beer in
exchange for a strong woman and a truck. Want anything special?
 Surprise me. You know what I like.
 I do. You like lagers and ales and you ll drink a stout in a pinch, but
only one. Your tastes are a lot like mine.
Regan smiled her most impish grin.  àat s why I think you have
good taste. Hurry up now, the mover is thirsty.
Callie had been in town less than a week when she called Regan to
tell her some news.  I found a good running club here in Cambridge.
I m going for a five k run on Sunday morning at nine. Will you be
there?
 You don t even know where to order in a good pizza, Regan teased.
 And you re already joining a club?
 Yep. I want to run the marathon for my fortieth birthday, so I don t
have a moment to waste.
 You ve got over four years!
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doublecrossed
 I know, but I want to increase my mileage slowly. àen, once I can
run twenty-six miles, I need to do a couple of marathons to get my
qualifying time. I only want to run one a year so& 
 It sounds like you ve thought this out pretty carefully. If I follow
your lead I can run one for my thirty-fifth.
 Don t rub your youth in. I ll do what I can to keep up with you with
my decrepit self.
Regan laughed.  I don t think that ll be a problem with you. You re
one determined cookie.
 So? Will you be here?
 Sure will. Can I come on Saturday?
 You can come on Friday if you want. àen we ll have two nights to
test out pizza places.
 Now that s my kind of thinking. Have pizza two nights in a row,
then go running. It s a date.
In another week Callie had found a group of women who played
pool on àursday nights. And a few more days had her signing up for a
monthly meeting of website developers and graphic artists.
àat Friday night she walked into the Scituate Inn and was greeted
by another new friend, an eighty-year-old man who had taken quite a
shine to her.  Callie! Jerry McMullen called, hoisting a beer in her
direction.  Let me buy you a beer.
She smiled and sat down next to him at the small bar.  How could I
resist? She nodded to the night bartender, Alex.  A short draft, please.
Alex slid the glass down the bar and she sat happily chatting with
the elderly man for a few minutes. Regan poked her head out of the
office and did a double take when she saw her.  How long have you
been here?
 One beer s worth, Jerry said.  We re just getting started.
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susan x meagher
Callie could tell from Regan s questioning expression that she was
asking if Callie was comfortable. A short nod was the reply and Regan
said,  We might as well have dinner, huh?
 Works for me, Callie said.  Caesar salad with salmon, please.
 Done. Be right back.
 So how s Cambridge treating you, honey? Jerry said.  All of those
pointy heads driving you nuts yet?
 Not yet. She knew she could live in Cambridge for the rest of her
life and be completely happy& as long as Regan was near.
àey left the restaurant at around nine, and Callie could tell that
Regan wasn t herself. Deciding to give her a little while to decompress
after a long day at work, she didn t speak much on the way to the
townhouse. But after Callie stored her overnight bag in the guest
bedroom, she found Regan wandering around the apartment, looking
like she was either thinking or blowing off some nervous energy.
 How about a walk? Callie asked.
 A walk? Regan s response was almost rote. It was as though she
hadn t fully understood the question.
 Do you need some time alone?
àat seemed to snap her out of her fugue and she nodded.  No, I
changed my mind. A walk would be good.
 Sure?
 Yeah. It might help to get something off my chest.
àey left the apartment and walked in silence down to the harbor. It
was fully dark now and the only sounds were the muted thump of
rubber fenders protecting boats from the docks, the lapping of the
water at the hulls, and a few distant horns. àere wasn t another person
in sight, and after they started to walk along one of the piers, Regan let
out a heavy sigh. She threw her head back and took in a deep breath,
then said,  Angela called me today.
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doublecrossed
 Oh. Callie didn t need to say more. It was clear the call had upset
Regan, so it was a waste of energy to ask her to restate the obvious.
 It really took me by surprise, oddly enough. I guess& I guess I
underestimated her perseverance.
 You don t get her job without having a lot of that.
 True. But she s not the kind of woman to risk humiliation. Coming
back after the last time really took a lot for her. She gazed at Callie.  I
respect her for that.
Callie s heartbeat started to quicken. A nagging fear she d been
consciously ignoring made her stomach flip. Angela was a woman
Regan had dearly loved, and if she wanted her back that was how it had
to be. àat s what true friends did, and no matter what, being a good
friend had to be paramount.
Luckily, the next words out of Regan s mouth put her mind at ease.
 It hurt to tell her no again, but it didn t hurt as much as last time. She
gave Callie a sad, lopsided smile.  Practice pays off.
 Aww. Callie put her hand around Regan s arm and they walked
closely together, slowly making their way up and down every dock. A
speeding bullet-dodged. Angela s bad fortune was cause for a guilty,
silent celebration.  How are you feeling now?
 Okay. Kinda. àey walked a few more steps.  Sad. Really sad.
Callie held her arm more tightly while they strolled along at a slow
pace.  I m happy to listen to anything you want to say. But if you want
quiet, you ve got it.
 àanks. Regan disentangled and slung her arm around Callie s
shoulders. Just as she did every time this happened, Callie took in a
breath, hoping to catch just a bit of Regan s scent. It reminded her of a
dusky red rose that grew in a yard near her apartment, and she assumed
it was from a lotion or powder or some product she used. But she
secretly hoped that Regan just naturally smelled like a beautiful flower.
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susan x meagher
àey walked for at least half an hour, with Callie listening to the
quiet sounds of the water and the occasional metallic clink from rigging
hitting a mast or the groan of a tightening line. Regan broke the quiet.
 Sit down with me?
 Sure. àey went out to the jetty, a long, built-up profusion of rocks
that stretched out into the water. It was wide enough to walk on, and
now, at low tide, it was safe to sit and dangle their feet in the cool water.
Once they were settled, Regan said,  àere s a feeling I ve been
fighting.
 Fighting? àat sounds serious.
 It is, kinda. It s the feeling that Angela really might be able to make
some of the changes I wanted her to make.
 Uhm, what s there to fight about? Her heart started to beat wildly
again.
Regan was looking out at the water, her eyes focused beyond the
horizon.  Even if she can, I don t want to give her another chance.
She said this with such cold detachment that Callie strangely felt
sorry for Angela. But then Regan looked at her and Callie could see the
sorrow in her eyes.  Does that make me coldhearted?
 No, of course not. Callie put her hand on Regan s bare thigh,
tamping down her desire to squeeze the solid muscles she d developed
from running.  She broke your trust. It s perfectly understandable that [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]