Time seemed to stop while he looked at her in silence. She couldn’t read his expression. She forced herself to breathe.
“I wanted to think it was just a matter of time, Laurie. I really did.”
She couldn’t help but notice that he was using the past tense. No, she thought, please don’t let this happen.
“I was willing to wait as long as it took. But this… thing that happened with your show is troubling. I just can’t ignore it. We’ve both been telling ourselves that it’s all going to work out in time, but maybe the problem is that you just don’t trust me.”
“I said I’m sorry. It’s not going to happen again.”
“But you can’t control your own heart, Laurie. Greg was a hero. He saved lives in an emergency room. You were his one true love. Then you had Timmy to make you a family. And I’ve seen how you worship your father, too, who’s also one of the good guys. He fights crime and helps victims. And that’s what you do now with your show. But who am I? Just some lonely bachelor who makes a living as a hired gun, defending the guilty.”
“That’s not true-”
He shook his head. “I certainly don’t think so, but you do. Admit it, Laurie: you’ll never admire me, not like Greg. So you can keep telling yourself you’re trying to move on. But you won’t. Not until you find the right person, and then it will just happen. It will be effortless. But this?” He gestured between the two of them. “This has been nothing but effort.”
“What are you saying?”
“I care for you deeply. I loved you deeply. I probably still do. But I can’t wait in the wings forever. Now I think it’s time for us to stop trying. I’m letting you go.”
“But I don’t want that.”
Alex let out a sad laugh. “That’s not how the whole ‘if you love someone, set them free’ thing works, Laurie. You don’t get a say in this. If you ever feel like you’re truly ready to be with me, let me know and maybe we’ll go from there. But that’s not going to be today, or tomorrow, or next week.”
In other words, he was done waiting.
When he hugged her at the door, it felt like good-bye.
No, Laurie thought, as she stepped into the elevator. This is not the end of this story. I’m ready to live again-not in limbo, but freely and happily, the way Greg would want me to. Alex is the one I want to share my life with, and I’ll find a way to prove that to him.
Alex was about to pour gin into a metal shaker when Ramon emerged from his room. Shooing Alex out of the way, he stepped in to take over.
“Your martinis are always better than mine,” Alex said gratefully.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you were smiling,” Ramon observed. “Did everything go well?”
Alex knew that causing Laurie pain now was the price to be paid for the future.
“This has been a tough case, Ramon,” Alex said, as he reached for the glass Ramon set in front of him. “But I just gave a good summation, and I believe the jury’s going to decide in our favor.”
He leaned back and began to sip the martini.
MARY HIGGINS CLARK
Photograph © Bernard Vidal
The #1 New York Times bestselling author MARY HIGGINS CLARK has written thirty-six suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels, and also wrote The Cinderella Murder and All Dressed in White with bestselling author Alafair Burke. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.
ALAFAIR BURKE
© Deborah Copaken
ALAFAIR BURKE is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels, including The Ex, Long Gone, and the Ellie Hatcher series. A former prosecutor and a graduate of Stanford Law School, she now teaches criminal law and lives in Manhattan.
