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“I have to go to work in a little while. Actually, I should probably
start getting ready.”
“How about tomorrow night? Are you working?”
“No. I have the weekend off.”
“Then how about I bring over a bottle of wine? I’m sure I’m going
to need it, and I really don’t want to be inhaling the paint fumes
any longer than I have to. Would that be okay?”
“Actually, that sounds like fun.”
“Good.” Jo unfolded herself from the chair and stood. “It’s a
date.”
5
Saturday morning dawned with blue skies, but soon clouds
began rolling in. Gray and thick, they swirled and twisted in the
ever-rising wind. The temperature began to plummet, and by the
time Katie left the house, she had to wear a sweatshirt. The store
was a little shy of two miles from her house, maybe half an hour’s
walk at a steady pace, and she knew she’d have to hurry if she
didn’t want to get caught in a storm.
She reached the main road just as she heard the thunder rumbling.
She picked up the pace, feeling the air thickening around her. A
truck sped past, leaving a blast of dust in its wake, and Katie
moved onto the sandy median. The air smelled of salt carried
from the ocean. Above her, a red-tailed hawk floated
intermittently on updrafts, testing the force of the wind.
The steady rhythm of her footfalls set her mind adrift and she
found herself reflecting on her conversation with Jo. Not the
stories she’d told, but some of the things Jo had said about Alex.