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she found the situation particularly funny. So far my environment
is pretty germ free, but I m not gonna give up so easily.
That s one of the things I most& respect about you. I appreciate
how much you care for your students.
I do, but I think I care about you more. I assume you weren t
able to trade days off with anyone or you would ve mentioned it by
now.
No, I didn t have any luck. I assume your brother-in-law is still
insisting on having his birthday on Saturday.
Yeah, he s hardheaded that way. I m very tempted to skip the
party and come see you. Would that make me a bad sister-in-
law?
You could be a lot worse, but you should probably stay home.
He did buy you a nice arbor this year.
He sure did. I just wish I were sitting under it with you.
That makes two of us. Well, I m home now and I think I ll get
ready for bed.
Okay. Sleep tight.
I will. Thanks for calling, Noel.
Toni hung up and put her phone down on the table. She was
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feeling edgy and guessed that she d have a hard time sleeping even
though she was tired. On her way to the bedroom, she saw the
message light on her home phone flashing. She hit the button and
heard Heidi s voice, sounding contrite. How about having dinner
with an old friend who owes you an apology. I m really very sorry
for what I said tonight. I know you re not the type to hold a grudge,
but I want to make sure you know that I feel bad about what I said.
Call me.
Looking at the machine for a moment Toni smiled, thinking it
funny that Heidi hadn t had the nerve to call her cell phone.
:
That Saturday night, Toni sat across from Heidi at one of the
nicer restaurants in town. They d had a pleasant evening together,
their fight seemingly forgotten. Noel s name had come up frequently,
but they hadn t discussed her in any depth. They were waiting for
their dessert and coffee to be delivered when Heidi said, I replayed
our fight in my mind a few times since the other night.
Forget about it. I have.
No, Heidi said thoughtfully. It didn t come across this way, but
I was asking a serious question. I m genuinely interested in what s
going on with you and Noel. I know I butchered this question, but
what I wanted to know was what is it about her that s made you
want to give up your freedom?
Toni fidgeted in her seat, briefly regretting her agreement to
meet for dinner. But Heidi was her oldest friend, and she had to
get past any discomfort where Noel was concerned. You know
this isn t what I m best at. I have a hard time putting words to my
feelings.
You can do it when you put your mind to it, Heidi said, smiling
fondly. I ve heard you with my very own ears.
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Even though she d been very comfortable for the past hour,
Toni felt like she was sitting on pins, and almost checked her chair
to see if the upholstery had come loose. She moved her chair back
an inch or two, thinking that might fix things. I don t know, she
finally said when she realized she hadn t answered the question. It s
certainly wasn t anything I planned. She gave a helpless-looking
shrug. It just happened.
I can understand that. You got carried away.
Yeah. That sounds right. Before I knew it, I d lost interest in
going out with anyone else.
Smiling, Heidi said, It sounds about like the time that
ornithologist was here for a couple of months. What was her
name?
Mandy. Mandy Thompkins. Boy, that s probably been five years
ago.
At least. You were massively crushed on her.
Not really. Well, not when I think about it now.
Oh, come on! She s all you talked about.
Maybe. But that was mostly about sex. Toni laughed at the
memory. If there is such a thing as a nymphomaniac, she was
one.
How is it different with Noel?
Heidi s gaze was firmly settled on Toni s face. Toni felt as
though she could see right into her thoughts. I m not sure, she
said, irritably. I just know it s different. I m really, really attracted
to Noel. It s more than just sex.
That s what I m interested in. Do you have a lot in common?
Do you share the same interests? Hobbies?
Toni felt as though she were trying to figure out a complex
carpentry problem& without a tape measure or calculator. No&
well, kinda& I guess. She doesn t work on cars or anything, but I
think we have things in common.
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What do you do when you re together?
Toni s eyes were scrunched into slits. She sat perfectly still for
a few seconds. Noel says we re doing what most couples do when
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