Burn You Twice - Mary Burton Page 0,7
friends during college and had survived a devastating fire. They should have shared a lifelong bond of friendship.
So many times, she had nearly called Ann, but each time she found a reason not to. Dismantling the past was much like poking around a burned-out building. Tug on one board or beam and you risked toppling what structure remained. Pushing through the door, she tamped down her apprehension and followed the sounds of a growing cluster of passengers gathered around the luggage carousel.
Joan’s gaze was drawn to a tall, lean woman wrestling a large bag, which she yanked free and pushed toward an elderly man.
Joan recognized Ann’s blond hair and compact, athletic body. The hair was shorter, but her body was as fit as it had been in college. Joan tugged her sweater down, remembering her broken promise to get to the gym before her flight today. As Ann turned, she spotted Joan. For a moment, they stared at each other, trying to gauge the other’s reaction.
Finally, Joan raised her hand, and they closed the gap between them. She hugged Ann’s thinner frame and felt the tension rippling through her body like a rubber band ready to snap.
“Long time no see,” Joan said.
“We finally got you back to Missoula. I’ve missed you.”
“Same.” Smiling, Ann shoved her fingers through her bangs, a habit Joan remembered from college as a sign of nerves.
To break the ice, Joan produced a red Philadelphia Phillies T-shirt and ball cap from the backpack’s side pocket. “Where’s your boy? I come bearing gifts.”
Ann held up the small T-shirt. “Thank you.”
Joan instantly realized her mistake. “Okay, how big is the kid? Any son of Clarke Mead’s has to be tall.”
“The top of his head comes up to my shoulder.”
Joan studied the T-shirt. “Tell me his head will still fit in the ball cap.”
Ann laughed, and some of the tension between them eased. “It will. Do you have much luggage?”
“Only the backpack. If I need a change of clothes, I have a brand-spanking-new Phillies T-shirt I can wear.”
“Is there a coat in that backpack?”
“It was eighty-five degrees in Philadelphia this morning.”
“It’ll be close to thirty here by tomorrow evening. I have extra jackets.”
“The daytime highs were in the sixties, but I forgot about the cold nights. Winter comes fast out here.”
“Yes, it does.”
They crossed the terminal and stepped outside into the crisp air. Joan drew in a deep breath, her gaze lingering on the puffy white clouds hovering in the blue sky above the mountain chain to the west. “I’d forgotten how good the air smells out here. And the big sky. Philadelphia is currently locked in haze and humidity.”
“I’ve traveled several times to New York and DC, and I’ve always found the energy of the cities as intoxicating as it is exhausting. I’m always glad to get back home.”
“No more dreams of living in a big city?”
“Not anymore. And if that makes me provincial, then so be it.”
“I’m slated to attend a conference in Orlando in January.” Assuming she did not get canned from her job. “You and Nate should come and do Disney World.”
“I might take you up on that.” Ann’s acceptance sounded as tentative as the offer. She clicked her key fob, and the lights of a mud-splattered white SUV blinked. “When you called last night, I searched you on the internet. I read about the Newport case.”
Joan opened the back door and tossed in her bag. They each slid into the front seats, closed the doors, and clicked their seat belts. “Never arrest the daughter of a very powerful judge. And if you do, and you’re warned to back off, do it.”
“You could always be stubborn.”
“Doesn’t matter now. I’ve officially erased it from my memory bank.”
Ann smiled. “You used to do that in college.”
“What?”
“Press your ‘Delete’ key. Bad test, date, or movie, you closed your eyes and said, ‘Delete.’”
“Only way to move on.” The past was far more powerful than a mystical button, but it was easier to pretend otherwise. “Where’s Nate?” Joan asked.
“It’s Clarke’s weekend to have him.”
“Clarke’s weekend. Sounds like a divorce.”
“We separated six months ago.”
“Wow. Sorry to hear that.”
Ann’s smile was reassuring as she drove to the parking attendant’s booth, paid him, and headed north, away from town, toward the family ranch. “It’s really going well. We both agreed that a little time apart was a good thing. We married so young, Nate came right away, and neither of us had a chance to be ourselves.”
Joan leaned back in her seat and crossed