to—”
“Get back,” she finished. “I bet you’ve already put in a half day’s work—what most would consider a half day’s work. I haven’t even brushed my teeth.”
“That’s the life.”
“And you took time out of that to come here, get me over the first bump. I’m grateful. There are a handful of people outside of family I trust absolutely. You and your family take up most of the handful.”
“You’ve got to get out more.” He smiled when he said it. “I’ll see you tomorrow if you get by.”
“Baking day? Count on it.”
As he walked back up the path, he wondered what the hell he was supposed to do when she said stuff like that about trust. She needed a friend, not some guy who wanted to get her naked. Even some guy, like for instance himself, who was willing to take his time, give her time, ease it all in by stages.
Maybe he wished he didn’t have so many clear pictures of her in his head. The little girl trying to hide in the dark, the long-legged teenager holding red flowers, the woman in an apron ridiculously excited about making butter, the woman on horseback, laughing as she stretched a trot to a gallop.
Now add the sexily rumpled one opening the door to hard news.
Smarter, he thought when he reached his truck, to put those pictures away, at least for now.
She thought of him as a friend, and a woman didn’t want a friend making moves on her. In the long list of ways to screw up a friendship, that had to be number one.
Thinking of friends, he decided he’d text two of his oldest, see if they wanted to hang out later, have a couple beers, play some video games. Might be tougher for Leo, since he had a wife, and a baby on the way.
But then again, he imagined Hailey might enjoy a night of quiet, which Leo rarely was.
He stopped at the gate, waited for it to open. A reminder about different worlds, he supposed. He did like visiting this one, felt welcome, but it remained a different world from the one he’d chosen.
Through the gate he paused again at the edge of the peninsula, waited for the second gate. He heard sea lions carrying on, and felt his spirit lift when he spotted a sounding whale out to sea.
Different worlds, maybe, but this was one they shared. He could picture her standing at the glass, looking out at the same wonder as he.
Maybe he’d keep those pictures of her after all. Time rolled, didn’t it? And he had plenty of it.
About the time Dillon drove home, Sparks reported for work in the prison library. Due to his good record, he’d do some clerking at the counter today, probably restock some of the books returned by inmates.
He had a nice view from the window of the bay, the mountains. The freedom still denied to him.
Before Jessica, he’d spent time—as many others did—in the law library. He figured he’d educated himself there as well as any, so it began to piss him off he found nothing, no precedent, no loophole, no nothing, that might lead to overturning or shortening his sentence.
Charlotte had screwed him, and screwed him good.
He had access to computers—limited, of course.
When he had free time, he might sit and read some bullshit book or the San Quentin News or just shoot the shit with other inmates—had to keep things running smooth—with that view of San Francisco Bay mocking him.
Then Jessica, and after the wooing and winning, no need to waste his time on the goddamn law books. She’d handle that.
She’d handle what he needed handled.
He worked steadily through the morning. He’d wanted the library job because it was a popular place, a place to make contacts, make connections, make deals.
Close to the end of shift, one of his regular customers—two packs of reals a week—stepped to the counter to order a book as cover. He knew the illiterate asshole didn’t read. He put in the order for the books, for the smokes.
“Hey, heard your name on the news.”
“My name?”
“Yeah, some lawyer bought it. Was a lawyer for that rich bitch you used to bang, they said. The one who set you up for the kid snatch.”
“Is that so? Scarpetti?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Fucker got her off in a walk when she flipped on me.”
As Sparks finished his shift, prepared to take some time in the exercise yard, he thought: Two down.
Dressed in bold red, right down to