is? You can’t talk—”
“But I really can’t—”
“Then neither can I!” Larry hung up, angry. Tears blurred his vision, but Allie hadn’t been crying at all. She never cried unless she was talking about Jill. She never even cried in therapy, where he blubbered like a baby. He was sick of having emotions for them both.
The rain fell hard, spattering his jacket. The cab was pulling over, and he hurried across the street, flagging it down. He still had a chance to make the flight.
Larry Rucci was a lucky guy.
He just didn’t feel like one right now.
CHAPTER 51
Allie Garvey
Allie hung up, bursting into tears. A sob hiccupped from her lips. Larry had never said divorce before. Her marriage was really ending. It broke her heart. She couldn’t believe it. He’d sounded so fed up, so sick of her. She couldn’t blame him. She didn’t deserve him. Marriage counseling hadn’t worked, and the fucked-up girl had become a wife with issues. Stomach issues, anxiety issues, intimacy issues. She’d lied to him about where she was because she hadn’t been able to tell him about David.
Allie wiped her eyes. Tears spilled down her cheeks. Her nose filled with mucus. She gripped the steering wheel, fighting for emotional control. She was following Julian in his gray Mercedes, and they were almost there, where he’d said they’d meet Sasha. She passed a sign that read BAKERTON NATURE PRESERVE, DONATED BY JULIAN BROWNE LAND MANAGEMENT, in front of a grassy pasture surrounded by a jogging path. There was a parking lot next to the street, and Julian steered into it and parked under a tree.
Allie fumbled in her purse for a Kleenex, wiped her eyes, and willed herself to stop crying. She turned in to the lot and spotted Sasha sitting on a park bench next to a tan car, smoking. Allie blew her nose, parked, and took a moment to compose herself. She couldn’t get out of the car like this. She cleared her throat and checked her bloodshot eyes in the rearview. She looked like a wreck, but she couldn’t worry about that now. She got out of the car.
“You okay, Allie?” Julian emerged from the Mercedes with a concerned frown.
“Yes, thanks.” Allie sniffled.
“Right.” Julian patted her on the back. “I miss him, too.”
“Thanks.” Allie blew her nose, realizing that Julian thought she was crying because of David.
“Here, look around. There’s nothing as restorative to the soul as nature.” Julian gestured around the preserve. “It’s pretty here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, really.”
“My company placed this parcel under the conservation easement, and we opened it to the public in May. It’s our mission to preserve open space.” Julian slid a business card from his wallet and handed it to her with a smile.
“That’s nice.” Allie read the card, though she had known about Julian’s company from Facebook.
“Come on, let’s sit down.” Julian touched Allie’s elbow.
“Hi, Sasha.” Allie forced a smile, and Sasha smiled back.
“Hey, Allie. Good to see you, and don’t let Julian tell you he’s anything but a ruthless businessman, bent on world domination.”
“Very funny.” Julian sat down next to Sasha, smiling. Then it faded. “Well, these are terrible circumstances in which to see you again. It’s a damn shame that David’s gone.”
“I know.” Allie felt her emotions well up again, though she controlled them. She had to focus. This would be her one and only chance to talk to them. “It’s awful.”
“Just awful.” Sasha picked a piece of tobacco from her lower lip, without marring her neutral gloss. “So, Allie, what did you grow up to be?”
“I’m a child advocate.” Allie wanted to talk about David, the funeral, and Kyle, but she held fire for now.
“What’s that?”
“I help kids with special needs get the programming they need in school. The parents hire me, and I know special ed law and how to navigate it.”
“So are you a lawyer?”
“No, but I work with the special education lawyers on behalf of the kids.” Allie realized there was no room on the bench for her, so she remained standing, still the outsider with the cool kids. “How about you, Sasha? What do you do?”
“Publicity in the fashion industry, I freelance. I started with an internship at Fendi in Milan and did some modeling there and in Rome. I just got back from Grasse, for a piece about the fragrance business. I go to Paris tomorrow, then on to Nice.” Sasha smiled in a pat way. “I love it, and you learn so much from travel. It opens your