When Dreams Tremble Read online

  was the only one who was exciting and different, and their friendship…well, that

  was something that had always seemed apart from the rest of her life.

  “Well, I’m sure you’ve got better things to do now than carry luggage.”

  Dev shrugged and picked up the suitcase. There was no way she was going to

  let Leslie carry it a quarter of a mile to the cabin. “You’re wearing heels, Les.”

  • 50 •

  WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE

  Leslie made a face. “I’m used to dressing this way, Dev, and if I can handle a

  sprint through JFK airport with a loaded briefcase and two suitcases, I can

  handle a stroll through the woods.”

  “Fine.” Dev handed her the briefcase but kept the suitcase herself.

  “Here you go.”

  “I don’t remember you being this stubborn,” Leslie complained, half annoyed

  and half amused.

  “I guess I’ve changed,” Dev said quietly.

  Leslie sighed and slung the briefcase over her shoulder. “We both have.”

  Dev smiled softly. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”

  • 51 •

  • 52 •

  WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE

  CHAPTER SIX

  Come on, let me walk you home. Standing outside the high school on a late

  spring evening, Leslie regarded the ß at tire on her mountain bike with disgust.

  She looked over her shoulder at Dev, who slouched against the base of a tall

  maple with both their backpacks looped over one arm. She wore ripped jeans,

  her motorcycle boots, of course, and the barest hint of a smile.

  “You’d just better not laugh.” Leslie almost pouted but caught herself. Dev

  would laugh then. “I can’t believe I don’t have a patch kit.”

  “You don’t have a pump, either,” Dev pointed out. “So it wouldn’t do any good

  to Þ x the leak.” She raised her eyebrows as she scanned Leslie’s pale green

  slacks and low-heeled shoes. “And you’re not exactly dressed for doing bicycle

  repairs.”

  “Ha ha.” Leslie tugged on the sleeve of Dev’s faded blue T-shirt.

  “You are. Don’t you have something in your motorcycle bag you can Þ x this

  with?”

  Dev laughed. “They’re not exactly the same kind of tires, Les.”

  “I know that, Devon, ” Leslie said with a huff, but she was smiling.

  She knew Dev would change the tire for her if she had the equipment, and

  Leslie would probably let her, even though she could do it perfectly well herself.

  Dev liked doing things for her. Carrying her backpack and schoolbooks when

  they walked down to the lake. Fixing the lock on her locker when it kept

  jamming and the maintenance man kept forgetting to replace it. Dev had even

  shoveled the snow away from around the Jeep in the school parking lot one day

  last winter when Leslie had driven her parents’ car to school and got snowed

  under. Leslie could’ve

  • 53 •

  RADCLY fFE

  done all those things, but she could tell that Dev wanted to do it. And she liked

  seeing how happy it made Dev. It was weird, but it was nice too.

  “So you know I don’t have anything that will work on a bicycle tire,” Dev said.

  “We should get going. It’s going to get dark pretty soon.”

  “You don’t have to come with me. You’ll just have to walk all the way back for

  your motorcycle if you do.”

  “I don’t mind.” Dev glanced across the deserted school parking lot. “It’s over a

  mile to your house, Les. I’m not letting you push your bike all the way there in

  the dark. Besides, you can’t carry your books and—”

  “I know! Give me a ride home on your motorcycle.” Leslie grabbed Dev’s

  hand. “We’ll leave the bike chained up here and tomorrow I’ll bring a patch kit

  and a pump and you can Þ x it.”

  For a minute, Leslie thought Dev was going to refuse. She had an odd look on

  her face, almost as if she was afraid of something, and her hand shook. Dev

  never let anything bother her. Leslie quirked her head. “Dev?”

  “Sure. That’ll work. Come on.”

  Leslie relocked her bike and followed Dev to her motorcycle.

  After Dev secured their books in her saddlebags, Dev climbed on and held out

  her hand to Leslie.

  “Climb up behind me. Have you ever been on the back of a motorcycle

  before?”

  “No.”

  “Just hold on to me and lean when I lean. Just stay tight to me, okay?”

  “Okay. But let’s go for a ride around the lake before you take me home. Do

  you have time?”

  Dev hesitated again, then nodded. “Sure.”

  Leslie straddled the motorcycle behind Dev. It was wider than she’d realized

  and she had to lean forward against Dev’s back to keep her balance. When the

  big engine roared to life, she wrapped both arms around Dev’s waist. Dev

  jerked as if Leslie had surprised her.

  “Is this right?” Leslie asked, her mouth close to Dev’s ear.

  “Yeah. It’s great.” Dev glanced over her shoulder at Leslie, and her eyes

  seemed impossibly dark. “You ready?”

  • 54 •

  WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE

  Leslie nodded, feeling a tingling in her stomach as she leaned against Dev.

  Nerves, she guessed. When Dev pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road,

  the wind rushed around her so hard that she felt exposed to the world in an

  exciting and unexpectedly scary way. She pressed even closer to Dev, amazed

  at how strong Dev felt. Her waist was narrow and Þ rm, her back broader than

  Leslie had expected and hard with muscle. Leslie rested her cheek between

  Dev’s shoulder blades, letting their bodies move together, and felt completely

  safe.

  “Do you want me to take this suitcase inside?” Dev asked, stopping at the end

  of the path to Leslie’s cabin.

  “No, I can get it. Thanks.” Leslie took the luggage. “Do you know if there’s

  Internet access in the cabins?”

  Dev laughed. “Uh, Les? There isn’t even a phone.”

  “Great,” Leslie sighed. “I thought by now they’d have done that, at least. I guess

  I should be glad there’s electricity and ß ush toilets.”

  “You’ve been living in the city too long. You’re getting soft.”

  Leslie regarded Dev with indignation. “You obviously don’t know anything

  about Manhattan.”

  Dev grinned. “True.”

  “Where are you living?”

  “I’ve got a place up near the Finger Lakes. But I move around a lot for the job,

  so half the year I’m practically itinerant.”

  Leslie was curious about just what had Þ nally captured Dev’s interest, but it

  was almost 6 p.m. and unless things had changed drastically, her mother would

  have dinner ready for the family at seven thirty, right after she set out the buffet

  for the guests. If she was going to shower and catch a few minutes’ sleep, she

  needed to go inside. Plus, being around Dev seemed to bring up things she

  hadn’t thought of in years. On top of her fatigue, the memories were starting to

  make her feel as if she’d tripped into an alternate reality. What she needed was

  to check her e-mail and call the ofÞ ce. Then she’d start feeling more like

  herself.

  “Well,” Leslie said. “Thanks again.”r />
  “No problem.”

  In a few seconds, Dev disappeared into the trees and Leslie was alone. She

  carried her bags into the small, plain pine cabin and looked around. It was just

  as she remembered from her days of cleaning

  • 55 •

  RADCLY fFE

  the units on weekends and during summers. One big room with a kitchenette

  against the rear wall and a bedroom partitioned off to one side. The tiny

  bathroom adjoined the bedroom, also in the rear. There was a Þ replace on the

  left wall as she entered and a sofa ß anked by chunky end tables facing it. Two

  large front windows overlooked the porch and the clearing and the path that led

  down to the lake.

  Leslie put her briefcase on the coffee table in front of the sofa and dragged her

  luggage into the bedroom. The bed was somewhere between a single and a

  double in size, neatly made up with a chenille bedspread, the likes of which she

  hadn’t seen since she’d been a teenager.

  She kicked off her shoes, draped her blazer over the back of a chair, and slid

  off her silk shell. The skirt went next and then her stockings. She stretched out

  on the bed in her bra and panties and closed her eyes. As she drifted off, she

  was distantly aware of a tingling in her stomach and the sensation of her breasts

  pressed against a Þ rm body, the muscles rippling against her nipples.

  v

  Dev settled into a wooden deck chair on the front porch of her cabin with her

  laptop, intending to enter data while she still had some daylight left. She and

  Natalie had collected a fair number of samples the previous day and that

  morning. She worked a few minutes, then glanced to her left, squinting to see

  through the trees to the neighboring cabin. It was still impossible to believe that

  Leslie was over there right now.

  Dev hoped she was taking a nap. Up close, she’d realized that Leslie was

  unhealthily thin, with tension etched into the tight lines around her eyes and

  mouth, and an aura of fragility surrounded her that seemed totally foreign. Leslie

  had always been feminine, that was true. Dev laughed. She actually used to think

  of her as girlie, in a really nice kind of way, but she’d also been athletic and Þ t.

  Leslie was a terriÞ c swimmer, far more ß uid in the water than Dev, who

  tended to power through rather than work with the waves. When they’d run into

  each other at the public beach, Leslie would almost always beat her when

  they’d race for the dock that ß oated a hundred yards offshore.

  Leslie would pull herself up onto the wooden platform, laughing as she looked

  down at Dev, the sun and water gleaming on her smooth, tanned ß esh.

  • 56 •

  WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE

  “Jesus, let it go,” Dev muttered when she felt the old familiar ache of longing.

  “You were kids.”

  “They say it’s dangerous to live alone in the woods,” Natalie said, standing at

  the end of the path to Dev’s cabin with her hands on her hips and a big grin. “I

  guess they’re right, because you’ve only been here a couple of days and already

  you’re talking to yourself.”

  “Hey,” Dev said, quickly closing her spreadsheet and powering down the

  computer. When she glanced at her watch she realized she’d been daydreaming

  for the better part of an hour. It was already after seven. Natalie wore low-cut

  jeans, a short-sleeved red blouse with several buttons open at the top, and

  sandals. Her dark hair, which she kept tied up when in uniform, was loose and

  longer than Dev had thought. She looked…pretty. Very pretty. “I hope you

  keep that a secret.

  I swear I’m harmless.”

  “I’m not sure I believe that,” Natalie said with a ß irtatious smile.

  “But I promise not to tell anyone about your private vices.”

  Dev grinned and gave a little bow. “Thank you.”

  “Look, I hope you don’t mind, I stopped by to see if you wanted to get

  something to eat, and Mrs. Harris told me which cabin was yours.

  Am I interrupting your work?”

  “No, I was just inputting some data. Hold on a minute.” She stepped back

  inside and put her computer on the end table. When she returned to the porch,

  Natalie was waiting for her, her back against one of the posts, the soft evening

  sunlight slanting across her face. At this distance, Dev saw that she’d applied a

  light touch of makeup. And she smelled wonderful. “I appreciate the dinner

  invite, but I told Mrs.

  Harris I’d have dinner at the lodge tonight. I’ve been here almost a week and I

  haven’t yet, so I hate to back out. I’m really sorry.”

  Natalie shook her head. “That’s okay. I just took a chance that you might be

  free. Some other night?”

  “Absolutely. Come on, I’ll walk you back to the lodge.” As they strolled down

  the path, Dev said, “I want to spend a few days out on the islands collecting

  samples at eight-hour intervals. Do you have camping gear I can borrow?”

  “Sure. I’ll take care of getting the permits.”

  “Can you try to keep a few campsites right next to me empty?”

  Natalie nodded. “It’s still early in the season, so that won’t be a problem. In

  fact, depending on where you go, you may be the only one on the island.”

  • 57 •

  RADCLY fFE

  “That’s great.”

  “When are you going?”

  “Actually, I’d like to go next week to collect the Þ rst set of samples and then

  again at least once later in the summer.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Great, I’ll give you a list—” Dev broke off as Leslie came down the path from

  her cabin. She saw Leslie’s eyes go from her to Natalie and register surprise

  before Leslie’s expression quickly became unreadable. “Hi, Les.”

  “Hello.”

  Natalie smiled and gave a half wave. “Evening.”

  “Leslie, this is Natalie Evans. She’s a park ranger. Natalie, Leslie Harris.”

  Natalie extended her hand. “I’d guess you’re Eileen’s daughter.

  You look like her.”

  “So I’ve been told. Nice to meet you.”

  The three continued toward the lodge in silence, Leslie quickening her pace so

  that by the time they neared the lodge, she was well ahead, leaving Natalie and

  Dev alone.

  “Was it something I said?” Natalie asked.

  Dev stared after Leslie, trying to decipher her attitude. She seemed angry, but

  Dev had no idea why. “I don’t think so. At any rate, I wouldn’t worry about it.”

  “Well, I don’t want to keep you from dinner, Dev,” Natalie said when they

  stopped at the foot of the walkway to the house. “How about I swing by and

  pick you up in the morning. Say seven o’clock?”

  “That sounds Þ ne. Sorry about dinner.”

  Natalie rested her hand on Dev’s shoulder and stood on tiptoe to kiss her

  cheek. Her voice was low, throaty, when she said, “I’ll take a rain check.”

  “Deal.”

  Dev waved goodbye as Natalie crossed the parking lot and climbed into her

  SUV, then turned toward the house. She was surprised to see Leslie standing

  on the porch. She hadn’t noticed her before and wondered if she’d been there

  the
entire time.

  “Your friend was welcome to stay,” Leslie said. More than just friend, it looks

  like.

  Dev joined Leslie. “Thanks, that’s nice of you. Maybe some other time, then.”

  • 58 •

  WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE

  “My parents are big fans of all the park employees.” Leslie turned abruptly and

  walked into the house, her words trailing behind her. “I’m sure they’d love her.”

  Leslie crossed through the entryway that opened into an L-shaped room with

  the great room off to the right and the dining room ahead. A buffet was set out

  on several tables along the far wall. She nodded to the guests sitting at the small

  square tables scattered through the room before pushing through the swinging

  doors at the rear into the kitchen.

  Beyond the cooking and prep area, an archway led to a combination

  sitting/dining room on the adjacent screened-in back porch. That was where

  she’d always taken her meals with her family. Her mother was at the stove now,

  stirring something that smelled wonderful.

  “Hi, sweetie,” Eileen said, glancing over her shoulder.

  “Is Daddy home?” Leslie asked.

  “Down at the boat dock. He’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  “Is there any wine?”

  “I just opened some. White okay?”

  “Yes, thanks.”

  Eileen smiled as Dev entered the kitchen. “Hi. Just make yourself comfortable

  out on the porch. Something to drink?”

  “Whatever everyone else is having. Can I do anything?”

  “Yes,” Eileen said as she handed Dev and Leslie each a glass of wine. “Keep

  Leslie company while I Þ nish in here.”

  Leslie and Dev sat in two wicker porch chairs with ß oral print cushions and

  watched the sun go down over the lake. Dev brushed her hand over the fabric,

  thinking how some things never changed. Her parents had had the same chairs

  on their small back porch behind the store. They’d had a small bit of land

  running down to the lake too, and that was where she’d spent most of her time,

  reading or daydreaming on the rickety, narrow dock.

  “What is it exactly that you do, Dev,” Leslie asked, breaking the silence.

  “My original focus was population dynamics among freshwater Þ sh.” She

  grinned when Leslie’s eyebrows rose. “I know. Sounds sort of bizarre, doesn’t

  it?”

  “Just a little.” Leslie laughed. “I take it that led to other things.”