by Radclyffe
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.”
“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.”
