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“I heard you.”
“But you didn’t hear it as it applies to you. You are a good dad and an excellent provider. It takes two people to make or break a marriage.”
He stared across the water to the other side of the river. The memory of Tim’s body in that dumpster kept cropping up, marring the view, but gradually his ex-wife’s unhappy litany faded.
“You believe that.”
“About marriage? Of course.”
“You know I meant the part about me.”
She turned his chin her way and gave him that warm smile. “Then double that previous ‘of course’.”
“I like that about you.”
“That I call bullshit?”
“Basically, yeah,” he admitted. “You don’t blow smoke and I appreciate your honesty.”
Her burst of laughter sounded as happy as the river drifting by.
“What’s so funny?”
“You calling me honest when I lied us into this marriage problem.”
“An exception that proves the rule. I’m glad you trusted me with that.”
“You are?”
“What are friends for? We are friends, aren’t we?”
“Always.”
Always. It should have been a comfort. It was exactly the right answer, the answer he’d needed, and yet something about her immediate reply niggled at him. Friends, always, no matter the tactical situation or superb sex.
“Always works for me,” he said. “Thanks for the reality check.” He picked up her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Then he just held it. Because he needed the contact and comfort she offered. “You look tired.”
“Said like a man who doesn’t mince words. I’m not sure I like being on the receiving end.”
He chuckled. “Hungry?”
“I could eat.” When she smiled at him like that, he longed for some idyllic time and place where they could be together beyond the rigorous demands of their careers. The weekend in Las Vegas had almost been that place, but the almost frenetic atmosphere didn’t fit his definition of idyllic.
As they unpacked the picnic basket, he looked around the clearing, realizing this place did fit his definition. When had he become such a fan of sleepy little slices of nature? He sighed. As much as they were both defined by their work, they’d probably get sick of each other without the respective challenges.
“What are you thinking about now?”
“How people do and don’t change.”
“Do I want to know?”
“Probably not.” He handed her a sandwich piled high with ham and Swiss cheese. “What kind of progress did you make with the logs and Tim’s notebook?”
He listened, appreciating how much she agreed with him about the codes and timing. “What do you think we should do about it?”
“One of the two trucks should stop in today, if I understand the pattern correctly.”
“That’s what I thought, too.” He nodded. “So I guess it’s a bad day for a picnic.”
