“That sounds dreadful.”
I shrugged. “It gets old. That’s actually why I started running.”
“Running?”
“Most nights after the kids are asleep.” I gestured vaguely toward the neighborhood. “I make laps around the estate.”
That surprised her. “You run at night?”
“Almost every night.” I smiled. “Originally, it was just something to do when I couldn’t sleep. Now it’s kind of become my thing.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“More than I expected.” I thought about it for a second. “It clears my head. Gives me time to think. Half the time I solve work problems while I’m running.”
Winnie nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense.”
“I come back with fewer emails haunting me.”
“That’s always an admirable goal.”
I laughed. “Exactly.”
For a moment, she looked almost hesitant, then she said, “I’m a night owl myself.”
“You are?”
She nodded. “I’ve never enjoyed sleeping early.”
“Insomnia?”
“No, not exactly.” A strange expression crossed her face, disappearing so quickly I thought I’d imagined it. “I simply tend to be awake when most people aren’t.”
I grinned. “Well, that’s convenient.”
“How so?”
“Now I know there’s at least one other person wandering around at ridiculous hours.”
A small laugh escaped her. “Perhaps.”
I looked out at the darkened grounds. “Honestly, night is my favorite part of the day.”
“Mine too.”
The answer came so quickly that we both paused.
Something about that made me smile. It was nice finding another person who understood. For some reason, talking aboutinsomnia with Winnie was the easiest conversation I’d had all week.
Stepping onto the pathway, she paused and turned back to me. “Goodnight, Conrad.”
Not Mr. Lawrence anymore.
It shouldn’t have mattered. It was only a name. But somewhere along the way, I’d stopped hearing it. Coming from her, it sounded strangely personal. And I didn’t hate it.
“Goodnight, Winnie.”
I watched her walk down the drive, until her black coat had disappeared in the dark. Black clouds had gathered overhead, making the night that much darker.
