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She laughed and said, “No, definitely not. Michael is. He could retire to somewhere in the Bahamas and spend every day sitting on the beach wearing a sun hat and reading a book with a mojito in one hand and a cigar in the other.”
“Then which hand is holding the book?” Dr. West asked with a wry smile.
“The hand that isn’t slapping the psychologist for being unnecessarily pedantic,” she jibed.
He laughed, a real laugh, not the polite chuckle he usually exhibited, and Faith grinned. For whatever reason, she felt strangely proud of herself for unlocking the real Franklin West and not the face he put on for his patients.
“Touche,” he said. “On a serious note, though, why did you bring up Michael?”
“Oh, I was just pointing out that he’s different from me. For my perfect vacation, I always imagined I’d wander around the Yukon or something, living off of the land, maybe befriending a wolf and a bison and wearing furs, stuff like that. I guess that would be more of a sabbatical. That’s if I wanted arealadventure. If I just wanted a vacation, I’d do a road trip. Probably Route 66. That’s the trip everyone does, but it’s a good one.”
“And Michael would be with you?”
She sighed. “Doctor, we’ve been over this. Yes, I had feelings for Michael. Yes, it sucks that we didn’t work out. Yes, I sometimes think about what it would be like if things were different, but that’s not the same as fantasizing about us being together again. I’m happy with David.”
“Yes, David sounds much more easily managed.”
She stared at him incredulously. "Are you, like, rooting for me and Michael to get back together or something?"
“Are you?”
“No! Look, he’s my best friend. He’s also my partner. I spend a lot of time with him. Telling you that his dreams are different from mine is a pretty far cry from telling you that I want to be with him.”
“Fair enough,” he said, “So tell me about David.”
“David’s calling,” Michael said.
Faith started slightly and nodded thanks. She picked up her phone and said, “Hey, David. What’s up?”
“Just calling to see if there’s any news.”
She sighed. “I’m still in Iowa. The Boss gave the case to Chavez and Desrouleaux.”
He paused, then said, “Wonderful. We’re thinking another two or three years, then?”
“David, I’m—”
“I know,” he said. “You’re sorry. And so am I. I can give you one more week, Faith. I’m going back to the office next Monday.”
“David—”
“This isn’t up for discussion, Faith.” He paused a long while, then said in an almost defeated voice. “If you really think I’m in danger, it might be best if you don’t visit me for a while.”
She didn’t reply. She waited for the pain to come, but she only felt numb.
“Faith?”
“Yeah, no, that’s fine,” she said calmly. “You’re right. He’s after me. If I’m around you, you’re in danger. I’ll keep my distance. Just… be safe. Please. Don’t go out alone at night, lock your doors and windows, get an alarm system if you don’t have one. Consider a concealed carry license.”
“I’m not getting a gun, Faith.”
Once more, she waited for frustration and fear to overtake her, but she couldn’t muster up the energy. “Okay.”
Another hesitation. “All right. I’ll talk to you later, Faith.”
“Talk to you later.”
He hung up, and Faith sat for several minutes, staring ahead at the wall. After a while, emotion came back, but not grief over the impending end of her relationship.
