Quot;Will she?" Anne asked, her voice becoming very serious.

"Will she, what?"

"Have something to do with this."

Randi sighed, walking over to the window and looking out over the park that was her bedroom view. "That ship has sailed, Anne," she said quietly. "For the best, I'm sure. I mean," she snorted ruefully, "it's not like I have much to offer her anymore. I'm not a cute seventeen year old girl anymore. I'm a woman who's almost thirty-seven who's been ridden hard and put back wet."

Anne was incredulous. "What? Says who?!" She walked over to Randi and turned her to face her. "Randi, half of the twenty-five year olds out there would kill to look like you now, let alone at thirty-seven. You're gorgeous, have a body that I hate you for and are fun, kind, smart, caring-"

Quot;You can stop in three years," Randi joked, waving on the compliments.

Anne smiled. "Well, it's all true and much more. Don't count yourself as out of the game just yet. My gut tells me the game has just started for you, my friend."

***

Canton sat at her home office desk, finishing up some notes from her day at the office. She sat back, tossing her reading glasses to the desk top as she rubbed her eyes. It had been an incredibly long work week for her, extending her office hours to try and fit in all her patients that couldn't get in to see her during her visit back home to renovate. She'd slowly been allocating her patient roster to her partnering doctor in the practice, only keeping a select list that she'd fly back to New York to see once a month.

She reached for her coffee, sipping. As she did, she noticed the framed picture on the corner of the desk, the lamp causing a slight glare on the clean glass. She grabbed the picture, staring down at her own face and that of Robin. The picture had been snapped during their vacation in Scotland during their first year together, Birkhill Castle in the background, the moody Scottish skies above. Looking into their smiling faces - new love in the air - how could they have possibly known how tragically it would end, just three short years later?

Quot;If only we'd known," she murmured, setting the picture on the desk where she could look at it. As she did, her gaze focused on Robin and her beautiful smile. Suddenly, her mind magically transposed the image of Randi's smiling face over Robin's, and something inside Canton clicked into place. It felt so right, her heart finding a peace that she'd never known.

Suddenly, Canton was on her feet and headed through the loft, counting up just how many relics of Robin were still scattered about the large space. Framed picture after framed picture were found, along with some old letters that were hidden in the drawer that once housed Robin's socks.

Canton gathered it all, placing it on the expensive Oriental rug in the living area, sitting cross-legged in front of it all. In all, she counted fourteen framed pictures, eleven letters and three of Robin's sweaters that Canton hadn't been able to get rid of. As she looked at it all she knew that, though she had loved Robin very much, keeping her things had been an elaborate cover-up for Canton's own feelings. She'd allowed all of it to keep her from having to feel for someone else. In that moment she realized that even Robin herself had been a cover up, helping Canton forget about Randi.

Randi.

Canton pushed up from the floor and headed back to the bedroom area, puling out her jewelry box. Opening the lid, she immediately found the single earring - a small diamond stud - and plucked it out. She brought it to her eyes to study the way the light glinted off the stone. She remembered that day so well. She and Randi had spent a lazy Saturday in Canton's apartment, making love, talking and laughing. When Canton had returned from dropping Randi off at home, she'd found the single stud in her bed. Even though Randi had asked about it, Canton had denied any knowledge of it, wanting to hold onto it.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 563