Public Secrets Part 276

"Why don't you follow them now?"

She hesitated. Rising up to her knees, she linked her arms around his

neck and kissed him. Michael tossed the half-eaten drumstick over his

shoulder. She was laughing when they rolled over the bed.

STAY TONIGHT."

The sun was going down as she started to dress. "Not tonight. I need

to think."

"I was afraid you'd start thinking again." He reached for her, holding

her against him. "I love you, Emma. Why don't you think about that?"

Her only response was to close her eyes.

"I need you to believe me."

"I want to believe you," she told him. "I don't trust my own judgment

right now. Not so long ago I thought Drew loved me, and that I loved

him. I was wrong on both counts."

"G.o.dd.a.m.nit, Emma." Biting off the words, he moved away to pull up the

shade. Twilight crept in.

"I'm not comparing you."

"Aren't you?"

"No." She knew he couldn't understand how far she had come already to be

able to go to him and rest her cheek against his back. "It's me I'm not

sure of. My problems didn't start with Drew. It would be difficult

enough if they had. I have to be sure I know what I want before I ask

for it again."

"I'm not going to settle for one day with you."

She sighed and kissed his shoulder. "Dad and Bev will be going back to

England soon."

He turned at that. She could see the glint of fury in his eyes in the

dying light. "If you're thinking about going back with them, think

again."

"You can't bully me, Michael. I'm past that." Until she'd said the

words, she hadn't realized they were true. "I'm thinking of staying on

at the beach house. They need to get on with their lives and I need to

decide what I want to do with the rest of mine."

"And you want me to back off ?"

"Not too far." She put her arms around him again. "I don't want to lose

you, I'm sure of that. I just don't know what to do about it yet. Can

we leave things as they are for now, for a little while longer?"

"All right. But understand this. I'm not going to wait forever."

"Neither am l."

STRmNiNG FoR PATIENCE, Michael propped his feet on his desk and studied

the ceiling. The high, excited voice in the phone receiver rambled on

and on. They would haul the little weasel in as a material witness

sooner or later, he knew. He just wanted it to be sooner.

"Listen, pal," he interrupted at length. "I got the impression Springer

was your friend. Yeah, well, talk's cheap. He may have been a

worthless two-bit bagman, but once we get the stiff, we take a personal

interest." He paused, listened to another moment of babbling. No one

was more uncooperative than a jumpy witness with a fistful of priors.

"That's fine. You don't want to come in, we'll find you." He glanced up

as the sergeant dropped a load of files and mail on his desk. "Take