Page 82 of Proof

“You okay?” Gail touched Luna’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You look like you might faint.”

“Must be the heat. I know, it’s a dry heat. Yeah, yeah.” She wasn’t about to tell Gail she’d had another Brendan sighting. It was getting out of hand. “I’ll be fine. Just need some water.”

“Okay. You wait here.” Gail went to the refrigerator section where they kept cold beverages and grabbed a Gatorade G2. She figured Luna could use the electrolytes, even though the sugar wasn’t necessarily the best thing, but this new version of the thirst quencher had less than the original formula. One of the many things Gail had learned since she’d moved was to be aware of what she was putting into her body. Her life was so rushed in LA, she rarely ate healthy meals. Now she was more conscious about maintaining a healthier lifestyle. She shrugged. “One of these won’t kill her.” She dashed back to where Luna was waiting and handed her the bottle. “Drink up.”

“Thanks.” Luna gladly took the bottle and gulped the drink down.

“You okay now?”

“Fit as a fiddle,” Luna lied. She was still rattled, but she was intent on talking herself into a sense of calm.

Their conversation quickly turned to what to do for dinner. “How about steaks on the grill, salad, and some hash browns?” Gail suggested.

“Oh, yummy! Is there wine?”

“Is there wine?” Gail scoffed. “Baby, I got all kinds and colors.”

“And this is why we’re best friends.” Luna had finally shaken off her sense of dread. Maybe there really was something to replenishing your body with electrolytes. She always went for the caffeine.

She paid for the groceries, and they got back into the car. First, they stopped at Gail’s house and dropped off the supplies for Robert. Gail went out to the patio and noticed the small red light was on, indicating there was an active session in the studio. She went back into the kitchen, wrote a note, and put the perishables away.

Luna waited out front with Max. He was going on a sleepaway with them tonight. Robert was busy, so Max was lonely.

All three piled into the Jeep and headed to the B&B. Max was so happy, his tail was beating like a drum against the back seat. Luna turned. “Happy, boy?” He opened his mouth and yowled. His voice was as big as he was. Luna kept petting his head, as she and Gail sang along to “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” by McFadden and Whitehead.

When the song was over, Gail sighed. “I loved the music of the late seventies and early eighties. Stuff you could sing and hum. Feel-good music.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more. But don’t get me started.” Luna was about to tell her how she and Brendan would debate who were the best artists, but she stopped herself. She had to make a real effort to get him out of her head.

Next up was “She Works Hard for the Money.” The two friends wailed and banged on the dashboard, with Max howling in the background. When the song was over, they were laughing so hard, the tears were rolling down their faces. Good tears. Happy tears.

Once they reached their destination, they unloaded the groceries, Max’s bed, and his bowls. Luna unwrapped the meat and salted the steaks. “Gotta let ’em rest for a half hour.”

“If you say so.” Gail grinned. She dug out a corkscrew and opened a bottle of pinot noir. Then she made a small platter of cheese and prosciutto. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for our grocery store to carry this stuff?” She waved a slice in front of Luna. “On the one hand, Sedona has gotten quite crowded since we moved here. But on the other hand, we finally have a much larger assortment of goodies.”

Luna whipped the dried ham from Gail’s fingers. “Never wave a slice in front of me unless you want me to steal it.” Max groaned.

“Oh no, sir. You don’t get any of this.” Gail wagged a finger at him. She opened one of the containers and gave him a large chewy. “Here you go. This is your antipasto.” He happily took the chewy and went to the door. “He likes to eat al fresco.” She let him out onto the patio. “We put the stucco walls up when we started the renovation. We wanted privacy, and we didn’t want to annoy the neighbors with construction noise.”

“It’s lovely. Don’t tell me you laid all the stonework, too.”

“I drew the plans and hired someone to do the groundwork. I was busy with the interior.”

“What about all the plants?”

“Most of them were already here, so I just had to doll it up a bit.”

Max was sitting in a shady area, enjoying his treat. “Shall we join him? The temperature should be tolerable. Unless you want to stay near the air-conditioning?”

“No. Outside is fine. I’m good.” Luna picked up the tray and napkins, and Gail grabbed the wine and glasses.

They settled outside and enjoyed the sound of quiet. Luna wondered, “Does quiet have a sound?”

“Or like, if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Gail tossed back.

“Well, it reverberates.” Luna served herself some cheese and prosciutto. Gail poured the wine.

“To reverberating!” Gail held up her glass.

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