Chapter Twenty-nine
Emily kissed Pam’s gaunt cheek and reflexively
tucked the colorful plaid blanket around her thin shoulders. “It’s almost time
for your dinner. I’ll be back tomorrow. I love you.”
She nodded to Yi Ling, gathered her purse and
jacket, and walked outside. She paused in front of the residential center to
breathe in the cool night air and shake off the sadness. She loved seeing her
sister, but this city, this country, was not home to her anymore. She missed
her apartment and her friends at the agency and her work and her life. She sighed.
And she missed Derian. She hadn’t heard from her, and she hadn’t expected to,
but a little part of her had hoped.
There was that word again. Hope. She couldn’t
shake it—not when it came to Pam, and not, it seemed, when it came to Derian.
She joined the crowds on the sidewalk and walked back to her hotel. By the time
she got there the sadness had dissipated along with the sun. In another few
minutes twilight would give way to evening. Too keyed up to go inside after a
day spent talking to a sister who might or might not have known she was there,
she strolled aimlessly along the edge of a small park across from the hotel.
All she had to look forward to was another evening with a solitary meal and a
book. Something she usually looked forward to on vacation, but this time, her
solitary pleasures were not enough to satisfy.
Emily stopped abruptly and stared, giving
herself a second while her breath stuttered in her chest to be sure her
imagination hadn’t blindsided her.
Derian sat on a bench just inside the park,
arms stretched out along the top, a slow smile on her face. Emily took a second
to steady herself before walking over to her. If she let her heart lead the
way, she’d be racing. And she didn’t want to be wrong, couldn’t bear to be
wrong.
“Hello, Derian. I didn’t expect to see you.”
“I got your message. Sorry I missed your
call. I wanted to say thank you.”
Emily laughed softly, teetering on the brink
of fleeing and touching her. Derian was really there, in the flesh, of course
she was. “Most people would’ve just called me back.”
“I did.” Derian tilted her head to meet
Emily’s eyes. She looked tired, smudges under her eyes, and so incredibly
beautiful. “You weren’t at the agency.”
Emily gestured to the bench. “May I?”
“Yes.”
Emily sat and immediately felt the tips of
Derian’s fingers touch the back of her shoulder. Even through her jacket, the
contact was electric. Familiar heat rushed through her. Oh yes, she was real
all right. “I’m on vacation.”