CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

The sun's just about set when I arrive at Vivian's home. This time, I go home to shower before coming here, so I'm dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and I don't smell like chlorine and stagnant water.

Not that it matters. I'm not here to seduce her.

She answers the door before I knock, and I say, "How do you do that?"

She laughs. There's mirth in her laugh, but there's sadness too. I get it. I feel the same way.

"I have a security camera system. It beeps whenever anyone walks onto my driveway."

She falls silent a moment, and I take a long look at her. She's wearing a pair of jogging shorts and a halter top. Both items hug her body and emphasize the curves of her waist and her breasts. She is absolutely beautiful.

She tilts her head shyly and asks, "So… do you want to come inside?"

I chuckle. "Yeah. I would love to."

She beams and opens the door so I can walk in. Right away, I notice the wrapped stacks of boxes she has in the living room.

"You're moving?"

She sighs. "Yeah. Looks like. I was supposed to sell the house and split the money with my ex during the divorce, but I never did. He finally got tired of waiting and told the court. So, I have to put the house on the market within a month."

"Well, you might not have to move right away. Maybe it'll take a while to sell."

She laughs. "Honey, I'll have a buyer within two weeks. Neighborhoods like this attract people like flies."

I catch the double meaning there and chuckle. "Well, someone's going to get a nice house."

"It is a nice house," she agrees. "If only a nice person could live in it one day."

"You're a nice person."

She smiles at me. "You're only saying that because I let you into my bed."

"Actually, no. I"m saying it because you listened to me when no one else would, and you comforted me when no one else has. Don"t get me wrong, the sex was nice, but—"

She lifts her eyebrow. "Nice? The sex was nice?"

I grin. "The sex was incredible."

"There you go. Much better."

We both laugh and then fall silent. Vivian's the first to break the silence. "That's over now, isn't it?"

I nod. "Yeah. I think so."

She looks away. "That's probably for the best. I like you a lot, but… well…"

"You're twenty years older than me."

She chuckles and says, "God, that sounds so horrible, especially when you say it."

"Would it make you feel better if I said you were the best I ever—"

"No," she interrupts, staring hard at me over her smile. "No, it would not."

"Well then, I'll just say that I'll always treasure what we had together, and I'm really grateful to you for it."

Her smile softens. "Me too."

We stand in silence that is both comfortable and awkward for a long moment. Then she says, "Screw it. I'm going to have a drink. Want some?"

"Sure. I'll take a glass."

"Good. Let's sit in the kitchen, though. Staring at those boxes is too depressing."

I sit in the kitchen and watch her as she opens a bottle of Chardonnay and pours two glasses. I notice the lines at the corners of her eyes, but they only make her look even more beautiful to me.

She hands me a glass, then takes the seat across from me and lifts her own glass. "To treasured memories."

I lift mine. "To memories."

We touch glasses and drink. Then I ask, "So where are you moving?"

"Agoura Hills. Do you know where that is?"

"Just inland of Malibu. Yeah, I know. Isn't that fire country?"

"Everywhere's somewhere country," she says. "I'm moving there because it's quiet and scenic, and the neighbors don't care what you do as long as you don't make it their problem."

"Well, that's not too far away," I say. "I could visit you every now and then. Not like… that, but… you know, as a friend."

She gives me the same sad smile she does at the door. I think she knows as well as I do that tonight will be the last time we see each other. "Yeah. I'd like that."

She sips her wine, then asks, "So what happened at the Kensington place yesterday? I mean, if you don't mind telling me."

"We got them," I say. "Me and the cops. Clara confessed to killing her, and Julian helped cover it up."

She purses her lips. "So Clara's saying she did it?"

"Yeah. You don't believe her?"

Vivian shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe. God knows neither of them are the salt of the Earth. But Julian's worse. Clara's a drug addict who's probably gone permanently insane from it, but Julian's a sociopath. I mean that literally."

"I believe you. If it makes you feel better, it looks like Clara's helping the cops put Julian away for a previous murder."

"A previous murder?"

"Yeah. I guess he killed a guy who wouldn"t sell his software company to him. Or had him killed. He and his business partner covered it up."

"Jesus." She shakes her head. "Yeah, I'm going to miss this house, but I will not miss this neighborhood."

"I don't blame you. Neither will I."

"Oh, are you quitting your job?"

"No, but I'm not coming back next summer."

"You should. It"s good work. Just be more like your friend Marco. Act like an appliance, not a person."

I laugh at that. She laughs too, but says, "I'm serious! It's good money. If you can handle the arrogance and immaturity, you can fleece us rich bitches for all we're worth. And, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, don"t sleep with any other lonely divorcees, and don"t make friends with any more rich kids. Just show up, clean the pools, and go home."

"Yeah, we'll see. Maybe I'll come back. I have a feeling I'm going to end up famous, so I don't know if I can get away with being an appliance anymore."

She flips her hand. "Oh, you'll be fine. I guess you don't have to come back here either if you don't want to. I just think you should learn to push through adversity instead of hiding from it." She looks at me and reddens a little. "Sorry. Getting motherly advice from me is probably the last thing you want."

"No, it's okay," I say, even though she's right. "I appreciate it."

We fall silent again, and I sip some more wine. The warmth is starting to caress the outer edges of my senses, and I decide this will be my only glass.

"What do you want to do?" she asks out of nowhere. "With your life?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Right now, I just want to get out of Cudahy."

She nods. "You should do something amazing."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It doesn't matter. Just something. Something that you can look back on when you're older and be grateful that you did it. Don't just drift through life and let it decide where it wants to take you. You go where you want to go."

She gets a wistful expression when she says that, and I get the sense that her statement is informed by a lifetime of regret. I want to ask her what those regrets are, but I don't. Some things aren't meant to share with other people, and I think the best thing I can do for Vivian is allow her to keep her secrets.

She looks me up and down, and a touch of longing comes to her eyes. I know how she feels. I'll miss her too.

She lifts her gaze to mine and smiles. "Nathan Harlow. Will you share one last glass of wine with me?"

I know what she's really asking me, and I decide that one more beautiful memory won't hurt. "I would love to."

Later, when we move together, it's powerful and intimate and sweet. It's the best goodbye two lovers could have.