Page 171 of Rhodes

Thanks.

Then I set the phone facedown beside my laptop and go back to reading. A part of me is hanging on, waiting for him to say something else. But at the same time, keeping it strictly business is exactly what I want from him right now.

The week gets busy fast. Jo and I fall into our usual routine, and by Friday morning we are out on the reef before sunrise, checking the winter sites and replacing two markers that disappeared sometime over break.

By ten, my gloves are damp, and my hair smells like marsh. Jo throws her gear into the back of her car.

“You heading straight home?”

“Yeah.”

“You want coffee first?”

“I've had three.”

“That has never stopped you.”

“It should.”

She gives me a look but lets me go.

I pull onto the highway with the heater running against my wet jeans. The Chicks come on the radio. My chest tightens at the unmistakable sound of their harmony.

I turn it up and sing at the top of my lungs, "Wide Open Spaces."

When the song is over, I know what I am going to do. I pick up my phone at the next red light and call him. He answers on the first ring.

“Hey.”

My stomach flips anyway.

“Hey. Are you working?”

“No. I actually have the day off. I got back to New Orleans late last night.”

“From where?”

“Houston.”

“Still glamorous.”

“You have no idea.”

I smile, the light turns green, and I take off. “Do you have a second to talk?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

I hesitate, then realize I do not want to have this conversation through the car speakers.

“If you're home, can I come by?”

There is a short pause.

“I'm here. You're always welcome to come by.”

“I'll be back in the city in about an hour.”

“Okay.”