Night Work

CHAPTER 19

Frank's legs felt like limp noodles as he wearily made his way up the stone walkway to the house. The hamburger and fries he'd eaten on the way back from Vermont had settled heavily in the pit of his stomach, and emotions ranging from anticipation to apprehension filled his senses.

The front door was open. Dressed in jeans, a heavy wool sweater and sneakers, Sandy stood looking at him from the doorway as if welcoming home a stray pet. Her face was pale, her eyes bloodshot. She managed a slight smile and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hi," Frank said, pausing a few feet from the door.

"You look like you've had a bad time."

"I have."

She glanced at the ground. "Is it over?"

"Yes."

"I'd invite you in, but…" Sandy glanced nervously over her shoulder. "My parents aren't feeling very friendly at the moment."

Frank nodded. "Then let's just go. Get your stuff, I'll wait for you in the car." She stared at him, unmoving, and he stepped closer. "What is it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," she answered softly, the words catching in her throat.

"Why not?"

"I'm going to stay here for a while, Frank."

He shut his eyes, left them that way. "Can't we at least talk about this?"

"I don't see the point."

"You don't see the point? You're leaving me and you don't see the point of maybe discussing it first?"

Sandy brushed her hair away from her forehead and leaned against the doorframe. "I can't live like this anymore."

"No one's asking you to. I told you, it's over."

"For now."

"For good," he told her. "I'm out of the life – out of the business entirely – and I'll never go back. That's a promise. It might take some time but we can make things right. We can make things the way they were before."

"I'm letting all the heat out of the house, Frank," she said. "I really have to go."

Frank rubbed his temples, hoping to dull the pain of the headache that had settled behind them. "Please come with me."

"I can't."

"Sandy – "

"Frank, I can't."

"Just for a few minutes. I only want to talk to you for a few minutes."

"You're talking to me now."

"Somewhere private. Please, Sandy." He looked up at her, his heart racing. "I can't just walk away."

She watched him a moment. "I'll get my coat."

About a mile from the house at the end of the road was a private beach for residents. Frank drove past the large stone pillars at the entrance, across a desolate paved lot and parked at the very edge of the beach. Before he could say anything Sandy got out of the car and headed for the water. Moving slowly, she trudged through heavy sand until she'd reached the waterline.

Frank followed, fighting the stiff wind blowing in off the ocean. The rain had stopped but it was still cold and damp.

"Isn't it strange how the weather often reflects people's moods?" Sandy asked. "I used to come here off-season all the time when I was a kid. It's a great place to think, but there's nothing quite so sad as a New England beach in winter."

"Then I guess we came to the right place."

"Maybe so."

Frank flipped up the collar on his coat and stuffed his hands into the pockets, afraid he might hug her otherwise. "Come home with me, baby."

"I need some time." Sandy turned her eyes to the ocean. "And so do you. You need time away from me – from everyone and everything." She looked at him, pulled a few loose strands of hair away from her eyes and secured them behind her ear with a finger. "We need to pull ourselves together before we can even begin to deal with saving our marriage, Frank. It's the only way."

"But if we're apart how can we – "

"It's the only way."

He tried to keep from shivering. "Don't you love me?"

"We've been through too much," she said, just above a whisper. "I can't – I've told you, I need time."

"How much time?"

"Enough to clear my head."

"How am I supposed to know when that is?"

"I'll know."

"But – "

"Frank, I'll just know."

He bit his lower lip. "What if you don't?"

Sandy hugged herself. "Then maybe it wasn't meant to be."

Frank turned away and studied a long stone jetty on the far side of the beach. "Maybe I will take off. I've never seen California. Is that far enough away for you?"

"I knew you'd turn this into a fight."

"I love you."

Her eyes found his. "And I love you."

"Then what's the problem?"

"We're going around in circles," she sighed.

A tear blinked free; rolled the length of his cheek. "You're all I have. I've got nowhere else to go."

Sandy moved toward the water, teasing the incoming waves as they lapped the beach. "We'll be together again, Frank. Just not… just not now."

He wiped his eyes. "There's five thousand dollars in cash in the top drawer of my bureau in the bedroom. Take it."

"I don't need it."

"Just take it."

She offered a subtle nod. "All right."

"Come on," he said, clearing his throat. "I'll drive you back."

"No," she said, drawing a deep breath of sea air. "I'd rather stay a while. I can walk back, it's not so far."

"Sandy, you'll freeze."

"I'll be fine."

Frank wanted to kiss her, but knew if he did, he'd never be able to let go. Like a statue, he stood watching her.

"What will you do?" she finally asked.

"Go away, get my head together," he told her. "And then I'll be back to sweep you off your feet."

She cocked her head to the side. "Sounds romantic."

He nodded. "Don't forget about me."

Sandy smiled brightly. He had not seen her do that in a very long time. "No chance."

With a smile of his own, Frank turned and forced himself back in the direction of the car.