Safe From the Dark (27 page)

“Okay
is a good place to start. I’ll even let you be in charge, like, a third of the
time.”

“Two-thirds
of the time,” she countered, squeezing her internal muscles around him, pleased
when he groaned.

“We
can negotiate.”

And
Evie kissed him.

The
young man with the messy brown hair flicked the lighter open and closed as he
stepped onto the bus and scanned the seats. He couldn’t be more than nineteen
or twenty.

“Hey,
you can’t smoke in here,” the driver said, with a face like granite.

“I
don’t smoke,” the young man replied.

Backpack
in hand, he headed down the aisle until he found an almost empty row, the seat
across taken up by a little old lady knitting a sweater in garish purple. The
young man found himself arrested by the color, and the old lady smiled at him,
her face wrinkled and friendly.

“Like
it? It’s for my granddaughter.”

“Sure,”
he said, “My…my sister loves that color. I’m actually on my way to visit her.”

He
flicked his lighter open and closed again and set his backpack down, taking one
last look at the Boston skyline.

“That’s
nice, dear,” the old lady said, not missing a stitch as the bus started to
move, “Where does she live?”

“Bright’s
Ferry,” the young man said absently, and the old lady frowned in concentration
before her face brightened.

“Oh
yes! That’s a lovely spot. I believe we’re passing through there. A little out
of the way, though. I remember one time my husband Gordon and I got lost and
wound up driving through Bright’s Ferry, this was back when he was still
allowed to drive, of course…”

She
continued, but the young man missed most of it as the buildings of Boston faded
into the distance, to be replaced by trees along the highway – the riotous reds
and oranges of fall in New England.

He
wondered if Grace would be glad to see him.

He
wondered if he could leave his past behind.

He
wondered if she had forgiven him yet.

Or
if she ever would.

And
the bus thundered north along the road, toward Bright’s Ferry.

THE END

Want to spend more time in
Bright’s Ferry?

Follow Grace and Matt’s story in
SAFE FROM THE FIRE by Lily Rede.

February, 2013.