Page 40 of Delilah Green Doesn't Care

“No, sweets, you can stick with me,” Iris said, patting his arm.

“Oh, thank god,” he said.

Claire laughed as Iris topped off their glasses and they headed toward the water. She was aware of Delilah behind her but didn’t turn around until they reached the dock. Delilah’s camera swung from her neck, a very full glass of wine in her own hand. She didn’t look at Claire though. Instead, she leaned against one of the tall pines that bordered the bank—god, this woman was alwaysleaningon things—and watched Spencer laugh with his friends.

Astrid stood next to him, sipping her drink and smiling, but for the first time, Claire noticed something icy about her expression. Practiced. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Maybe it was too dark out here to see anything clearly. The sun had gone completely to sleep, turning the gently rushing water into ink, and the few electric tiki torches that lined the bank were the only light.

“Can we leave for the vineyardnow?” Iris asked next to her.

“I wish,” Claire said, but that just caused a whole other set of worries to bloom into her mind. It was only a two-day trip, but Ruby wasstaying with Josh overnight again, and Claire would be four hours away if anything went badly.

It wouldn’t, she told herself. She had already roped Iris into asking Grant to casually check in on Josh around eight o’clock the next night, stopping by Josh’s apartment for a random beer when really, she’d given him strict instructions to make sure the oven was turned off and there were no candles aflame.

“Shit, these goddamn horseflies,” Spencer said, pulling Claire out of her thoughts. He swatted at his cheek, then his ear.

“Good horsefly,” Iris muttered.

“Go get some bug spray, will you, babe?” Spencer said.

Then he tapped Astrid on the ass. Not a slap, necessarily, but hard enough to jolt her. One of his friends laughed but then covered it up quickly with a swig of wine.

“Sure,” Astrid said evenly. “It is pretty buggy out here.”

When she swept off the dock toward the house, Claire seized the moment, grabbing Astrid’s hand as she passed and pulling her close.

“What’s going on?” Claire asked softly.

“What do you mean?” Astrid asked.

“Seattle?” Iris said. “What the hell is that about?”

Astrid sighed. “We’re not going right away. It’s just something we’re talking about.”

“You love Bright Falls,” Claire said. She couldn’t help the hurt that rose up in her throat.

“Spencer doesn’t,” Astrid said. “He took over the practice here, but he wants to expand, and Bright Falls isn’t built for that.”

“So you’re just going to follow him?” Iris asked, voice raising. “What about your job?”

Us?Claire thought, but couldn’t get the small word off her tongue.

“I can do more in Seattle,” Astrid said. “It’s a bigger market, a bigger—”

“You hate bigger,” Iris said.

Astrid rubbed her forehead. “Look, it’s not definite, okay? We’re just talking about it. And we wouldn’t go for another year or so anyway.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Babe! Where’s that spray?” Spencer called out.

Astrid waved at him, then pressed a kiss to both Claire’s and Iris’s cheeks before hurrying off toward the house.

“Do you know a good lawyer?” Iris asked.

“What?” Claire said, watching Astrid’s form disappear up the porch steps.

“A lawyer. Preferably criminal law,” Iris said.