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She opened Nora Sutherlin’s an to read An hour later she knehat Kingsley meant when he’d said, "It was ht until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer and had to stop Thanks to two years at Yorke, he had friends everywhere between Maryland and Maine He crashed at his old room on to Connecticut By late afternoon he arrived in Westport For nearly a day now, he’d been running on pure adrenaline, on the need to see Nora face-to-face As he drove, tords echoed in his mind like the most melodic refrain

Many waters…many waters…many waters…

Now back in the city he used to call home, he slowed down and had to ask himself exactly what he would do, what he would say when he saw her His whole body tingled with nervousness as he turned into Nora’s quiet suburb with all the New York City cohbor ary amusement By the time he pulled in front of their house--her house, Wesley corrected, not their house anymore--he could hardly breathe He didn’t see her car anywhere and his heart pluain, into her eyes

He walked up to the front door and knocked When he heard no answer he knocked louder Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he felt his car keys scraping his knuckles

His keys…

Wesley pulled his keys out and looked at theed the locks after he moved out Wouldn’t she?

He found the key that he used to call his house key and slipped it into the front-door lock Pausing, he took a quick breath and turned the key

The door opened like nothing, as though those thirteen months of hell without Nora had been a dream he’d had when he’d fallen asleep at the school library studying, and now that he’d woken up, he could go ho room, Wesley inhaled stale air The house smelled abandoned, as if no one had been in it for s that serious with her and Griffin Fiske that she’d have her mail forwarded? Griffin Fiske--New York City trust fund baby playboy with a whole lot of bad behavior in his past…and yet Wesley would alether than Nora and Søren Griffin he didn’t like, didn’t know and certainly didn’t trust But Søren…Søren he hated

As Wesley wandered the house, ht he’d buried…but they rose up with each step, all too easily resurrected He’d loved studying on the couch in the living rooet to the kitchen, her favorite destination And she’d always touch him as she walked by Maybe just a tap on the forehead, a tweak of his nose, a squeeze of his knee or his favorite--a kiss on his cheek The bookshelves needed a good dusting Big and brown and carved eird symbols, the bookshelves had been an estate-sale find of Nora’s

"I think these bookcases belonged to druids," Nora had said, running her ss

"I think the druids existed prior to, you know, bookcases," Wesley reminded her

Nora pretended not to hear hi reason and rationality into her flights of fancy