“I bet you’ll want front row seats when the crap hits the fan, don’tyou?”
“Definitely, with popcorn, hot and bothered, er, I mean buttered.” Tami pantomimed stuffing popcorn in hermouth.
Linx couldn’t help smiling as she mock swatted her bestie. They’d gone to school together, from Brownies to high school. Always the smart one, Tami went away for college, while Linx joined the firecrew.
“You keep being entertained,” Linx said as she headed for theshower.
“Wait, I hear the mailman,” Tami shouted. “Can you dump the mail on my desk? I ordered something forGinger.”
“Urgh!” Linx heaved a sigh. “You need to get up more. You know sitting is the newsmoking?”
“My feet hurt.” Tami tapped the keyboard and stared at the monitorintently.
She always had a dozen excuses why she couldn’t walk the dogs or lift a finger, and then she wondered why she couldn’t loseweight.
Linx grabbed the mail and sorted through them, handing Tami her package. A crumpled postcard slipped onto the floor, and Tami picked itup.
She flipped it over and her eyes grew wide. “I don’t believethis.”
“What is it?” Linx stared at a past due bill and added it to the growing pile on her desk. “Does it say I wonmoney?”
“No.” Tami handed the card to Linx. “It’s foryou.”
It was a generic picture postcard showing a snowcapped mountain peak above aforest.
The other side, however, was theshocker.
Dear Linx,
I hope you’re doing good with yourdogs.
Guess who my jump partneris?
GradyHart!
I’m a luckygirl.
Your friend,Salem
Linx blinkedand gaped at the words. “I don’t believethis.”
“When’s it postmarked?” Tami peered over hershoulder.
“There is no postmark,” Linx said. “See? The stamp’sclean.”
“Sometimes the post office forgets to postmark stuff,” Tami said. “I’m always peeling off stamps and reusingthem.”
“It must have been sent early last season,” Linx said. Her gut clenched and a weight pressed down on her shoulders as she sank onto the couch. “She sounded so happy, and now she’sgone.”
“I’m sorry.” Tami sat beside her and rubbed her shoulder. “Were you twoclose?”
“She took care of me when I was pregnant. I would have lost the baby if she hadn’t checked up onme.”
“Oh, Linx.” Tami hugged her. “I wish I could have been here for you, but I’m glad shewas.”
“Me too,” Linx said. “I feel bad that we losttouch.”
Linx stared at the words on the card and shook her head. Salem had decorated the card with hearts, as if she’d been inlove.
