When Luna appeared he stayed seated, too astonished to rise. He saw her reddened eyes and damp cheek, and for a moment he looked concerned. He steadied himself, resumed staring at the fields, and Luna sat on the step beside him.
“Thank you,” she said.
Ned glanced at her, then looked away. “You’re welcome.”
“For everything.”
He waited, his eyes straight ahead.
“If it weren’t for you, I would never have made it out of Florida. I owe you…”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said, and rose. “The files are on the kitchen table. Your lawyer said it made more sense to sell the house than to abandon it again. If you want to keep it, just take it off the market.”
“Wait!” she said, scrambling to her feet. “Don’t go!”
He turned to face her. “You disappeared,” he said. “Not even a message. Not one word!”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He reached for the door. “I’m really sorry!” she said.
He opened it, then shut it again. “You know something?” he demanded. “Once I calculated the odds of you and me living happily ever after, and you know what I came up with? Two hundred billion to one!”
She nodded, and her eyes held his. You’ve been in this situation before, he told himself. Don’t do it.
“I know,” she said. “I know. It’s just that…some people might say those odds aren’t so bad.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like Warren?” He opened the door.
“Ned,” she said. “Please don’t go.”
He ordered himself to ignore her, grab his bags, and drive away. Just don’t look at her, he thought. He met her crystal gaze, and once again he was nine years old. Fighting terror, vertigo, and common sense, he peered over the edge of the quarry to the glowing green water below. Go on, you chicken! shouted his brother. It won’t kill you unless you land flat!
“It’s too late!”
“But what if we could have a normal life?”
“A normal life!” he said, inching toward the edge. “Oh, sure! You’re a Missing Person! You’re in legal trouble!”
“Stanley could help me - he’s good with legal issues!”
“Adam’s not done with you!”
“Yes, he is! He filed all the papers!”
“You’re impossible to sleep with! Do you still have those dreams?”
“Sometimes. Are you still scared of Mars?”
He snorted. “Totally!”
“Ned?” she said, and her expression changed to one he had never seen her wear before. “I…”
“What?”
“I…I…”
“For God’s sake! What?”
“I love you,” she said. “Stay with me in our house.”
Ned flung himself into the bright air. Gravity reached for him, but he eluded its grasp.
“All right,” he said, and kissed her.
Unflappable Page 34