Free Last Kiss by Dominique Adair Page B

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    If only Alexei were right and they had an eternity together. If she knew that in her next life she’d have a chance at the same type of ecstasy she’d known in the past few days, she would face her death with greater bravery knowing that somewhere in the future, he awaited her.
    What a beautiful dream that was.
    But reality was that she was dying, slowly, day by day as her life slipped through her fingers. She only had today, that she knew. For her, the future was no more than five minutes ahead. More than that, she couldn’t count on.

    * * * * *
    Clouds obscured the sun as Elaine stood with Dirk on the deck, a glass of chardonnay in her hand.
    “It’s beautiful here.” She sipped from the drink.
    “It is, but I never appreciated it when I was younger. I saw only the ostentation of the place, never the beauty and the quiet it offered.”
    “Youth is wasted on the young.” She shook her head. “We spend our childhood racing to grow up. We spend our twenties trying to make our mark in the world, our thirties looking for the perfect mate only to find that no one is perfect and it’s all a matter of what we can put up with.”
    He laughed. “You’re right. But what happens when we hit our forties?”
    “I don’t know, Dirk.” She looked up at him, his face as familiar to her as her own. “You’ll have to figure that out for me.” She longed to take back the words as she watched his smile fade. She wished she could’ve made some glib remark and let the moment pass, but she could never do that with Dirk, he always saw through her.
    He set his glass down and pulled her into his arms. “I can’t imagine my life without you, little sister.”
    She rubbed her forehead against the soft cashmere of his sweater. “And I, you.”
    His grip tightened. “All the money in the world and I can’t help you.”
    She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of her best friend, a mixture of sandalwood, tobacco and memories. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of leaving him behind. They’d been friends for more years than she cared to count. Every major event in her life, Dirk had been by her side and she by his.
    “I need a favor from you,” she sniffed.
    He dropped a kiss on her head. “You only have to ask.”
    “When the time comes…” He stiffened in her arms. “I want to know that I can depend on you to take care of the arrangements. I’ve outlined what I want for the funeral and the internment. The documents are in my New York apartment safe and my lawyer has a copy as well.”
    “Shall I hire a brass band?” His voice was raw and his chest shuddered beneath her cheek. She knew he was crying.
    “Nope,” she sniffed. “Keep it simple, you know what to do and who to invite.”
    She felt him nod.
    “Don’t forget to call Jeff.”
    Dirk gave a broken laugh at the mention of their drag-queen friend. “Okay.”
    “He can come only if he promises not to wear a red boa and I don’t want anyone throwing themselves on the casket, either.”
    “Now there’s an image.” Dirk gave her another squeeze before releasing her. She looked up at his dear face, streaked with tears, his expression uncharacteristically serious. “What am I going to do without you, Laine?”
    She smiled as her vision wavered and her eyes filled with more tears. “You’re going to marry Veronique and be blissfully happy. Then, in a few years, you’ll start squeezing out some pups, buy a mini-van, run a soccer camp and retire to the country in domesticated bliss.”
    A look of abject horror crossed his face and she laughed.
    “You’re an evil woman,” he said.
    “Yes, I am. I will be watching you, every step of the way and I’ll be taking notes. When you die… “ She turned away and pointed to a fat cloud on the horizon. “I’ll meet you there and we’ll share a bottle of celestial wine and compare notes.”
    “That sounds like a plan to me.” He laced an arm around her waist.
    “Can I ask you a