Free Evening Stars by Susan Mallery Page A

be great.”
    “You sure?”
    “Absolutely. Give me a call when you’re back and we’ll set up a night. I’ll bring you up to date on all you’ve missed since you’ve been gone. That will take at least fifteen minutes.”
    He chuckled. “I look forward to it. Talk to you soon.”
    “Sure. Have fun in Seattle.”
    She hung up and tossed her phone on the counter.
    If ever there was a time to have wine with dinner, tonight was the night, she thought, heading for the open bottle on the counter. But she would pass on the cookies she’d bought. And go to Pilates at least one more time a week.
    Not that Kyle was ever going to see her naked. But still. A girl could dream.

Chapter Six
    THE DRIVE FROM Mischief Bay to Blackberry Island was direct. North on I-5 for about 1100 miles, then a left at the arrow pointing to the bridge. Easy enough.
    Now, after spending the night just this side of Sacramento, Averil carefully pulled into a rest stop south of Medford, Oregon. At the rate she was going, she was going to get to the island before dinner, which seemed both good and bad. On the one hand, she was happy to be escaping her life. On the other, she knew she was running away, and that was hardly a situation to make anyone proud.
    She parked her car and got out. The rest area was quiet. There were only a couple of big rigs parked on the other side. Hers was the only passenger vehicle. After using the restroom, she washed her hands and walked outside.
    The morning was crisp and clear. The rain would start farther north. She could see her breath and was grateful for her jacket. Deciding to stretch her legs for a few minutes, she started to circle the building.
    She really needed to use her time away to get her life in order, she thought. She was too old to be running away, and yet here she was. Escaping from unpleasant reality. She missed Kevin already, and at the same time, she was glad to be away from him. As if that made sense. She had no direction, no novel, no anything. She was lost, plain and simple. Which was probably why she balked at having a baby. If she wasn’t sure she could save herself, how could she be responsible for someone else?
    Just past the men’s room, she saw something move by the trash can on her left. She paused and watched. She saw the movement again. Her stomach clenched when she realized a small dog was huddled by the can.
    The animal looked to be maybe twenty or thirty pounds, with matted gray-and-brown fur and big eyes. She could see it was shaking and, as she approached, the dog cowered.
    She glanced around, but there were no other cars. The animal looked terrified, torn between running and wanting to be rescued.
    “I know the feeling,” she murmured in a low voice as she slowly approached. “It’s okay, little dog. I won’t hurt you.” She crouched down and held out the back of her hand. The animal flinched but didn’t move. She gently touched its shoulder.
    The animal shuddered, then seemed to collapse on itself. Averil shifted closer and patted its side. She could feel bones everywhere.
    “Oh, honey, you’re starving,” she said, realizing some jackass had simply abandoned the animal. There was no collar, and with the dog sticking close to the rest area, it should have been easy for an owner to find.
    She continued to pet the animal, trying to gain its trust. After a few minutes, she stood. “Okay,” she said, patting her leg. “You want to come with me?”
    The dog rose and stared at her. It continued to tremble.
    “I think we’re close to Medford. I’ll take you to a vet and have you checked out. If you have a chip, we can find your owner. If not, at least you’ll be warm and fed.”
    The dog stared at her.
    “It’s all right,” she said. “I’m a good person. I’m confused and emotionally stunted, but I won’t hurt you.”
    The dog seemed to accept that and walked along with her.
    It turned out the animal was too weak to jump into the backseat, so Averil lifted her. She