All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [114]
Natalie didn't know whether she believed Diane or not, but it was a moot point. "The question is not what you knew when but what are you going to do about it now?"
Before Diane could answer, someone knocked on her door. Diane moved quickly to answer it. A woman waited in the hall, an expectant look on her face. "Ready for the game?" she asked. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had people in your office."
"I'm ready," Diane said quickly. "Would you give me one second?" Shutting the door once more, she turned back to Natalie. "I'll try to find Greg and have him get in touch with you. Are you staying overnight in Santa Cruz, or are you going home?"
"That depends on your husband," Natalie said. She leaned over and wrote her cell phone number on a piece of paper on Diane's desk.
Diane picked up the paper and put it in her purse, grabbing her coat off the back of her chair. "Are you going by the sorority house?"
"We're headed there now."
"You may not be warmly received, Natalie. A lot of the girls have read the book."
"I'm not scared of them, either."
Diane opened the door and motioned them into the hall. She locked her office and then walked off with the friend who was waiting for her.
Natalie blew out a breath, then glanced at Madison and Laura, realizing the two hadn't said a word in a long time. They were staring at her with varying degrees of astonishment. "What?" she asked. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You were amazing," Laura said. "You were so tough with Diane."
"You grew up good," Madison continued with an approving smile. "You kicked her butt."
"Thanks, but the butt I really need to kick belongs to her husband."
"Let's go," Madison said, taking off at a brisk pace.
"What's the hurry?" Natalie asked as she and Laura jogged to keep up with Madison's long strides.
"I think we should follow Diane. Actually, I'll follow her. My guess is that she'll run straight to her husband. You two go back to the sorority house. Maybe being there will jog your memory, Natalie."
"We'll go with you," Natalie said, realizing Madison was right. Diane would probably head straight for her husband.
"It will be easier for me to do it on my own," Madison replied. "I'll be able to fade into the crowd, and I walk faster than both of you. If she sees the three of us, she may not go to him. I'll catch up with you later," she added, as they walked outside. She broke into a jog as Diane and her friend turned the corner, disappearing from view.
"I guess that's that," Natalie said to Laura. "Shall we go to the house?"
"We can take that path through the trees," Laura said, as they changed course. "It's a shortcut."
"I remember. It feels strange to be back here. So much time has passed and yet it feels like yesterday. It's probably worse for you, Laura. You spent four years here."
"It's easier for me. I have good memories as well as bad ones." Laura sighed as they walked through a thick grove of trees. "The last time I came down this path was after graduation. Drew and I were walking back to the house, still wearing our gowns and holding our diplomas. And he ..." She stopped and pointed to a nearby tree. "He kissed me right there. He said he loved me, and he couldn't wait to get started on the rest of our life together." A tear spilled from the corner of her eye, and she wiped it away. "Those really were the good old days."
"I'm sorry." Natalie wasn't sure how to respond. She was hardly the expert on relationships or marriage. "Maybe you can get the good old days back."
"I don't think that's possible. I can't even find Drew. I've left him a dozen messages, and he hasn't returned one of them. The last time I called I told him I was coming down here to Santa Cruz to figure out who wrote the book. I thought that would get his attention, since he wanted me to stay out of it. Oh, who