At six in the evening the sun still baked the Arizona desert, and the rental car’s air-conditioning was turned up to high. Beth took off her sunglasses as they entered the tunnel The closer they got to Bisbee, the more she sensed impending disaster. “She’ll be here soon, Mike. I can feel it.” “So she’ll be here.” He laid his sunglasses on the dash and reached for her hand. “I want you to know that I’m not going to confront her about the lie. I understand why she did it, and as long as you believe my version, I’m willing to let it go. Maybe she wants to let it go, too.” “That’s possible, but I’ll bet she’ll try to start things up again with you.” “Not if we let her know right away that we’re involved.” She took a deep breath. “God, that’s going to be hard.” “We can do it together.” “No, I think I should tell her by myself.” He squeezed her hand. “So it won’t be two against one?” “Something like that.” As the car emerged from the tunnel, Beth tried to convince herself that Alana would be able to handle the news.
