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it’s worth.”
    “Dennis,” she chided lightly, “where’s that school spirit?”
    “That school spirit is back at school. It’s the weekend. Which is why I’m calling. I know it’s late, and I’ve got to be on the road before long, but I thought I’d give it another stab. How about dinner? Something quick and light in the Square? I’ve got to have something to eat before I get going, and I’d hate to do it alone.”
    With a sad smile, Carly propped her elbow on the arm of her chair and rested her head on her hand. Poor man. He’d been trying for dinner since September. Without success. “Oh, I don’t know, Dennis. It’s been a long week and I’m really exhausted.”
    “That’s why you need to get out. To unwind and relax a little.”
    She knew that she needed to unwind and relax. But “getting out,” after the scare she’d had earlier, would never do. It was far safer to stay home. “You’re sweet to call, but…I don’t think so. You see, I’ve got this date with a hot bath. We were planning to lose ourselves in lots of bubbles and a good book.”
    “How can you do this to me, Carly?” Dennis kidded, his voice the faintest bit hoarse. “You mean to say that I’m competing with a bathtub? What kind of rivalry is that?”
    She laughed, but refrained from comment. It was always easier to change the subject. “You’re headed for the Cape?”
    He gave a magnanimous sigh. “Guess so. I’ve got some work to do on the house before winter sets in. It won’t be long now, and I’m really behind.”
    “Your cottage isn’t winterized?”
    “Oh, it is. Or it will be once I’ve recalked the windows and put on the storms, turned off the outdoor valves, oiled the furnace. That type of thing.”
    “You’ve got your weekend cut out for you,” she commented, half in envy, despite the work involved. There was something to be said for physical labor as therapy.
    “Want to come? You’re welcome to, you know. In fact, I’d love it if you were along. It gets lonesome down there.”
    Carly grinned. “Come on, Dennis. Don’t tell me that you aren’t in touch with every neighbor for miles. You happen to be one of the most outgoing people I know.” From the first, she’d been struck by his way with people, not only the kids at school, but the acquaintances he’d run into on the few occasions when they’d lunched off-campus. It would be easy to warm up to him, which was all the more reason for Carly to remain aloof.
    “Yeah, but it’d be different if you were there. I really enjoy talking with you, Carly. You’re one bright lady.”
    Her smile was gentle in its sad fashion. “Flattery will get you nowhere, my friend.”
    “Then what will?” he blurted out.
    “Oh—” she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and offered a tongue-in-cheek quip “—maybe a yacht in the Caribbean or a villa in Majorca. I could use a little sun about now.”
    “First a bathtub. Now the sun. I can’t win, can I?” When she remained silent, he sighed in resignation. “Well, I guess I’ll be going. Sure you won’t join me even for a pizza?”
    Her eyes held a melancholy look. “Thanks, Dennis, but I’d better not. You have a good weekend, though. See you Monday?”
    He paused, as if wanting to say more, then gave up. “Right. So long, Carly.”
    After a quiet “Bye-bye,” she replaced her receiver on its hook, took a sip of juice, set the glass down on the counter again, then crossed through the foyer and short hall to her bedroom. When she returned to the living room, she was barefoot and wore a hip-length tunic and jeans. Turning the lights down low, she stood by the window. Traffic on Memorial Drive, and on Storrow Drive across the Charles, was at its peak, heavy in both directions, whipping commuters home to family and friends. How envious she was.
    Slipping down onto the window sill, she drew the drapes around behind her, enclosing herself in a semicocoon of darkness to gaze out on the world unseen. These