In the afternoon he had back-to-back patient appointments that left no opportunity to worry, or even to make personal phone calls. He was aware that he hadn’t yet telephoned Sera and made a firm arrangement to see her when she was in Vancouver. He was putting it off, half afraid that she’d reconsidered and decided not to see him after all. After work he drove home, fed Grendel and immediately dialed her number. Her cell phone wasn’t turned on, so he called the motel and left a message for her to phone him as soon as she got home. He waited all evening, postponing Grendel’s walk. He called her twice more before eleven but was unable to make contact. It was almost one and he’d just gone to bed when the phone finally rang. “Ben?” She was apologetic. “Forgive me for phoning so late. I just got in. We were shooting on location in a little town in the desert and the battery on my cell phone died. There was a note on my door, asking me to call you.” “I’m glad you did.”
