“She’s fine.” I try to move the conversation away from Diane. “Will you call if you find anything else?”

“You’ll be the first person I call.”

The next day Diane tells me she’s leaving.

“Just for a couple days,” she says. “I have to meet with a client in Phoenix who wants to sell part of his modern collection. We’re meeting with his lawyer to go over the details. He has to sign some papers.”

I’m used to Diane traveling for her job, but this time it’s different. I want to ask her why she didn’t tell me about this trip before now, but I don’t.

I understand what’s happening.

We drive to the airport, and I wait with her until the flight boards. Diane doesn’t like to fly, so I keep talking, trying to distract her.

“My classes start this week,” I say. “I think I’m ready, but I guess we’ll see.”

She nods, silent.

“There were still seats open last time I checked. That’s not a good sign.”

Diane looks at her watch, then back over her shoulder. She’s not listening to me, so I decide to keep quiet until they start boarding her flight.

When it’s her turn, she looks at me for the first time since we arrived, then leans in close and kisses me, long and soft.

I tell myself it isn’t a good-bye kiss.

“I’ll see you in a couple days,” she says.

“Call me when you get to the hotel.”

She stands and slides her purse over her shoulder then takes a deep breath. “I should’ve driven. If I’d gone through the mountains I could’ve made it to Phoenix in plenty of time.” She smiles at me, but it doesn’t touch her eyes. “Have I ever told you how much I hate flying?”

“You might’ve mentioned it a few times,” I say. “But it’ll be all right. It’s a short one.”

She nods, kisses me again. “Bye, Jake.”

I watch her cross the terminal and hand her boarding pass to the ticket agent. Before she starts down the tunnel toward the plane, she looks back and waves.