Laura’s text message, later that morning, made him realize that she viewed their date very differently than he did. In fact, she wanted to meet with him in “Luigi’s”, a fancy, Italian restaurant in Burlington. For Tim, their date was nothing more than an obligation, something that he merely had to do. He was not going to date the woman who had haunted his thoughts. Instead, she would stay behind in a large, cold building, far away from him. And, after that night, she would be even further, as Tim had decided to go back to New York and live with his sister. What he would do from now on did not trouble him. He would go back to what he knew best: being an outlaw.

Two, massive, sparkling chandeliers lit up the large hall, as he walked into the crowded restaurant. Laura was sitting at the table in the upper right corner. As usual, she looked wonderful, but it didn’t make any difference to him. He would not be dazzled by her looks again. This was the last night that he would spend in Vermont.

“Hi…” She spoke, as a polite smile spread across her face.

“Evening,” he muttered, joining her, taken aback by her somewhat different approach. Tim expected a much warmer welcome than that.

“So…” Laura started. “How were things at work today: anything unusual?”

“I thought you said I didn’t have to spy on her,” he complained.

“Relax,” she smiled, playfully this time. “I was just messing with you. Tonight’s for us, anyway. I don’t want to talk about …” she faltered, “you-know-who.”

“You don’t even want to say her name, do you?” Tim put a little force in his voice.

“You already knew that,” Laura spoke in a calm tone, unaffected by his remark. “Let’s just focus on us, shall we?”

“That’s just the thing, blondie,” he smirked. “There can’t be any ‘us’.”

“Why?” she inquired, as her smile left her face. “I thought …”

“It doesn’t matter what you thought,” Tim interrupted. “It’s pretty obvious that there’s a lot of history between you the two of you. I can’t do this. I’m quitting tomorrow.”

“What?” Laura exclaimed, as her face loosened in utter disbelief. “Did she tell you anything about me?”

“Even a blind man could see that, Laura.” He attempted to use a forceful tone. “No, she didn’t say anything, but, ever since I got here, you keep…” he paused, “… bitching about her. I mean, what the hell has she done to you?”

Her eyes darkened, as she dropped her gaze from his intense stare. Laura squeezed her lips and started shaking her head sideways, baffling Tim some more.

“My father left my mother for her,” she said, her voice trembling, as she stared down at her hands. “We were best friends, once. That’s until she slept with him. My dad became obsessed with her. He still is, I think.”

“Yeah, well, whose fault is that?” he whispered, leaning over her. Tim wasn’t surprised. He already suspected that things were complicated between her parents, as she never spoke about her mother. “Look, I’m not defending her or anything. But, it looks like your father is the one who messed up, not her.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Laura murmured, returning her gaze to his face. “She stayed away from him. But still … she was my best friend, Tim. She shouldn’t have done that.”

“I know,” he said with a nod. “Haven’t you made any mistakes? Anyway, I’m still leaving tomorrow.”

“Then why did you even come here?” Frustration was lingering in her voice. “Couldn’t you just cancel on me?”

“I wanted to say these things in person,” Tim explained.

“Stay,” Laura urged, her voice quivering. “You can work in my company when this is over.”

“I don’t like being owned,” He groaned, furrowing his brows.

“Well, you work for me now, don’t you?” She squinted at him.

“That’s one of the reasons I’m quitting,” Tim claimed. “Why do you want me to stay so badly? You barely know me.”

“Is it so bad that I want a relationship with you?” Laura made her voice sound sweeter. “Come on, Tim. What will you win if you leave now?”

“Peace of mind,” he said, as a bitter smile spread across his face. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Fine:” Laura gave an exasperated gasp. “I was pretty shocked when you said that you wouldn’t spy on her. Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money. Any other guy would have just jumped on the opportunity. You didn’t. Who would have thought that a burglar had principles?”

“Let me tell you one thing about outlaws,” he brought his index finger to his lips. “Most of us don’t like to rat. Those who do end up shot or stabbed to death.”

“What if I changed my attitude towards her?” She posed yet another question. “Would that convince you to stay?”

“You and I both know you can’t do that.” Tim replied. “You’ve not been able to for years; you can’t do it overnight.”

“I didn’t want to back then. What if I want to now?” Her persistence frustrated him; he struggled to hold on to his temper. Unwilling to make a scene he slowly rose, sucking in a deep breath.

“Goodnight, Laura.” He croaked, rolling his gaze right to avoid making eye contact with her. On the other side of the table, Laura lay back in her seat, covering her eyes with her hands. The air around him had become too thick; Tim needed some fresh air. Still skeptical about the real reasons why she had tried so hard to convince him to stay, he left the restaurant. At any rate, he would not venture a guess. In his mind, Vermont was only a short break from reality.

Going legit? I’ve lost count of all the times I’ve tried to do that. This time seemed more interesting, though. I like nature; I’m going to miss the outdoors. But that was up until I realized I couldn’t date Joey. I’ll remember the night we spent together, doc. You may think it was a mistake, but it felt so right. Will you remember it? I bet you’d like her to, Tim. But let’s face it: She loves her job so much that, someday, she’ll probably die alone …