Building Blocks of Murder by Vanessa Gray Bartal

at being four stories off the ground.
    “I did,” Keegan replied, humming absently as he dug in the basket for utensils and plates.
    Lacy sat back, watching. Keegan and Tosh were both happy, settled people, but she felt somehow more at peace with Keegan. Maybe it was because she didn’t have the pending pressure of trying to make a decision about the future of their relationship. Keegan didn’t want anything from her but friendship. Did he? Her anxiety grew as she watched him unload crystal flutes and real silver. What man went to so much trouble for a woman he wasn’t interested in? But he wouldn’t be interested in her if Tosh was interested in her, would he? With a sinking feeling, her thoughts turned to her sister, Riley, always wanting what Lacy had.
    Her head tipped to the side, studying Keegan as he worked. He paused in his setup to return her inspection.
    “What’s that look for?” he asked. “Are you analyzing me, Lacy?”
    “Maybe,” Lacy replied.
    “Tell me what you find out. You could save me some time.” At last he sat, unfurling his napkin with a flourish.
    “Is this something you do often?” Lacy asked, indicating the elaborate picnic.
    “Definitely. Women love picnics. I know all the right moves, Lacy.” Instead of sounding cocky, he sounded sad, and Lacy wondered why. He gave her a wan smile. “Dig in before it gets cold.”
    She did as instructed, eating in silence as her mind continued to wander.
    “So, what do you think?” Keegan asked after an extended silence.
    “About what?” Lacy asked, drawn reluctantly from her meandering thoughts.
    “The view.” Fork in hand, he waved toward the horizon. “Isn’t it spectacular?”
    For the first time, Lacy really looked over the edge of the roof. Night was descending. She could see the town and beyond to the hillsides dotted with brightly lit houses. Cars snaked through, adding their own small dots of light to the landscape.
    “It’s beautiful,” Lacy remarked, taken aback not only by the view but by the fact that it was hers. She had never really owned much more than her computer and a camera before, and now she owned this .
    Keegan set aside his empty plate and scooted close to her. “Imagine it on a warm summer night with some wicker furniture, some white lights, and the scent of flowers in the air. I know a guy who’s a commercial landscaper. He specializes in living roofs. I’ll give you his number.”
    As he talked, Lacy could picture it; she could see herself here on a summer night, relaxing on a piece of wicker, the scent of wisteria and lavender redolent in the air. The only dim spot in her fantasy was the blurry spot beside her. Who would share the spectacular view with her? Her grandparents?
    “You don’t look happy,” Keegan noted.
    “I guess it comes back to what I said before,” she said. “This place is too much for me to handle by myself. I don’t want to live here alone.”
    Keegan wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his chin on his knees. “There are worse things than being alone, aren’t there?”
    “Are there?” Lacy asked. “Worse than never finding that one right person? Worse than never having children?”
    “I have to believe that there are,” Keegan said, but he seemed to be talking more to himself than to her.
    “Did you break up with someone recently?” Lacy asked. Maybe a bad breakup was the cause of his cryptic remarks and serious thoughts.
    “I did,” he said, sighing.
    “Painful, huh?”
    “Not really,” he said. “We weren’t serious; we were mostly just friends.”
    “Oh,” Lacy said, confused.
    “This is nice,” Keegan said after a minute of silence. “Peaceful. Thanks.”
    Lacy chuckled. “You’re the one responsible for this little piece of paradise,” Lacy said.
    Keegan leaned over, bumping her shoulder with his. “So you admit it’s pretty much perfect up here.”
    “It could be,” Lacy agreed, her thoughts wandering to her future again.
    “Lacy, can I be