Excerpt from W.t.W.W.Y.N.

Since I was just talking about dialogue, I thought I'd include an excerpt from the totally not complete manuscript of Lizzie's story.  This is from early in the story before Nick (Lizzie's husband) has learned of her return.  This is a dialogue-heavy portion of story, so let me know if you think the dialogue seems real or contrived.  Does it work?

“What’s going on, Dan?”  He hooked his hammer into his tool belt as he watched Dan pound the last nail. 

            “What do you mean?” Dan sidestepped the question as he leaned against the fence and looked out at the fields. 

            “Something’s on your mind.” Nick reached out and turned Dan towards him.  “I’ve known you too long to be easily fooled.”

            “Am I really that obvious?”

            “Yes,” Nick said as he grinned.  “Now, spill it.”

            Dan’s look turned serious. “I don’t know how.” He whisked his hat off his head and thoughtlessly ran his fingers through the dark hair as he glanced away from Nick.

            “You can tell me anything, Dan.”

            “Yeah, I suppose so.” He started pacing in front of Nick.  “I don’t even know how to start.”

            “Does this have to do with Tess?” He’d sat beside Dan many a night as his cousin poured out the agony of watching his wife suffer through yet another miscarriage, and the thought of them going through that fire again hurt.  “Did the doctor have bad news?”

            “Tess?” Dan threw Nick a blank look.  “No, it’s nothing like that.  Actually, this should be good news.”

            “Then it should be easy to share.” Nick suddenly felt nervous, wondering what was disturbing his no-nonsense cousin so much.  Shouldn’t good news bring joy? 

            “You’d think.” Dan sighed and rubbed his hands across his face.  “It’s about Lizzie.”

            “What about Lizzie?” Nick felt his palms beginning to sweat, and his stomach suddenly jumped into knots. 

            “I don’t know where to start.”

            “Try the beginning.  I find it works well.”

            “Alright,” Dan paused, as if to gather his thoughts.  “We’ve, all of us, have felt as though Lizzie was alive, that despite her absence, she was still with us.”

            “I still feel that way.”

            “I know.” Dan glanced away and then brought his gaze back to Nick’s.  “How much do you want the truth, Nick?”

            “What do you mean?”

            “I mean, what if you found out she was dead?  Or, if something terrible had happened to her?  What would you do if she did come home?”

            “I think about her all the time, Dan.” Nick’s heart ached over the questions.  Questions he’d thought over and over again.  The answer was always the same: it didn’t matter, he loved her.  He wanted her back.  “I want my wife home.  I want our life back, no matter what that would look like.”

            “What if she wasn’t the same?” A ribbon of anxiety entered his voice, and Nick took a step backwards. “What if she’s not the Lizzie we remember?”