Jimmy was born and bred in Boston, as were his parents and their parents, and so on. A construction inspector for Massachusetts Transportation, Jimmy saw things as they were now when it came to looking toward the future. He’d live in Boston until he died. He’d work at the same job until he retired, and the first house Jimmy bought would also be the last house Jimmy bought, just like his parents.

Bennett couldn’t fault the man for wanting to have a comfortable life, and she could understand the love he had for Boston, for she had it, too. It was a city teeming with diversity and opportunities for all…all except Lisa.

Bennett knew Lisa wanted to travel. She wanted to see the world, living like a nomad as she journeyed from one land to another, forever exploring, discovering, and appreciating all the cultures she’d come across. Lisa didn’t want consistency. She wanted the unpredictable, and Bennett smiled. The sooner Lisa ended her relationship with Jimmy, the sooner Lisa could start dating again. She had to find someone special enough so Lisa would change her choice.

“Trouble in paradise?” Bennett said, coming into the office.

“Paradise is a myth,” Lisa said, tossing her phone on the desk. “And what’s the point of you having a cell phone if you always have the freaking thing turned off?”

“Oh, and you’re one to talk.”

“There’s a difference between muting it and turning it off, or are you just a little slow on the uptake when it concerns things other than art, daggers, and swords?”

In the process of taking off her coat, Bennett stopped before her arm left the sleeve. “Someone’s got a bee in her bonnet.”

“It’s either that or bats in my belfry. No pun intended.”

“Since I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting your belfry, none taken.”

Lisa’s eyes glistened with merriment, and Bennett became lost in the sparkle for a moment. She didn’t mean to. She never meant to, but that goddamned blue held so much more than the color of the sky.

A lively flute riff interrupted Bennett’s thoughts, and as Lisa answered her phone, Bennett took off her coat and put it in the closet. Noticing some dirt on her fingers, she walked into the tiny powder room to wash her hands.

“Sorry about that,” Lisa said, standing in the doorway. “Telemarketer.”

“No problem,” Bennett said as she turned off the tap. “Oh, I have something in my pocket for you.”

Lisa bit back a laugh. “You do, do you?”

Bennett stopped as she reached for a towel, and then she scrunched up her face. “No, not that pocket. The one in my coat, you dirty girl.”

“Oh, okay,” Lisa said, giggling as she walked away.

After returning the towel to the rod, Bennett came back into the office.