There seemed to be dozens of secret places, unexpected turns. An iron trellis buried under wisteria, a sudden stream of pure white blossoms curling through like a satin ribbon. A tiny pool where water lilies drifted and reeds speared up around a statue of a goddess.

There were stone fairies and fragrant lavender, marble dragons and trailing nasturtium. Cheerfully blooming herbs tumbled through a rock garden and spilled toward a cushion of moss covered with starry flowers.

“No wonder you’re not lonely here.”

“Exactly.” Mia led the way down a crooked path to a small stone island. The table there was stone as well, and stood on the base of a laughing winged gargoyle. “We’re having champagne, to celebrate the solstice.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you.”

Mia lifted the bottle out of a gleaming copper pail. “I should hope not. I insist on being unique.” She poured two glasses, sat, then stretched out her legs and wiggled the painted toes of her bare feet. “Tell me how you died, Nell.”

“I drove off a cliff.” She took her glass, drank deep. “We lived in California. Beverly Hills and Monterey. It seemed at first like being a princess in a castle. He swept me off my feet.”

She couldn’t sit, so she wandered the little island and drew in the scent of the flowers. She heard the tinkle of bells and saw that Mia had the same starry wind chime she’d bought for herself on her first day.

“My father was in the military. We moved around a lot, and that was hard. But he was wonderful. So handsome, and brave and strong. I suppose he was strict, but he was never unkind. I loved being with him. He couldn’t always be with us, and we missed him. I loved seeing him come back, in his uniform, and the way his face would light up when my mother and I went to meet him. He was killed in the Gulf War. I still miss him.”

She drew a deep breath. “It wasn’t easy for my mother, but she got through it. That’s when she started the catering business. She called it A Moveable Feast. Hemingway.”

“Clever,” Mia acknowledged. “Classy.”

“She was both. She’s always been a terrific cook and loved to entertain. She taught me . . . it was something we liked doing together.”

“A bond between you,” Mia commented. “A lovely and strong one.”