She said none of her thoughts aloud, however, and felt the beginnings of an unusual, awkward blush. She was spared by someone calling “Chrissy! Phone for you.”

After a hurried sip from her beer, Linda realized she’d never felt like that before. She wasn’t sure she liked butterflies in her stomach and feeling functionally mute. Did she have to give up being a consummate flirt as part of healing?

She had no answer for that but what she did know was that while she thought Chrissy was attractive and nice, she didn’t want to have sex with her. She didn’t have to have sex with her to control their interaction. And if at some point in the future she did want to have sex with Chrissy, she wanted Chrissy to want her back, the way Marissa had wanted her. For the person she was, not the body on the outside.

Hell, how egotistical was she being? She had no reason to think Chrissy was doing more than being nice and she had Chrissy on her back and moaning already. Okay, there were definitely a few habits she had that she didn’t much like. Time to outgrow them.

Chrissy, with the phone cradled between shoulder and ear, delivered her half sandwich and salad with a wink. “Uh-huh. I think that’s a good idea, Mom. Uh-huh.”

The sandwich was lean and delicious, the dressing as tasty as promised. Chrissy, kept busy by the increasingly crowded bar, didn’t linger again. When Linda was ready to go she waved and held up a twenty with an enquiring look. Chrissy nodded distractedly and Linda headed for the door after securing the bill under her empty beer bottle.

“Hey, big spender!”

Turning back, Linda found herself the center of attention from the customers at the bar. “It’s enough, isn’t it?”

Chrissy laughed. “Yeah, and if you tip me that much people will talk. Here.”

Linda took the proffered five. “You were busy and I didn’t want—”

“Just be sure you stop in again. You talk nice and you’re way more easy on the eyes than the rest of these ugly bastards.”

There was good-natured rumbling from the crowd as Linda made her escape. Her ears were burning. She felt as if she’d just passed a test of some kind and she didn’t know what it all meant.

But she knew it felt okay to be found pleasing, even if it was just a fleeting encounter. She would endeavor not to need a jump or require rescuing from a ditch. Being “good people” was not a bad place to start life over.

***

Glancing around the room, Marissa was pleased to see it was mostly women and a variety of sizes and shapes. Like her, most appeared to have arrived directly from work and all had the unmistakable harried air of not having time for this. But they were all here.

Feeling too self-conscious to engage anyone, Marissa studied the small notebook she’d brought for taking notes and reminded herself why she was here. Yes, she could read nutrition books, diet books, watch fitness videos and the latest in health news. It was just the same with anything else. She studied up on hardware and software advances, didn’t she? And when she got into a situation at work she couldn’t figure out for herself, she called a consultant.