Again, Marissa nodded. She wondered how much weight she had to lose before she stopped thinking that waiters were judging her choices.

“Anyway, I couldn’t stop eating them and my mouth got all full and so when my turn came I couldn’t talk.”

Marissa blinked. “Okay, that doesn’t take much analysis, you’re right.”

“I woke up at like four a.m. and I really thought I was going to throw up but I didn’t. So. I don’t want to know some things. But I can’t live like this either.” Heather swallowed noisily and looked away.

“You’re going to be okay, you know. Whatever happened, it’s already done and you’re here.”

“Keep telling me that, okay?” Heather blinked rapidly, but the tears never slipped over the rims of her eyes. “Thank you for listening to me. I promise not to do this at work.”

Marissa reached over the desk to pat Heather’s hand. “Yeah, like I can compartmentalize, sure. It’s okay—but we can also talk at the gym while we whack weights.”

“On the bright, I’ve had a dozen requests for access to the online registration system this morning. Seems like more than usual.”

“Well, it wasn’t because I was a ball of fire yesterday.” Marissa could hear work calling all the way from her office, but she added, “An old girlfriend showed up last week. I’m all over the place about how I feel.”

“Did she treat you badly?”

“Went away for a year. Said she’d get in touch and didn’t.”

With sympathetic outrage, Heather said, “I hope she was in a foreign prison or something equally unpleasant.”

Marissa laughed at Heather’s expression. “Some day you are going to have kids and scare off their potential beaus with that look.” She sighed. “Not a foreign prison but definitely something equally unpleasant.”

“So how do you feel about it all?”

“I understand why she dropped out of the world for a while. But if I trust her again I’m worried I’m a doormat, you know?”

“Well, you always say every situation is different. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt again but it’s not like she beats you and you think she’ll change.”

“No, she just tromped all over my heart but had a decent enough reason for her behavior, a reason having nothing to do with me.”

Heather made the scary face again. “She gets out of line, I’ll have a talk with her.”

“Okay.” Marissa found herself grinning. “Everyone from Oprah to my mother would tell me not to let her hurt me again.”

“It’s not their life, now is it?”

“Nope. Which means I can’t blame them if I make the wrong decision. Either choice and I might have huge regrets.”

“Which stack of regrets will you be sorrier for?”

“Well, that’s a good question.” She gathered her mail and tested her ankle before putting her weight on it. It was feeling better by the hour but she didn’t want to slow down her recovery. “I’m going to give that some thought.”