“I’m glad,” Marissa said earnestly. “I am so glad for you. So glad that you feel whole again.”

“Oh, I’m getting there at least. It does feel like parts of me are now all in the same head, working together toward the same goals.”

“Such as?”

Linda just stared at her for a minute before saying, “One thing is a career I can not only enjoy but leaves me feeling like I can make a difference.” A blinding smile made Marissa blink. “I didn’t get the job, by the way.”

“But you’re happy about that?”

“They offered me another one and I accepted.”

“Yeah? Tell me everything.” She’s staying, Marissa thought. I’ll see her again. And again.

“They figured fresh out of school I might be able to study and learn things, so they want me to work on the campaign to raise the amount of open space along the coastline of California and Oregon. Every city, county and of course both states have to agree to take the land over and there are often obligations, expenses, overdue taxes, easements from utilities, which live outside a lot of laws. Is this too boring?”

“Not at all,” Marissa assured her. Try as she might she couldn’t get her gaze to lift past Linda’s lips. “I’m interested.”

“Really?” Linda leaned forward, not even an inch, then moved back with a little gasp. “So, um, they need someone to organize the interns and review their work because it’s piles and piles of deeds and trusts and so on. It’s not very sexy but it’s important.”

Marissa studied how the light softened and shadowed the contours of Linda’s cheeks and all she could think was that Linda would be staying. For a while. Long enough to know . . . to figure it all out. “I get that. Yes, the kind of behind-the-scenes work that nobody really sees but is vital to the process.”

The meals were delivered and Marissa cheerfully dug in. “It’s a relief sometimes not to think about how many calories is in what I’m eating.”

“Do you have a goal in mind?”

“Yes, another twenty pounds.”

“Really? Are you sure? You’ll be skin and bones.”

“Bless you for making me feel like I could ever be too thin.” With a shake of the head, Marissa added, “It’s still twenty pounds more than those insurance charts say I should weigh but I’m not trying to get into some unrealistic sized clothing or look like—” She directed a glance at the slender, very attractive blonde who walked by their table in jeans no bigger than a pencil. “Like that.”

“You’re a voluptuous, large-framed woman—to be that thin you’d have to give up your muscle.”

“Exactly.” Marissa gave a confident shrug. “I’m not doing The Devil Wears Prada here. My real goal is having the strength and endurance to do the things I want for the rest of my life. Like climb a cliff when my life depends on it.” See the world one step at a time with you, she added to herself, not to mention redefining lovemaking as an aerobic sport.