She didn’t fear sleep, not these days, and with Marissa now breathing steady and deep, she knew she would wake up wanting to stay right there, within reach of Marissa’s warmth and love.

***

“Dang it all.” Marissa patted her pockets. “I left my sunglasses on my desk upstairs.”

“Run up and get them.” Linda pulled forward again into the parking space. “The groceries are just greens and some fruit— they’ll wait.”

“In that case,” Marissa said shyly. “Maybe you’d like to come up and meet everybody. At least those who haven’t left yet?”

“I’d love to.” Linda was already out of the car.

Marissa marveled at how right it had felt to find Linda waiting for her when she had left work. The past two weeks had been a series of days and nights that just got easier and easier. It seemed appropriate that since they were having dinner with her mother later at the club that Linda should meet the rest of the people that mattered in Marissa’s life.

“Heather, this is Linda.” Marissa watched the two women shake hands, then suddenly Ocky was there, with a welcoming, but cautious, expression on her face.

“Hey. It’s great to meet you. You two have big plans for the weekend?”

“A hike near Mt. Diablo,” Linda answered. Marissa knew her well enough now to see that Linda was aware she was being scrutinized. “And a picnic, complete with small amounts of very good chocolate.”

“Sounds romantic.” Ocky kept on her ‘you’re still on probation’ face, which Marissa loved her for.

“It’s meant to be,” Linda answered. “Marissa makes courting her a lot of fun.”

Marissa blushed which made Linda look even more pleased with herself. Before they made it to Marissa’s office, Linda had met everybody it seemed. Her blush had begun to fade until, behind Linda’s back, she saw Bianca giving two big thumbs up. Finally, she got them into her office and was able to search her desk for her sunglasses.

“So this is where the Finders Keepers magic happens?”

“No—that’s in the server room. This is just a printer where I can pull results.”

“I filled out a questionnaire, you know.”

“You’re kidding.”

Linda shrugged. “It was the day after I made you breakfast. I didn’t have anything else to do.”

“Did you submit it?”

“Yeah. I thought, well, at the very least I could support your business.”

“You’re a client? Not anymore you aren’t.”

“Neither are you then.”

Grinning, Marissa agreed. “Done. I’ll erase us both from the system when I get back on Monday.”

Linda picked up the bendy figure that held Marissa’s business cards. “Not even curious?”

“I really think that we should trust our feelings. I know how I feel about you. I don’t need a computer to agree with me.”

Linda pulled her close for a long, satisfying kiss. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay then, I don’t want to see it either. I want to do things the old-fashioned way. Make mistakes, have a few fights, make up and work things out, all because we’re in love and want the future together. Not because we’re perfect mates.”