It was coming up on the one-year anniversary of Stillwell Art Center. Even now, as she stood looking over the balcony down at the atrium and its dozens of artisan shops, she could easily well up in tears. She thought about her husband, Richard, who had passed away a few years earlier. How she wished he could be here to see it. Then Luna’s words echoed in her ear. “He’s always with you.” Ellie truly believed it. When Luna did a cold reading for Ellie, she used a phrase often used by her deceased husband, “Have no fear, my dear.” It didn’t matter if it was making a dinner reservation or white-water rafting. Richard instilled a sense of confidence in her. He would often tell her that if she was fearful of something, she needed to ask herself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” Then, after mulling it over, she should ask another question: “What’s worse than that?” It made a lot of sense if you boiled it down. Unless “death” or “illness” was the answer, then “just do it,” as the commercial suggests.

When Ellie took on the multimillion-dollar project, the worst thing would be to lose most of her money. If that happened, she would still have a couple of million left over. Everyone should be that lucky. Ellie was truly grateful for her financial stability and having the resources to help fund other artists’ goals. She felt that was one way of giving back. Paying it forward.

Like clockwork, Nathan arrived. Ellie appreciated Nathan’s work ethic. She moved back behind her desk and buzzed him in. Her office was rigged with every electronic device for maximum security. She could do a major lockdown if it ever came to that. Heaven forbid.

Nathan opened the big glass doors and took long strides into the atrium. He still looked robust. Ellie squinted and blinked. He looks better than I remember, she thought to herself. A little grayer around the temples, but she could see the definition in his muscles pressing against his long-sleeved polo shirt. She leaned over the railing and called down, “Nathan! So good to see you! Wait there. I’ll be right down.”

Ellie checked herself in the reflection of the glass door. Why? She couldn’t answer that. Not yet anyway. Was she ready to start dating? But who? Ellie was no shrinking violet by any stretch, and it wasn’t that she fancied any kind of romance, but it would be nice to have a dependable man around even if they weren’t each other’s type.

Ellie bounded down the center staircase, Ziggy and Marley leading the way. Nathan immediately squatted to greet them. “How are my guys doing? Miss me?” Nathan nuzzled both of them as they nuzzled back. He stood and picked Ellie up off the ground and spun her around. “Woo-hoo! I’ve been waiting a looonnng time to do that!”