At least, Rina had dressed for tonight before she went out, although she knew she’d have to reapply her makeup. Her skin just ate up the chemicals. Her clothes were comfortable but very nice—a black sweater set over an ankle-length black skirt that had a midcalf side slit. A little pizzazz, but still appropriate for a religious woman. Her oversweater was long and red and cashmere. It made her feel elegant and very posh. A spray of Chanel No. 19; hers and Peter’s favorite perfume. After all, they were going out tonight after dinner. Her shoes didn’t have particularly high heels, but they were still dressy.

Not sneakers, though. She had walked until her feet and legs were sore. She did have the good sense to send Hannah with Sammy and Jacob, knowing that the little girl couldn’t possibly keep up with her. Her children went into town to see the Museum of Natural History. They’d meet her at the steak house.

Peter’s whereabouts were a mystery.

She checked her watch, swearing that this was the last store. It was getting dark, and her arms couldn’t carry any more packages anyway. She was next in line, but the woman in front of her kept arguing over the price of a sale item. Rina tried clearing her throat, she tried tapping her foot, but nothing seemed to work. The woman was determined to get a further reduction on a reduced price.

Rina looked around, arms folded across her chest, her bags dangling from her hands. Scanning the area, checking out the crowd because it was better than being aggravated.

The first time around, she barely glanced at him.

The second time around, she realized he was looking at her… staring at her. Hard, penetrating blows that were so unnerving, she almost dropped her bags.

He was tall and muscular, exuding strength. Dressed in black jeans and a black ribbed crewneck sweater under a brown cord jacket and combat boots, he kept leering at her with cold blue eyes.

Who on earth?

And then sudden recognition sparked in her brain.

What on earth?

She should have felt immediate intimidation because he was so big and powerful. But big and powerful didn’t scare her. She’d been married to big and powerful for over ten years. She had dealt head-to-head with big and powerful. It was no big and powerful deal.

What she felt was fury. Who did he think he was!

She dropped out of her place in line, leaving behind an adorable navy dress with white trim and a matching coat and hat. It would have been a perfect Pesach outfit for Hannah if he hadn’t come along!

She marched up to him and looked him square in the eye—the battle of baby blues. “Care for some coffee? I’ll buy. You carry the packages.” She shoved them into his chest and stomped out of the store. She could hear him chuckling with amusement while keeping pace behind her. She brought him into a nearby Starbucks, where she bought him a cup of plain coffee and bought herself a Caffè Latte. Then she took him to a local park—not much more than a patch with swings and slides—but it would serve the purpose. She chose a bench that was off the beaten track, but still visible enough to see people walk by.