I tried to imagine Annie's reaction when Bob told her about the offer. She would be confused at first, of that much I was certain. Beyond that, I couldn't be sure. I could never have predicted her behavior over the last week, and I certainly didn't have any idea how she might react to this new twist. She would probably be angry with me for disclosing what I'd learned about Donald's stealing from her store. She also probably wouldn't trust that the offer was completely aboveboard. She would be suspicious, at least. But hopefully, once she explained to Bob what it was all about, he would be able to counsel her to take the offer. At six-thirty, Donald Gold stuck his head in my office. "Have you heard anything yet?" I had been staring off into space, fantasizing that Annie would be so happy and excited about the turn of events that she would be waiting on my doorstep when I finally made it home. "No. Not yet." It took a moment to gather my thoughts and focus on Donald. He nodded grimly. "I'll be in my office. Let me know when you hear anything." "I will, sir," I promised, and was thankful when he disappeared back into the hallway. I didn't think I could take the waiting much longer. At seven forty-five, my phone finally rang and I lunged for it. "Kate Brennan." "Kate? Bob Gleason." He cut out all the formalities. "We have a counteroffer." My stomach dropped. Any hope and patience that I'd had earlier in the day had vanished. "Let's have it." I was all business too. Bob suddenly seemed to be enjoying this far too much. "My client has agreed to your offer in principle, with one small caveat." I rolled my eyes. What the hell was Annie up to now? "And that would be . .." I was tapping my pen as I held the phone to my ear. "She is seeking some financial compensation." My heart sank. Oh no, Annie. You're going too far. Now you're going to ask for money too? "How much?" I squeezed my eyelids together and gritted my teeth. Bob paused far too long before speaking. "She would like reimbursement for all losses that the store has incurred as a result of your client's actions. That's it? That's all? Now I was grinning. "And do you have a number for that, Bob?" "Not yet, I'm afraid. We would like thirty days to perform a complete audit before coming up with a final number." My smile was full. "That certainly sounds fair enough to me, as long as we can get it all in writing." I paused, wanting desperately to ask Bob about Annie's reaction. But I couldn't. "Let me go right now and present this to my client. Can I reach you in your office in about fifteen minutes?" He told me that he was on his way home and gave me his cell phone number. "Thanks for your help, Bob. I'm sure we'll be able to get this squared away tonight." "Let's hope so. And Kate?" "Yes?" I was in a hurry to hang up the phone and present the offer to Donald. "Bravo." He practically whispered the word before hanging up the phone. I stared at the receiver for several moments and allowed the moment to wash over me. Then I placed it back in its cradle and took one more deep breath. We were in the homestretch now. Donald was staring out his window when I entered his office. "Excuse me, sir?' "Yes, dear." His eyes were tired when they met mine. "They've accepted the offer with one condition, sir." He raised a single brow in reply. "She would like to be reimbursed for the money that your son —" I found myself searching for the right word, not wanting to offend him. "Stole from her?" He finished the sentence for me. "That seems more than reasonable, I suppose. How much are we talking about?" "They're not certain. They'd like thirty days to complete an audit." He nodded, digesting the news. Then his eyes lifted to mine. "It's odd that they wouldn't have an exact figure, though, don't you think? Considering that the court date is tomorrow and I would have expected them to spring all of this on us then." I was frozen in my tracks. Had I dropped my guard? Is this the moment when Donald would drop the bomb on me? He regarded me closely as I mustered my courage. "It's my understanding that your son's wife just changed representation last week. Perhaps that has something to do with it." I stared at him boldly, willing him to call my bluff. "Hm," was his only reaction. "Her first lawyer probably wasn't doing the job," he surmised. "Sounds like the replacement is on the ball." He took several steps forward and picked up his suit jacket from where it lay on one chair. "Very well. I've drafted an agreement that we can modify in the morning." He reached over to his desk and picked up a piece of paper that he held out to me. "I'd like a signature before the case gets finalized at two. Can you arrange that?" I nodded. "I will, Donald." My eyes did a cursory glance at the agreement. He was ushering me from his office. "Thank you, Kate. Again, I appreciate your loyalty and discretion in this matter." He made an attempt at a smile as he passed me in the hallway. "See you in the morning." "Good night, sir." His sigh was heavy. "Let's hope so, Kate. I've got to tell my wife about everything that happened today." "I'm sorry, sir." I did feel sympathy. His only reply was a raised hand as he sauntered toward the elevators. I wasted no time in contacting Bob to tell him the good news. We arranged to meet in the courthouse at one o'clock the next afternoon. Plenty of time to exchange signatures and papers before the divorce was made final by the courts.

Everything went according to plan. Bob was all smiles as he shook my hand and handed me a signed copy of the agreement that I'd faxed earlier in the day. I had foolishly hoped that Annie would be there to sign the document before me, and I tried to hide my disappointment at her absence. Our time in front of the judge was brief as we agreed to the settlement as outlined in the agreement. Within ten minutes the divorce was final. And Annie still had her house. "Well done, Counselor." Bob patted my shoulder as he smiled. "I'm not quite sure that I understand all of the details—" "It's probably best that way," I told him. He laughed. "Probably. I'm just glad that things turned out well for Annie. She's a really fine lady, Kate." I wasn't sure how much he knew about our relationship, so I decided to play it safe. "How was she when you spoke with her, Bob? I hope she was pleased." He laughed. "She was bug-eyed furious at first. It took awhile to calm her down. She was convinced that this was just another ploy on their part. But once we got a copy of the agreement this morning I was able to convince her that everything was on the up and up." I wasn't surprised by his description of her reaction. I only hoped that she was satisfied with the settlement. "I'm just glad it's over," I told him awkwardly. I was suddenly very sad, wondering if I'd ever get the chance to talk to Annie again and try to figure out if we could put all of this behind us. "Ask her to call me sometime, will you?" I realized that my throat was tightening as I spoke the words. His expression was somewhat bewildered. "I'll do that, Kate." He held out his hand, and I took it in mine. "Take care." "Thanks. You too." I mustered a small smile before turning and heading outside the courthouse. It was an abnormally hot and humid August day. I should have been full of joy, but instead all I could think about was Annie. My shoulders felt heavy with the weight of the world. We should be celebrating right now, I thought. But she'd made it quite clear the last time we spoke that she didn't want me in her life. I wouldn't reach out to her. Not again. Chapter 23 The great room was finally finished. Cherry bookcases lined one wall from floor to ceiling. Tung oil had been rubbed into the rich wood, bringing it alive and showing off its natural grain and beauty. The window had been installed and was complete as well. Even the stone chimney had been scrubbed clean of the white paint until each stone winked and gleamed in the sunlight. The fireplace begged for a fire to be built and enjoyed. But I found no pleasure in the completion of the project. For me, it marked the end of my very short love affair with Annie. And so the fireplace stayed cold, and the room remained empty. Both Beth and Melanie had come to my rescue in the weeks that followed the end of Annie's divorce case. They both did their best to help me to forget about Annie and move on with my life. "You should consider coming back to family law, Kate. You can't possibly be happy working at that place anymore." Melanie picked up a carrot and placed it in her mouth, crunching loudly. She and Beth were at my house, where we'd spent the day barbequing and lounging and doing next to nothing. "Oh, Mel. I don't know." The thought of changing jobs after everything that had happened over the past months exhausted me. Melanie and Beth shared a knowing look between them. "What?" I asked the question of them both, my eyes floating back and forth between them. "She's right, Kate," Beth chirped in. "You hate it there." I picked through my salad until I found a tomato. I popped it in my mouth and chewed slowly. The last thing I wanted to discuss right then was my job. "You're both right," I told them. "I hate working there. I hate the fact that they're bilking clients left and right and squashing all the little guys." I picked up a stick of celery and heard its satisfying crunch as it reached my mouth. They were both staring at me, waiting for me to swallow. "So?" Mel asked. "I'm not ready to make a change, Melanie. The thought alone exhausts me." The looks on their faces told me that they weren't convinced. "Besides, I don't know what I would do." "That's easy. Come back to the center." I glared hard in Melanie's direction. "We've had this conversation before, Mel. You know why I left and why I won't go back." "Kate." Beth was leaning forward now, eyes gentle as searched my eyes. "You have to stop blaming yourself for my losing custody of Billy. It wasn't your fault, and things have turned out pretty well for us since then." Beth and I had never discussed how I felt about losing her case. Even when I'd abruptly changed jobs, I never talked to her about my reasons. It was all I could do to look at her. "You trusted me to help you with the most important thing in your life, and I failed," I told her. "How can I let that go? How can I just pretend it never happened?" "Because you have to," was her reply. "I've never blamed you for what happened. I've never thought for one moment that you didn't do everything in your power to get custody of Billy." She reached across the table and held my hand. "You didn't fail us, Kate. The system did. The puritanical judge that sat on that bench didn't listen to a word you said. The only thing that mattered to him was that I'm a lesbian. He had his mind made up before the case even started." Melanie was leaning forward now too. "It's true, Kate, and you know it. Just think about it. How can you just walk away from the injustices of our judicial system? How can you turn your back when you know that what it really needs is someone to fight back? Someone who is willing to represent all those people who otherwise wouldn't stand a chance without your help? Just think about the number of lives you've touched and made better." "I think they would have done just fine without me." I lifted a bottle of beer to my lips. Beth released my hand. "That's ridiculous, and you know it. Do you want me to list all of the people you've helped over the years just to refresh your memory?" I was feeling cornered and chastised. "And don't tell me that you're sick of it, either," Melanie chimed in. "I've never seen you more spirited than when you're taking on a particular lawsuit or client. It's in your blood." I stared from one to the other. "Are you both forgetting that I didn't have a life back then? Do you remember the hours I used to spend at the office? I rarely even saw the inside of my house." Beth was quick to reply. "Forgive me, Kate. You can blame your profession for your lack of personal life if you want to. But the fact is that you really just need to find some balance. There's nothing wrong with putting in a few extra hours here and there, but you have to know when to walk away." They were both right, of course. But I wasn't ready to give in so easily. "Did you just say that I have no personal life?" I narrowed my eyes to tease her. "Well, yeah. I suppose. At least you didn't before you met Annie." Ouch. Her name was like a knife in my heart. I must have reacted to the mention of her name, because Beth was quick to apologize. "I'm sorry, Kate. I wasn't thinking." I waved her worry aside. "It's okay. I'm going to have to get used to hearing her name sooner or later." "Have you heard from her?" Melanie joined the conversation again. I shook my head. "What about you?" She nodded slowly. "She called earlier this week. She apologized for the way that she fired me. She admitted that she'd been unreasonable and thanked me for everything I had done." I was suddenly envious. So Annie had reached out to Mel. At least that meant that she was finally beginning to relax and think rationally. "That's good, I suppose," Beth said. "Don't you think?" She turned back to me. I nodded. Melanie hesitated a moment before speaking again. "I also mentioned to her that it was really you that she should be thanking. I told her that you really jeopardized your professional integrity and reputation by pulling off what you did." She glanced over at Beth. "Can you even imagine what would have happened if Gold had known all along that the two of them were seeing each other?" Beth grimaced. "It would have been a disaster." We were silent while my thoughts turned back to Annie. "It sounds like she's doing well then," I said aloud. My words met with blank stares. "I'm glad she's okay."

Life began to change rather quickly from there. Within another week, Donald was in my office with a big smile on his face. "I just wanted to let you know that everything's been finalized. I had a check sent to Annie this morning, so everything should be squared away now." I had no idea what he expected for a response, or why he had bothered to come in and tell me about it. My interaction with the senior partner had been limited in recent weeks to brief hellos in the hallway. "I'm glad to hear it," was my lame reply. "Now that everything has settled down, I just wanted to come by and thank you again for everything you did. My wife and I appreciate the fact that you were able to circumvent a disaster before it blew up in our faces." I'd rarely heard such a long monolog from his lips. "It was my pleasure, sir." What else could I say? "No, dear. I don't think that it was." He seemed to search his brain to come up with the right words. "I think that I underestimated both you and your abilities. I treated you poorly, and I'd like to make up for that." He lifted one hand and reached into his breast pocket. He removed a long thin white envelope and placed in on my desk in front of me. I stared at the envelope, and then at him. "Open it," he insisted, and I complied. Inside the envelope was a check for twenty thousand dollars. I counted the zeros twice before raising my eyes back to his. "I can't accept this, Donald." I placed the check back in the envelope and pushed it to the end of the desk. "It's just a small thank-you. A bonus, if you like." "I appreciate your generosity, Donald. But I can't take the money." It was bad enough that I had essentially lied and manipulated him into dropping the petition against Annie. It was another thing entirely to take his money for doing it. I may have been pleased that I was able to make sure that Annie kept her house, but I still continued to deal with some guilt. Donald appeared stunned. I supposed that no one had ever turned down his money before. "But why not, Kate? You did a fine job for me, and I promised to make it worth your while. And believe me, the pain and suffering that you saved my family is worth many times the amount of that check." I didn't want to offend him, but I was resolute. "As I said, Donald, I appreciate it. But I can't accept it." "Don't be ridiculous." He was growing angry. "Donald" — I interrupted him — "I can't accept it because I'm leaving the firm." I don't know which one of us was more surprised. I'd certainly been thinking about the possibility, but I hadn't known I'd made the decision. He no longer appeared surprised. Instead, he accepted my declaration with a nod of his head. "You're not cut out for corporate law, are you." It was a statement, not a question. Obviously he had noticed my lack of enthusiasm. I wrinkled my nose. "I'm afraid my heart's just not in it, sir." He nodded. For a moment it occurred to me that I should be mad that he wasn't trying to talk me out of it. But apparently I hadn't been fooling anyone. "When will you be leaving?" I honestly didn't know. Now that I'd committed to leaving, I guess I had some decisions to make. "I'm not quite sure. There are a number of decisions that I have to make. I have to find another firm that's willing to take me on." I laughed and watched him smile. "Then why don't you accept this check as your severance package," he suggested. "Clean up a few things here and turn your cases over to Barbara. Then you can take some time to decide what you really want to do." I returned his gaze for a few moments, ready to protest. "I won't take no for an answer, Kate. Take the check as our thanks." He turned to head for the door. "Best of luck to you, Kate." "Thanks," I muttered, but he was already gone. I suppose it was inevitable that I would rejoin Melanie at the Cambridge Family Law Center. Within weeks I had leased space in the building and had begun the task of moving my law books and necessities into my office. There was the small task of having to buy office furniture, and it was Beth who made the obvious observation. "Gee, too bad you didn't know you were going to be moving before we took all your old office furniture to Treasured Past." I grimaced at the memory. "Did she ever sell it?" Beth asked. "I have no idea. It hadn't sold the last time I was there." My eyes floated over Beth. "Don't go getting any ideas, sweetie. If you think I'm going over there to retrieve that furniture, you're out of your mind." Beth shrugged. "I'll go." "No you won't." I was adamant. "Why not? It makes perfect sense." She was matter-of-fact. "You will not go over there for me, Beth." "Ooh." She glared at me. "Are you telling me what I can and cannot do?" "When it comes to this, yes, I am." She slid me a mischievous look. "Don't push my buttons, Kate. You're giving me ideas." "Well, don't. Please." I faked a smile. "Besides, I'm really thinking about going with something a lot more modern. Something kind of light and less imposing." Beth didn't believe me. "That doesn't sound like you." "It's what I want," I snapped. "Do you want to go shopping for office furniture with me?" Beth laughed. "You sure know how to have a good time." She complained for a while longer before we got in my car and began the search. After three days, Beth made it clear that she'd had enough. "You hate everything you look at and you're driving me crazy. Why don't you just start looking at some antiques? You'll be much happier." "And you will be too?" I teased. "Exactly." I considered her suggestion. "I don't think I have it in me. It could take weeks to find something that I like." Beth groaned. "There is one other possibility." "Don't even say it, Beth." She was annoyed. "Then you're on your own, sweetie. I've had enough." She left me sulking on my front porch steps. Fine, I decided, I'd begin searching antique stores in the morning. Except that tomorrow was Sunday. Fine, I'll start on Monday. What I wouldn't do, though, was start going to auctions. I wanted to make sure there was no chance of running into Annie. On Sunday evening I received a call from Melanie, asking if I could meet her the following morning. "I'm running into some trouble on a case that I'm working on, and I think you might be able to help me." "But I'm not officially there yet," I told her. "Only because you don't have any flipping furniture," she retorted. "No excuse. I need your help." "Okay, okay. I'll be there." Damn. Why was every¬one getting so upset about this furniture thing? There was a box of office supplies that had been sitting beside my front door for weeks. As I left the next morning, I remembered to pick it up and bring it along. Time to stop screwing around, I decided. I'd have to pick up some furniture that week. Melanie wasn't in her office when I arrived, so I tucked my box of supplies under one arm and headed down the hall to my office. Sliding the key in the lock, I turned the knob and pushed open the door. I stopped in my tracks, staring into the room. My old mahogany desk stood in the center. The matching credenza stood behind it, and the bookcase was against one wall. My emotions ran from wanting to cry to wanting to kill someone. "Looks good, doesn't it?" Melanie sneaked up behind me. "Perfect," I admitted, stepping into the room and setting the box down on the floor. I let my fingers run across the smooth surface of the desk and felt my heart ache. Annie had to have been involved in this. At least partially. "So is this your doing?" I asked Mel. "Only partially," she admitted. "It's mostly Beth's fault. She did the dirty work and went to pick it up. I met her here and helped her unload it." I searched her eyes and she knew what I was thinking. "No. Annie isn't here." My lips clamped together, and I nodded. Standing back to take another look around, I was more than satisfied. "It really looks great, Mel. Thank you." "You should thank Beth," she told me. I laughed. "I may throttle her instead. I told her not to do this." "I know. But it really did make sense." I couldn't argue. Besides, it really did seem perfect. "Why don't we take a look at this case that you dragged me down here for. How can I help?" "I lied," she grinned. "I just wanted to get you here before you had a chance to pick up something else." I laughed. "You're so devious," I teased. "What are you doing now? Want to help me unpack?" "Ooh. Physical labor? Are you kidding?" She started backing away. "I don't think so, Kate. You're on your own." Without another word, she disappeared from my office and left me alone to stand and look around, taking it all in. Eagerness settled over me, and I began opening boxes, emptying their contents everywhere, and finding the perfect spot for each and every item. Chapter 24 Something felt strange the moment that I walked into my house. I walked into the living room and stopped to look around and listen. Nothing seemed out of place, and the house was silent. But the goose bumps rising on my arms told me that something wasn't right. Had someone been here? I glanced out the front window but saw nothing out of the ordinary except for the older model Volvo wagon parked in front of my house. I'd never seen the car before, and the sight of it only managed to cause more shivers to slide along my spine. Something was definitely not right. I set my car keys down on the coffee table and went to the kitchen, but found nothing out of place. Returning to the living room, I saw that the pocket doors to the great room were cracked open by a few inches. My skin began to crawl. Cautiously, I inched my way to the doorway and peered through one of the panes of glass. I held my breath. Annie was sitting on the window seat, only her profile visible as she stared out through the glass. I was frozen in place, my eyes taking in a vision that I didn't think I would ever see again. She was wearing one of the sundresses that I'd grown so fond of, her hair tied back in a single braid. If she knew that I was watching her, she gave no indication. She looked calm and peaceful, oblivious of my watching eyes. Taking a deep breath, I reached for the handle to the door and slid it open. I waited for her to look my way, but she continued to gaze out the window, her eyes steady. It was apparent that I would have to make the first move, so I stepped cautiously into the room. "It's quite lovely." Her voice reached my ears when I was several feet away from her, and I stopped. I didn't reply, and her focus finally fell on me. "The room, I mean. It turned out just as we'd envisioned it." The sight of her almost took my breath away. I didn't know how to respond or why she was here. My instinct was sarcasm. Probably not the best choice. "You mean the way you envisioned it." I watched her blink twice before she spoke. "It could use some furniture, though. Don't you think?" I was surprised to find that it was anger that began to boil in my veins. Who did she think she was? She had accused me of the vilest behavior and tossed me from her life. Now she just shows up on my doorstep and wants to talk about decorating? "You know that decorating and remodeling aren't exactly my strong suit." I tried to keep the sarcasm from my voice. Her lips curled up on one side. "I'm sorry. That's not quite the way I wanted to start this conversation." She averted her eyes momentarily as I kept silent. "I wanted to talk to you," she began. "You couldn't just pick up the phone?" Her eyes were steady now. "I didn't think you'd talk to me, if you want the truth." Would I have talked to her? I couldn't imagine that I wouldn't have. "So you decided just to show up?" My voice sounded stern and distant, the opposite of what I was feeling. "Actually, it was Beth who convinced me—" "Beth put you up to this?" I was incredulous. "No, no." She lifted a hand in my direction. "Don't be mad at Beth. I've wanted to talk to you for some time. When she came to the store yesterday I asked about you. She convinced me that you don't hate me and that I should come over." I held back my smile. "Do you hate me, Kate?" She was smiling nervously. "Of course not, Annie. How could I?" My knees felt weak, and I covered the few feet between us and joined her on the window seat. I sat several feet away, watching as she stared down at the floor at nothing in particular. "I should have come and talked to you weeks ago," she began. Her voice was steady but she kept her eyes from mine. "But I was just so ashamed of myself." I didn't know what to say and so I was silent, allowing her to continue. "I said some ugly things to you. I accused you of plotting and planning against me. I can't believe I ever could have thought those things." "Did you honestly think that I would have intentionally set out to hurt you that way?" As much as I wanted to make things easy for her, I needed some answers. "I don't think that I was thinking at all," she told me. "All I heard was Donald's name, and suddenly I didn't trust anything or anyone." She raised her eyes to mine. "I know it's no excuse, but you have no idea how miserable that man and his family have made my life. All I could think of was that they had found yet another way to destroy me." She was shaking her head. "I was completely irrational, Kate. I should have listened to you and believed in you. I'm sorry." I was finally hearing her words that I had dreamt she would say. But something still unsettled me. "Why did you lie to me, Annie? Why did you tell me you were divorced?" Her sigh was heavy as her eyes dropped back to the floor. "There were a number of reasons. But none of them make much sense now," she admitted. "At first I didn't tell you because I thought that you might be completely put off by the fact that you were seeing a married woman. The divorce was supposed to be final in a couple of months, and I reasoned that it was only a little lie." The excuse sounded lame. "The other reason that I didn't tell you, and the reason that I was careful about keeping you away from the house, was because I was constantly afraid that Donald would somehow find out about the two of us. He had already made such an ugly scene when he found out that I was with another woman. The last thing that I wanted was to give him more ammunition before the case was final." I believed what she was saying, but it still seemed to me that she'd gone to extreme lengths to keep her life a secret from me. "I can't believe that you didn't tell me that all these things were going on with you. Annie, I could have helped you." "I know that now. But at the time I didn't trust that you wouldn't walk a,way if you knew how complicated things were." I shook my head. "You didn't trust me." "No," she admitted. "I probably didn't. It was difficult for me to believe that you actually cared enough to help me through it." "That's ridiculous, Annie." None of it made sense. "Maybe to you it does. But after years and years of living with that man, I learned the hard way not to trust anyone." I was listening to her words, trying to understand and even sympathize. But I felt empty. "So what made you come here today?" I asked quietly. Another loud sigh. "To apologize. And to thank you for what you did." She was fidgeting, trying to smile. "Bob told me what little he knew. Melanie filled me in on the rest. You took a big risk, Kate." I shrugged. "Probably. The truth is that I hated Gold even before I knew he was your husband. I tried to come up with all kinds of ideas to keep him from getting the house. Then when I found out it was you ..." I shivered at the memory. We sat together awkwardly for a full minute while I fidgeted, trying to find something to do with my hands. The silence was finally broken when Annie stood abruptly. "I guess I should go." She caught me so off guard that I simply stared at her. She must have taken my lack of reply as an acknowledgment of some kind, because she gave me a curt nod and began walking toward the door. Anger flooded through me. "Wait a minute," I called out, jumping to my feet. She stopped cold and turned to face me. The expression in her eyes hovered between fear and sadness. "That's it?" I demanded. "I don't hear from you in nearly two months and you just show up here and clear your conscience and then walk away?" I was furious. She continued to stare at me, remaining speech¬less. "No 'Gee, Kate, how have you been?' or 'Hi, Kate, what have you been doing lately?' " She looked so sad and all I wanted to do was shake her or kiss her or make her laugh. Anything to put a smile on that beautiful face. My voice softened as my heart began to weaken. "How about 'It's good to see you, Kate. I've missed you.' " A slow smile found her lips. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Hi, Kate. It's good to see you," she repeated my words until her smile reached her eyes. "I've missed you." She paused. "Very much." I forgot about the accusations and mistrust. "I've missed you too," I told her. "Do you think you can ever forgive me?" I thought that I could see a glimmer of tears in her eyes. "Do you think you can ever trust me?" Her smile became lopsided. "Touche." Again we stood awkwardly, the fight now gone completely. "Are you seeing anyone, Counselor?" I laughed. "You know better than that, Annie." "Just fishing." She grinned, and I nodded. It was so good just to see her face, to hear her voice. "Why, did you have someone in mind?" I asked coyly. She nodded. "I did, actually. I was thinking somewhere along the lines of a reconciliation." Now I was smiling. "With you?" She grew suddenly shy. "If you'll have me." "You know that I will," I told her. "But I think you know that we have an awful lot of talking to do." "That we do, Kate." She took slow steps to cover the distance between us. "And I promise that I'll tell you every boring and gruesome detail of my life, if you still want me to." "I do. Every detail." She was so close now that I could have reached out and touched her. I could smell her freshness and see the small creases around her eyes. "But before I start, I was thinking that what I'd really like, more that anything, is just to hold you." My heart was beating loudly as I lifted my arms. We settled into each other, wrapping arms around one another and holding on for the longest time. "Oh, Kate," she murmured against my ear. "I can't believe how foolish I was." I could tell by the sound of her voice that she was crying. "It's okay, Annie. We'll work everything out." There was nothing I wanted more. "I still want to grow old with you, you know." Her lips were still pressed against my ear, but she seemed calmer now. "Is that a proposal?" I smiled, remembering the conversation we'd had many weeks ago. "Yes," she replied without hesitation. I lifted my head to stare into her eyes. "Wait a minute," I laughed. "I thought you had some rule about not getting married until you knew someone for at least a year." She laughed too, eyes glistening. "Honey, after everything that's happened in the last few months, I'm not taking anything for granted." She leaned forward until her forehead was pressed to mine. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Kate. I love you so much." Had I heard her correctly? I searched her eyes and saw the mixture of emotions that left no doubt about how she felt. I touched her lips with mine. "I love you too, Annie." Our lips came together, lightly at first, remembering. I shivered in her arms, basking in the moment. Then our kiss became urgent and demanding. We had two very long months of separa¬tion to make up for.