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and know that she was flustered by the letter she had just received. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to call Lance and tell him that of course she would love to get to know him better. She wanted a chance to explain in no uncertain terms that she had definitely not been modeling her painting after him. She wanted a chance to see if the butterflies she had felt when she saw him at the art exhibition would still be there if she saw him again under less stimulating circumstances.
    But Caroline knew that life didn’t always give you what you wanted. So she slowly folded the card shut and placed it back into the envelope. Before she could change her mind, she walked over to the corner of the living room where a small computer desk stood. Beneath the desk was a shredder, and Caroline placed the card in the shredder. She bit her lip to hold back the frustrated emotions coursing through her as she watched the beautiful card disappear into the hungry, noisy mouth of the shredder.
    She knew better than to think that she had a chance to have a real relationship with Lance. The minute anyone saw them together, rumors would be flying about how she was dating the “model” she had used for her Coast Guard paintings. Caroline had quickly learned from observing other artists around her that the only thing worse than having everyone up in your business was having everyone up in your business when you were dating. Everyone loved a good love story, and the local newspapers would start hounding you, trying to get pictures or a quote that they could turn into an “exclusive” story about your relationship to sell more papers. This constant scrutiny would place great strain on the relationship, until it started to fall apart. And the only thing people loved more than a love story was a love story gone bad. Caroline didn’t want to be in the spotlight for anything, especially not her love life.
    She was perfectly happy in her reclusive little world. Sure, it got lonely at times. But loneliness was better than having your personal life splashed across the pages of the newspaper. Caroline had decided long ago that she would only date someone she was sure things were going to work out with, and that she would take extraordinary steps to keep the relationship secret for as long as possible. She had no guarantee that things would work out with Lance. She didn’t really know anything about him, other than what he looked like. And she definitely wouldn’t be able to keep a relationship with him a secret.
    Caroline stared at the top of the shredder, where Lance’s card had been only moments before. She wiped her hands off on her pants determinedly and turned on her heel. If he really thought that they were destined to be together, then let destiny figure out a way to bring them together. Caroline wasn’t going to go messing with the perfect solitude she’d worked so hard to achieve.

Chapter Five
     
    “You’re a disgrace,” Caroline’s mother yelled at her, getting so close to Caroline’s face that little splatters of her mother’s saliva landed on her skin. “What makes you think you’re so special, that you get to throw away the years and years of premium education your father and I have paid for? Art is not something highly educated people do. It’s not what we raised you to do. Pick a university, and a real major, and get yourself a real career.”
    “Art is a real career,” Caroline said, crossing her arms. “And it’s the career I’ve chosen.”
    Caroline’s mother turned beet red with rage. “Get out. I don’t want to see your face again until you’ve come to your senses and chosen a respectable career path. And don’t expect any more financial support from me. I will not be the financier of these pipe dreams. You’re a disgrace.”
    A loud clap of thunder sounded, and Caroline woke with a start, beads of sweat forming on her face and neck. She sat up slowly in the darkness of her room, breathing rapidly and