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her knuckles. “Well, up until a minute ago, I was pretty pissed. Before that, I was happy to have brunch with my insane boyfriend. And before that, I was freaked out by a weird dream I had last night.”
    The waitress returned with her mimosa, looked at Shane, and smiled at her.
    “Would you like to order something from the kitchen now? The only thing we’re out of is the salmon.”
    “I’ll have the eggs benedict and a salad.”
    “And you?” she said, turning to Shane.
    He scanned the menu. “Hmmm, I think I’ll go for the crème brulee French toast and a cheeseburger, hold the pickles.”
    The waitress raised an eyebrow, but left it at that.
    “Now that Miss Nosy is gone, tell me about the dream.” He stroked her cheek and her heart melted at his touch. She couldn’t wait for brunch to be over so he could really make being late up to her.
    “It was really freaky. You know how most dreams fade as the day goes on, so by lunchtime you can’t even recall a single detail, only the feeling, if you’re lucky?”
    “I don’t consciously remember any of my dreams. I think they come out when I paint, but I have no control over it.”
    Aimee tucked her hair over her ears and said, “Well, it’s been five hours and I can still see and feel everything in this dream. It’s more like a memory. I told you it was strange.”
    She took a sip of her mimosa. Shane downed his glass of water, crunching on the ice.
    He said, “Come on, you can’t leave me hanging like that.”
    She ran her finger along the top of her glass, her gaze drifting, leaving the café.
    “I was in it, but I couldn’t see myself. It looked like I was in some old place, like from a really long time ago. I had a family, a husband and a son. We lived in a kind of hut made of peat moss, I think. It was nice, peaceful, and even though I was in a strange place I had never seen before, I felt at home. I was sweeping the floor when it all changed.”
    Shane made a nervous laugh. “Now I know it was a dream. I do all the sweeping for you.”
    She gave him a light kick under the table and continued. “My husband left the house and I kissed him good-bye. My son was playing with some rocks and a rope in the corner of the kitchen. As I was sweeping, he looked up at me, called me ‘Mommy’, and disappeared into the floor. I screamed, and there was this huge red stain where he had just been. I was about to search the small house for him when I felt this sharp pain in my back. I looked down to see a knife sticking out of my stomach. My insides felt like they were on fire and I knew I was going to die. I fell to the floor, gasping for breath, feeling my blood pour out around me. I was so terrified, but all I could think of was my son, and I wished my husband would come back, not to save us, but to be the last thing I saw before I died. And then…”
    Shane sat at the edge of his chair, entranced by her dream. He could almost feel her agony, her fear. “Then what?” he urged.
    “I…I felt myself floating out of my body. I could hear my heart begin to slow down. I screamed as loud as I could, and that’s when I woke up. I’ve never had a dream like that. I was hoping that a day out, with you, would help erase it.”
    She shivered and covered her face with her hands.
    “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” she said, peeking out from behind her hands.
    “I’m not in any position to call anyone crazy. That was a hell of a dream, though.”
    Aimee regained her composure, now giving him her puppy dog eyes. “If I ask you to sleep over tonight, will you? I don’t want to be alone if I have that dream again.”
    He moved over to her side and put his arm around her. “I’m all yours.”
    She melted into his embrace and minutes later, they dove into their food. They spent the day visiting a small art exhibit and then took in a movie. After making love, they lay side by side and the dream did not return.

Chapter Six
    “You surprise me,” Father Michael