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distraction. As I was readying myself for my return to the office, Daniel came into the bedroom, suitcase in hand, dressed in his customary business attire. He dropped the bag and extended his arms to me.
    “I can postpone my trip ‘til the end of the month. It’s not too late,” he said, feigning a pout. I walked to him and let him embrace me.
    “Brian and I can survive a few days without you.”
    “I know, but you need me right now. I already feel like an ass as it is. Better yet, why don’t you come on this trip with me? Miami will be warm and sunny. You can lounge by the pool while I’m in my meetings. Brian can take care of himself for a few days.”
    “That actually sounds wonderful, but I can’t miss Beth’s service tomorrow.”
    “Okay. Guess I can understand that.” He kissed me on the cheek, gave me a half smile, and hefted his suitcase. “I’ll see you in a few days then,” he said, turning towards the door. ”Give Brian a hug for me, will ya?”
    A small part of me wanted to go with him. The notion of warm weather almost made me change my mind. But then I flashed back to a business trip I’d made with him to Las Vegas several years ago. The company he worked for, Ace Technologies was hosting its annual conference. He’d assured me we’d have lots of time to do fun things together between his meetings. It hadn’t turned out that way. I’d spent most of my time by myself, watching pay-per-view movies in the hotel room. Good times. Shaking off the memories, I got dressed.
    * * *
    Twenty-five minutes later I was walking into the office, half expecting to see Beth sitting at her desk. Reality wasted no time in slapping me hard across the face. It always fascinated me that a person could be alive one minute and gone the next and the world kept on going just the same.
    I set my purse on the desk and began to flip through the pages of the appointment book. It became apparent as I leafed through the client files how organized Beth had been. Six weeks ago, when Daniel had suggested that I hire someone to help me run the business, I had thought it might be more trouble than it was worth. But when Beth walked into the office and applied for the job, I’d hired her on the spot. We had an instant chemistry, and she’d turned out to be the perfect receptionist. Punctual. Always willing to do whatever was necessary. She’d even taken an interest in the practice end of it, asking questions about clients and their treatments, wanting to understand how the various techniques helped people with particular physical complaints.
    As I sat lost in thought, the mailman walked in. I signed for a small package, together with a handful of envelopes. When he left, I opened the small, brown box and removed the bottles of essential oils I’d ordered the week before. Picking up the envelopes and leafing through them, I came upon one addressed to Beth Stevens. It was pale yellow and looked to be a greeting card by the square shape. There was no return address. To just throw it away seemed too cold, to give it to Jacob or Max too heartless. I decided to open it. “Congratulations on Your Engagement” was printed in raised, gold script on the front. Inside, it read:
    Dear Beth,
    I am so pleased to hear of your engagement. I will be in town next Saturday, November 13, on business and would love to meet for drinks at Barney’s at 4 p.m. Looking forward to seeing you again, and please give my regards to your fiancé, Jacob.
    Love,
    Your cousin,
    Greg
    Deciding to hold onto it, I tucked the card into my purse. When I glanced back down at the client list, the sadness and anger began to creep back in. The thought of Beth’s life cut short made me want to scream.
    I had just finished rescheduling all the appointments when an attractive woman who looked to be in her early thirties walked in.
    “Hi, can I help you?” I asked, wondering if she was one of Gabby’s clients.
    “Yes. My name is Lindy,” she said, looking around