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anything.”
    He shrugged and lay back down, wrapping his arms around me as I rolled to rest my head on his shoulder. His hand gently rubbed a small circle on my back until I drifted back off to sleep.
    When I next woke, it was morning and the sun was bright through the window. Stretching my stiff muscles I noticed that Danny’s side of the bed was already vacant. I listened for him in the bathroom, but was met with only silence. Navigating my way downstairs through the boxes and clutter, I sleepily appraised the never ending task in front of us. We’d been there two weeks, but were still trying to fit our stuff in and decide what we wanted to keep of the old. Every closet or corner I looked in held something new and unfamiliar. I found Danny in the kitchen eating cereal, reading the newspaper.
    “Mornin’ sunshine—anymore bad dreams last night?”
    “Nope, slept like a baby.” And it was true. Piper heard the sound of my voice and raced in from her bird watching out of the library window. She jumped against my legs, begging to be picked up. I scooped her into my arms and snuggled her.
    “And how did you sleep last night, Piper?” Piper tilted her fuzzy head and looked at me questioningly before she licked her nose and took to chewing on my hand that was petting her. I kissed the top of her head and set her back on the floor. She happily trotted out of the kitchen and back to her self-appointed post in the library.
    Danny walked over to give me a bear hug. “If only you were that open with other people.”
    I rolled my eyes and swatted him. Suspicion came naturally to me. I didn’t trust most people because most people didn’t deserve to be trusted. Danny was always the life of the party, and I was always the girl on the outskirts talking to a couple people I already knew. It was amazing we ever got together.
    “If other people were as trust worthy as dogs, I wouldn’t have a problem,” I replied. “And I’ve been trying. I was nice to those people at the hardware store, the Daniels.”
    “Yeah, they seemed nice and young. We should invite them over for dinner some evening.”
    I made a face.
    “What happened to being nice?” Danny asked.
    “Being nice is one thing, but we’re nowhere near having this house ready for guests.” I looked around at the boxes and piles everywhere. The kitchen table was so full we couldn’t even sit down for a meal.
    “Then we can go out to dinner.”
    “Fine.”  I shrugged nonchalantly. Some people make friends easily; I was not one of those people. Danny loved to have big groups of people around so I would try for him. I was fonder of intimate settings, though maybe the house would seem less looming with a crowd.   Or, perhaps, if I didn’t feel so alien in this town, I’d feel more comfortable in general . . .  It would be good for me. What could it hurt?
     
    “Excuse me.” A voice came from behind me pulling me out of the cloud of melancholy hovered over me. I stepped to the side to let the woman pass. Why did I never feel better after leaving Dr. Livingston’s office than when I arrived? I was making my way distractedly through the maze of hospital hallways to the elevator, when  a booming, triumphant voice brought me back to reality—or at least got me to peer through the prison bars of my mind.
    “Ella? I knew I’d see you again!”
    I glanced into the elevator for the source of the voice, hoping it wasn’t just in my head. Relief filled me as my eyes rested on a real, flesh and blood person.  It took me a moment to recognize him though. I frowned out of habit. “Right . . . from the bar.”
    “Yep, it’s me all right—what are you doing in the hospital?”
    “Visiting,” I lied. It was none of his business what I was doing here.
    “Well, then I’m lucky to catch you. I have a few moments, would you like to accompany me for coffee?”
    Would I like to accompany him? Seriously, who speaks like that? Should I curtsey? “Thank you, but no.