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loved Carrie, but I’ve seen her like this before. When the girl gets tired, she is down for the count. I should have known, a full week of travelling had taken a toll on her.
    David leaned in. “I can take you home, Samantha,” he said softly.
    I looked up at David. He had an interesting way of anticipating my needs. I vacillated for a few moments, weighing my options, and then turned to Curtis.
    “Curtis, is there any way Carrie can sleep here tonight? I don’t want her driving if she is tired.”
    “Of course honey, me casa es Carrie’s casa. We have plenty of room. I could just give her a blanket and she can keep sleeping right there. But how will you get home?”
    “I’ve got that covered,” David interjected.
    “Of course.” Curtis gave me a knowing look. I was willing to put up with all the teasing from my boss because the reward would be worth it. Besides, I had sex in your pantry , I chanted in my mind. I stood up, and David followed. Curtis and I said our goodbyes, and I looked around for Jenna. Where did she go?
    “Jenna already left with Michael,” David said matter-of-factly, again, reading my mind. He pulled out his cell phone and pushed a button. “Thomas, we’re all set.”
    We left through the front door and traipsed down the walkway, surrounded by glittering white lights. When we arrived at the wrought-iron gate, the black SUV was already at the curb, idling. Thomas jumped out and opened the door for me.
    “Miss Sharp,” he greeted me, with a little nod of the head.
    “Thomas,” I greeted him back with a smile. And I slid into the dark cocoon with David. We sat as close as possible. I leaned my head against his chest and felt the subtle rise and fall of his breath. I decided I could live right there, forever, and be blissfully happy with this man I barely knew. He stroked my hair gently as we crisscrossed through the streets of Berkeley, on the way back to my place.
    “Shit.” I sat straight up.
    “Samantha? Are you okay? What is it?” David looked at me with concern in his voice.
    “My keys are in Carrie’s purse.” I cringed. Carrie had a large leather clutch that evening, and when she offered to hold my keys and phone, I accepted all too willingly.
    “Do Clark and Leslie have a spare key?”
    “It’s too late to bother them. They go to sleep around ten.” And it was way past ten. I didn’t want to go back to Curtis’s; he was probably on his way to bed by now.
    “You can come and stay at my place,” he stated. And before I could answer, he pressed a button and the divider separating us from Thomas lowered. “Thomas, take us home, please.” Thomas nodded, and the divider went back up.
    “But I don’t have my things, and I have to work tomorrow,” I protested.
    “We’ll figure something out.” He looked bemused, like somehow this was his plan all along.
    Thomas turned onto the on ramp, and the SUV roared to life as it picked up velocity. We sped past the sparkling city lights and the glow of the Port of Oakland as we made our way onto the Bay Bridge. Passing through the mid-span tunnel, my eyes closed and the amber lights dimmed. I put my head back against David’s chest and drifted off into a beautiful sleep, dreaming of moonlight and darkness.

4
    I was hiking in the redwoods. The trees were tall around me, and the fog was so dense and thick, I couldn’t make out much more than twenty feet in front of me. The damp air made me shiver, and I was lost, I couldn’t get my bearings. I was alone and there was something, some animal in the bushes, following me. I increased my speed, and broke out into a run. It kept pace. I ran for a while, darting up and down fern-filled canyons. Finally, I came to a deep, rushing river, and there was no way around it. The animal was catching up to me. I heard it growl, and I turned around to face it, my heart thumping.
    And I woke up, sitting straight up as I tried to get my bearings. I was in a bed, but the shapes weren’t