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mattress, and relaxed into her down pillow.
    “So far so good,” she whispered. Sharon was already asleep.
    Lynn turned off the light and closed her eyes. Just before she drifted off, she remembered Alex Vereau’s smile, his kind eyes, and heard his laugh just before the elevator door closed.
    She whispered again, “So far so good.”
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    Alex appreciated the group’s request that he stay at the hotels where the group would be staying on this tour. Usually, he went home to Cusco every evening and got up early to return to wherever they were staying for the next morning’s tour. Of course, he usually didn’t do the part of the tour in Lima.
    After a shower, he fell into bed, turned off the light, and closed his eyes. Her face still lingered in his memory. He definitely had to learn her name first thing in the morning.
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    When the alarm went off, Lynn wanted to turn over and go back to sleep. Sharon was already dragging herself into the bathroom to dress and, as she always said, “find her face and glue it back on.”
    Lynn got up and went to the windows to check out the view. What she saw was nothing she’d expected. Full cloud cover. No sun at all. Fog. The poem, “Fog,” by Carl Sandburg came to mind. It ended with “then moved on.” This fog, though, showed no sign of moving anywhere, on “little cat feet” or any other way. It engulfed everything she could see—buildings that, in places, looked like someone had put them up with colored cardboard, and people scurrying below, dressed in warm clothes with jackets. The morning traffic appeared to be as bad as it had been last night, even at this early hour.
    “Sharon! Come look at this! Our first glimpse of Lima!”
    Sharon emerged, trying to poke earrings through her earlobes. She looked, but didn’t say anything for a minute. “Okay. Where are the mountains? The Pacific? And look at the traffic! It must be morning rush hour. Or second rush hour? I think I read there are about eight million people in the Lima area. They may have rush hour all day long!”
    “ I have no idea which direction we’re facing, so I have no clue about the ocean or mountains. Since the sun is completely obscured, we can’t tell which way is east. For that matter, where is the sun? We obviously got here on a rainy day. It’s winter here, after all. Maybe the fog and clouds will burn off by this afternoon. Where are we going first?”
    “Not sure. Some ruins with a huge pyramid, I think. Then the Larco Museum for a tour and late lunch. According to my guide book, the grounds around that Museum are covered with flowers, every color you can imagine. Don’t forget your camera!”
    As if anyone on this tour could forget to bring a camera! Lynn rushed to the bathroom to get ready, with Sharon coaxing her constantly.
    “You look gorgeous! No need to mar that natural beauty with a lot of make-up! Just brush your hair and let it fly!”
    Lynn managed to get ready in record time , in spite of the fatigue from lack of sleep. At least she’d be able to rest a little on the bus on the way. She brushed her hair back into a pony tail and secured it with an elastic band.
    Downstairs, after breakfast, Alex waited by the front door. “The van is here. Watch your step getting on.” He was wearing a white straw hat with a moss green and cranberry hatband that crossed in the back. He nodded to her and held the door.
    “It’s foggy this morning.”
    “Yes, it’s always foggy here in the winter.”
    “How many months of winter do you have?”
    “Nine.”
    Lynn stopped and stared at him. “Nine? When it is not winter?”
    “January, February, and March. That’s when Lima has sun and rain.”
    “ Doesn’t it rain during the winter?”
    “Never. Just thick clouds and fog. Watch your step getting on the van. The steps will be damp.”
    He offered his hand and she took it. Again, she noticed his soft touch. His other hand in the middle of her back—to steady her, he