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barely looked up from the computer long enough to notice, but you’re right.” Millicent quickly checked her mail slot and added, “I might make it an hour and a half.”
    “There you go, you deserve it. You’ve been working nonstop.”
    Millicent smiled and headed for the door. Her therapist was right. Getting back to work had been helpful. The workplace had always been an area where she felt in control, and here was no different. The long hours and hard work had been therapeutic, and productive. She’d already made big strides toward Innovative Design’s new marketing direction.
    Millicent stepped out into a typically beautiful February afternoon in California. The sky was a brilliant blue and after the rains of earlier in the week, crystal clear. She greeted two of her colleagues as they passed her on their way back into the office, hopped into her Infiniti coupe, and quickly maneuvered out of the parking lot. But instead of taking a left toward her usual lunch locale, a quaint shopping center a few blocks down, she took a right and decided to drive toward the ocean. Maybe she could enjoy a quick stroll and a sandwich. Yes, the beach sounded like a great choice.
    San Diego was growing on her, and she’d already fallen in love with her condo in La Jolla. She’d initially balked at the large purchase. The housing market had grown absolutely ridiculous in the five years since she’d purchased her last abode, and she’d felt reluctant to take on such a huge debt. But in the end, she’d figured that not only was the condo a good investment, but it allowed her to live as she desired, in an affluent neighborhood. Her new complex boasted every amenity, including swimming pools, three hot tubs, an exercise room, sauna, doorman, lounge with a pool table and big screen TV, and an exquisitely designed club house for parties and other social functions. Fortunately her good credit, and her ability to place a large down payment with some of the profit from her previous condo sale, allowed her to get a good interest rate, reasonable terms, and a manageable mortgage. She was also glad she’d decided to sell her old furniture and start fresh with her new home’s decor. The only things she’d kept were her personal accessories and artwork, including the prized Henry Tanner original, The Annunciation .
    Millicent was still becoming familiar with the streets of San Diego, so it was a half hour before she found what she was looking for, a small strip of shops next to the ocean. She pulled into a parking lot and stopped by the attendant’s booth. Within minutes, she was following the bike path several yards from the water. She’d removed her suit jacket and was sorely tempted to take off her shoes, but refrained. Just seeing and hearing the water was enough. There was something immensely soothing about the waves ebbing and tiding against the shore. She’d walked for less than ten minutes when she could resist no more. She eased out of her two-inch-heeled sandals and cautiously stepped into the sand. The ocean seemed to call her, and she obeyed the urge to move closer, let the water touch her feet. For several moments she stood there, head tilted up slightly, eyes closed, breathing in deep breaths of the moist, sea air. Opening her eyes, she gazed out to the ocean’s edge, a mirage, of course, because the ocean went on forever, past the Hawaiian Islands, past Japan, beyond China, and on until it joined quietly, seamlessly, with the Arabian Sea.
    There was such gratitude pouring from her heart in this moment. No one could have convinced her she’d ever live in California again, much less be working and enjoying it. From the beginning, Innovative Designs had made it clear that they wanted her to come on full-time, and now she was actually considering their offer. It was a great group of people—less than twenty made up the whole company—and it had a decidedly family feel. She’d objected adamantly at first but Bob, the