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that included a bath pillow and a CD with the sounds of the ocean and a rainforest.
    Of course, all the bath beads and relaxation pillows in the world wouldn’t bring Ms. Chapman back. Nothing would.
    Audra let out a heavy sigh. She’d never become accustomed to losing a patient. Never. Over time, the pain and feeling of hopelessness lessened, but it was always difficult...heart wrenching. Mary Lou had been sympathetic as Audra turned in her incident report, but all the sympathy in the world didn’t ease Audra’s feeling she should have done more.
    Sure, she knew all the platitudes. Ms. Chapman was old, she’d been ill for a while, she was in a better place, blah, blah, blah. Truth was, she was gone. Hard as she and Jaxon and the others had tried, Ms. Chapman was as dead as if they hadn’t done a thing.
    Shaking her head to rid her mind of the dismal thoughts, she stripped and slid into the hot, scented water. In a matter of moments, the gentle sound of rain and the soothing scent of vanilla enveloped her.
    She rested her head on the bath pillow and closed her eyes, trying not to see Ms. Chapman’s sweet face, or hear the drone of the heart monitor as it mocked their efforts to save her. It just wasn’t fair. Not fair at all. Death was so sudden, so final. One second you were there, the next you just….weren’t.
    She took a long, deep breath, trying to visualize a tropical rainforest. Green thick, leafy trees...a drizzle of moisture falling gently...monkeys chirping...
    The muted sound of the doorbell cut through her solitude, and she startled awake. She had no idea how long she’d been dozing, but now the water was tepid. Standing, she reached for a bath towel, shivering when the cool air licked her skin.
    As she limped down the hallway, she attempted to dry her body, slip on a robe, and make her way to the door all at the same time. She was only marginally successful with the drying.
    Through the peephole, she saw Riley standing on her porch.
    When she swung the door open, Riley lifted a bottle of Chablis toward her like a presenter at an awards ceremony. “I brought wine.”
    Audra smiled, stepping back to allow Riley inside. “I can see that.”
    As Riley brushed past, her gaze took in Audra’s attire. “Already in your robe? It appears I’m just in time. You’re not allowed to be pathetic tonight. Grab some glasses.”
    Riley wore black sweat pants and a Packers sweatshirt, and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, which, in Audra’s estimation, only put her a few rungs ahead of Audra on the wardrobe ladder.
    Audra forced a small smile. “You know, you don’t have to bring alcohol every time I lose a patient. I’m sure you had better things to do tonight.”
    “Trust me, I wanted to come over. Sadie’s with Mom, and I had nothing to do.”
    “Where’s Brent?”
    She grinned. “At home. And that’s the third good reason for me to be here.”
    Audra laughed. “Have a seat,” she said, taking the bottle. “I’ll get the glasses.”
    While Riley settled in the living room, Audra searched the kitchen for the corkscrew. Following a brief struggle to remove the cork, she filled two glasses and joined Riley, bringing the bottle with her.
    “Thanks,” Riley said when Audra handed her a glass, then settled cross-legged on the sofa.
    Audra set the bottle on the coffee table and sat next to Riley. She clicked the remote and turned the television onto the Elvis Presley music station. “Long Black Limousine” was playing. Sadness filled her heart as Elvis sang the haunting lyrics of a hearse carrying his lost love. Just the kind of song she needed to hear, the mood she was in.
    Riley took a sip from her glass, then tilted it toward Audra. “We’ll call this a combination mourning and celebration. I settled a case today, and my client got almost everything we asked for.”
    Audra scowled. “Somehow, celebrating divorce just doesn’t seem right.”
    “I don’t celebrate divorce, but if there is