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life.
    "Would you mind if I went down to the bar?" Cameron asked her suddenly.
    She glanced over at the bottle of Scotch. It was almost empty.
    He was   nervous.
    She envied Nancy, having this sort of effect on Cameron. And she remembered the day she'd found out she'd never have a child of her own. She'd doubted, at that moment, that any man would want her. As a wife, lover, longtime companion. Culture could play all sorts of games with male and female roles, but some instincts were too deeply embedded.
    She was flawed and men could smell it with the keen instincts of an animal.
    "Not at all."
    This was it. Time to say goodbye. She might see him once in a while when she did legal work for his company. But it wouldn't be the same. Marriage changed everything and she had no doubt this Nancy was probably fertile as a turtle.
    "I'll wait for her. Just for a little bit."
    Curiosity. It had killed the cat and it just might kill her. She had to know what Nancy looked like, what the attraction was. She had to see the woman who was going to have everything she'd ever wanted.
    "You're a sweetheart."
    He was staring at her with the strangest expression. She held up her hand to ward off the words she knew were coming.
    "Don't, Cameron—"
    "I wish it could've been different."
    "Don't." She turned her head away from him.
    He hesitated for a moment then she heard him get up from the couch. She closed her eyes as hot tears seeped between her lashes.
    Then she heard the sound of a door closing.
     
    * * *
     
    Nancy stood by the huge map in the BART station. Nervously she chewed a fingernail as she tried to figure out how to get to the Four Seasons Clift.
    She was somewhere in Berkeley, last time she'd asked. She'd gone back up above ground and had a cup of cappuccino and a chocolate biscotti at Caffe Mediterraneum on Telegraph, and bought a paperback psychology book with tips on good communicative skills in marriage.
    But she still wasn't quite sure where she was.
    A street musician had set up a few feet down from the map and the mournful sound of his saxophone filled the air.
    She walked over to him and waited patiently until he finished playing. Then she tossed some change into the basket he'd placed in front of him.
    "Do you know which train I should take to get to the Four Seasons—"
    He smiled and she realized he was a little too happy. Drunk, stoned, or both.
    "Be happy, pretty lady. There's a full moon out tonight. It’ s time for us to play!"
    She walked back to the map and started chewing another nail.
     
    * * *
     
    The Scotch had made her tired. And depressed.
    Michaela wondered why Cameron hadn't come back yet. And where was Nancy? She returned her empty glass to the bar and paced the length of the luxurious suite. She'd kicked off her heels while she'd been sitting on the couch and the plush carpeting felt good against her bare feet.
    Curiosity...
    She couldn't resist and slowly walked down the hall, her feet soundless. She stopped outside the master bedroom and slowly pushed the door open.
    The room was beautiful, the furnishings sumptuous. The covers of the king-sized bed had been turned back and a basket of freshly baked cookies was on the bedside table.
    Feeling like a thief casing a house for a robbery, she walked over and snitched a cookie.
    The rich crumbs melted in her mouth as she wandered around the room, wishing with all her heart that fate had given her a second chance and that Cameron was coming back to her. To be with her.
    She walked to the window and stared up into the sky. A full moon floated in the clear night sky, luminous and huge. She couldn't stop looking at it, it positively mesmerized her.
    A full moon. A night for lunatics. Or lovers.
    She ate the last piece of cookie and studied the moon. She'd stay just a little bit longer but leave before either Cameron or Nancy returned.
    Suddenly she was so very tired and no longer curious.
     
    * * *
     
    Cameron took a last swallow of his drink and smiled at