A notification buzzes on my wrist.
High priority email from Roz.
Have Nestlé gotten back to us about the product launch?
Did they like my idea about the chocolate river?
I open my laptop to browse for an update.
Tattoo studio opening, reads the intro line.
A message from some woman named Vonnie James.
Not my kind of thing.
“Could be a goldmine for networking,” Roz suggests.
Apparently the artist is a big deal.
“Lots of important people will be there. Celebrities, musicians, athletes.”
Red carpet posers with puffy lips, I bet.
“Ugh. No thanks,” I laugh.
“Think about it,” she urges. “Astra Luna could use the clout if you're selling up.”
She has a point, damn it.
???
Driving out to the lake, I spend a few days clearing my mind.
Reading, napping, swimming laps around the bay.
Each night I split and stack wood for the fire.
I seek comfort in the swirl of constellations above me.
Ursa Major. Orion. Cassiopeia.
I’m getting good at being alone.
I’ve had plenty of time to adjust to solo life.
But this exquisite view is wasted without somebody to share it with.
Someone who isn’t afraid of the dark.
Someone who can handle all of my quirks.
You're a handful, I sigh.
Who could possibly be brave enough?
Porter was my awakening.
Olsen was my catalyst, both loving him and losing him.
