Six months had passed since the coffee shop. The seasons had turned from the damp gray of autumn to the crisp, clear light of winter. Snow dusted the peaks of the Olympics across the sound, visible from the higher points of the city. Bella sat at her desk, the cursor blinking on a blank email draft. The attachment sat ready: The_Open_Gate_Final.pdf.
It had taken her a year to write. A year of mornings spent in the quiet of her study, while the city woke up outside. A year of afternoons at the Center, managing the expansion into Portland and Boise. A year of evenings with David, learning the rhythm of a new relationship, one that didn't require her to be a widow or a savior, but simply a partner.
She hovered over the mouse. The publisher was waiting. They had been patient. They knew the b
