"I rent a room from her, Krista. It's not quite the same thing."

"Okay, fine, but where is she?"

"She had a date."

"Oh yeah? Anyone I know?"

"You and Laura travel in the same circles, do you?"

Her face splitting into a grin, Krista said, "No, I guess we don't. But come on, who is he?"

"Well, if you must know, his name is Phillip Hoult, and he's a doctor."

"A doctor? Laura's okay, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's fine. A few weeks ago, one of the residents at Calloway twisted her ankle and Laura drove her to the walk-in clinic. Apparently, Hoult splits his time between there and the hospital, and they got to talking. One thing led to the other...blah, blah, blah."

"Is it serious?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Toni said, shutting the refrigerator. "She seems happy."

"And how about you? Are you happy?"

"I'm getting there," Toni said, starting the coffeemaker. "I've got my own room and my books. That's all I need."

Before Krista could speak, her mobile rang, and excusing herself, she disappeared into the lounge.

After tidying the kitchen, Toni placed a hefty portion of lasagna on a plate, and she was just finishing wrapping it in foil when Kris came back into the room.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut our night short."

"Is Robin okay?"

"Yeah, but she feels absolutely awful and is requesting soup, so I'm going to hit the market and head home. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Toni said, handing her the plate. "Take this with you. There's enough for both of you if you decide you want to share it."

Krista leaned over and kissed Toni on the cheek. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."

"No worries, Krista. Go take care of Robin."

It had been two weeks since Toni's bedroom had been redecorated, but when she went in and flicked on the light, she smiled as if she'd never seen it before. Laura was right. The new had helped. Gone was the smell of musty books that had reminded her of an apartment she couldn't return to, and clothes long past their prime had been replaced by ones crisp, their colors still true and vivid. Eyeing the small pile of books neatly arranged on the dresser, Toni almost didn't want to disturb their newness. Although her recently purchased collection had yet to grow beyond a dozen, their covers were glossy and unscratched, and their pages had yet to curl from use.

Deciding that it didn't matter which she chose because she knew what each contained, Toni picked up the one on top of the stack and returned to the lounge where her coffee was waiting. Taking a sip, she sat down and propped her legs on the coffee table, but before she could open the book, she heard the front door open.

"It's me," Laura shouted.

"You're home early. Something wrong?" Toni asked when Laura appeared in the doorway.

"No, Phillip got called back to the hospital, so he put me in a taxi, and here I am," Laura said, slipping out of her high heels. "Where's Kris?"

"Robin called and requested soup to help fend off her cold, so she left a few minutes ago. You just missed her."

"Oh, that's too bad. There wouldn't be any lasagna left, would there?"

"Half a tray," Toni said, placing her book on the end table. "It's still on the stove cooling down. Why don't you go change, and I'll fix you a plate?"

"Thanks." Grabbing her shoes, Laura ran up the stairs. "Be right back."

A few minutes later, wearing track pants and an oversized jersey, Laura came into the kitchen. "Is there any wine open?"

Toni pointed at the glass on the counter filled with Chianti. "I already poured you some, but I wasn't sure whether you wanted to eat in here or in the other room."

"Lounge works for me," Laura said, taking her wine and food and disappearing through the doorway.

Tickled by Laura's apparent need for sustenance, Toni poured herself what remained of the Chianti and headed back to the lounge. Sitting down, she tried her best to hide her amusement as she watched Laura devour her dinner.

Noticing a glint of humor in Toni's eyes, Laura asked, "What?"

"Nothing."

"Do I have tomato sauce on my face?"

"I doubt that it was quick enough to escape your mouth."

Laughing, Laura put her plate to the side. "Sorry. I didn't have lunch."

"I thought I was the only one with an eating disorder."

"I've noticed you're doing a bit better with that."

"All depends on the day."

"Why?"

"It's a hard habit to break. I'm a trained dog, Laura. I was taught to ration my food in preparation for days when there wouldn't be any. So, some days I manage to eat my lunch, and others, I can barely finish half of it."

"But at dinner, you're fine."

"That's because I know you're watching me," Toni said with a grin. "Honestly, I'm doing better than I was. Habits just take time to break. And speaking of time, you seem to be spending a lot of time with your new boyfriend. How's that going?"

"It's still early on, but it seems to be going okay, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I've not had a lot of luck in the boyfriend department in recent years, so I'm a bit wary of moving too fast."

"And he wants to?" Seeing Laura instantly blush, Toni said, "Oh, I see."

"It's not that I'm a prude or anything, but I don't see the need to fall into bed with someone I barely know just because he's a handsome doctor."

"A bit full of himself, is he?"

"Not really, but I get this feeling that he likes the title a bit too much."

"How so?"

"Like tonight," Laura began, tucking her legs under her as she sipped her wine. "He forgot to make a reservation, so when we got to the restaurant we were going to have to wait in the queue, so he told the maitre d' that his name was Dr. Phillip Hoult."

"Well, that is his name."

"I know, but it was just the way he said it, like he wanted preferential treatment because of it."

"It could also be because he knew he was on-call and was afraid he'd have to go back to work."

"Are you defending him?"

"No. I'm simply saying that in this day and age, I would think that a handsome doctor would be a good catch."

"Who said I'm fishing?" Laura said with a huff.

Smiling, Toni said, "You're in a mood tonight."

"No, I'm not! I just don't want to be pushed into a relationship simply because he fits into the mold of what some people think women want!"

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa," Toni said, trying not to laugh. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Realizing that she'd been shouting, Laura sighed. "Sorry, but for a minute there you sounded like my mother."

"Well, by your reaction, I'm thinking that's not a good thing?"

"Toni, I love my mum, but sometimes it seems like she's pressuring me to get married and have kids. Like that's what a woman needs to be happy."

"I think they call that old school."

"Well, she needs to graduate!"

Laura had never seen Toni laugh-really laugh-until that moment, but watching her toss back her head and roar brought a smile to Laura's face. Waiting until Toni's merriment subsided, Laura said, "You have a nice laugh."

"Thanks," Toni said as she stood up and picked up the empty plate. "I'm going to get some wine. Would you like some more?"

"Yes, please."

Returning a few minutes later with a freshly opened bottle, Toni filled Laura's glass and settled back into her corner of the sofa.

"Can I ask you a question?" Laura said as she sipped her wine.

"I've yet to figure out a way to stop you, so go ahead," Toni said with a chuckle.

"What did you mean when you said that part of your life was over?"

"Huh?"

"That night, when you were painting your room. I was talking about you bringing a woman home, and you said that part of your life was over. Why'd you say that?"

"Because it's the truth."

"Just like that."

"Yep."

"Don't you ever think about it?"

"What?"

"Sex."

Stopping for a moment, Toni took a sip of wine. Quietly, she said, "No, I don't."

"Really?"

"Why do you find that so surprising?"

"Well, for one thing, you're young and attractive, intelligent and-"

"Don't forget my finer features. Let's see...afraid of crowds and strangers and of course, there's the little issue about being touched."

"But that can change."

"I don't ever see it happening."

"Why?"

Abruptly, Toni stood up and emptied her glass in one swallow. "Refill that, will you? I need to use the loo."

Going into her bathroom, Toni shut the door, and leaning against it, her hands turned into fists. Why couldn't Laura let it go? Why did she need to know answers to things better left unspoken? Yes, talking about the food had helped, but this wasn't about hunger. This was about pain. This was about depravity and scars and pain. Closing her eyes, Toni tried to keep her annoyance at bay, but with every breath she took, it grew. Laura wasn't going to let go, and Toni knew it. If it wasn't tonight, then it would be another night. If it wasn't this question, then it would be another...and then another. Shaking her head, Toni opened her eyes. It was time to get off the carousel and give Laura answers to a few questions. Maybe then she wouldn't ask any more.

Returning to the lounge a few minutes later, Toni sat down, picked up her wine and nearly drained the glass.

"Are you trying to get pissed?" Laura asked.

"No," Toni said, holding out her glass for a refill.

Scrutinizing the woman as she topped off her glass, Laura asked, "What's going on?"

"Liquid courage."