Lara wanted to tease her for finally lightening up a bit, but at a fragile time like this, she couldn’t bring herself to take advantage of the situation. Dana needed to be let off the hook, hand held into a comfort zone, and reassured. “You really have great friends. I think it’s so sweet that they always go out of their way to make sure you’re happy.”

Dana took a sip of her drink as she quickly scanned the room. “Yeah? Ya think? I never thought about it like that. I guess I just always thought they were super nosey. Well, Alice is for sure.” Lara laughed as she reached over and grabbed for her purse. “No. They love you Dana. That says a lot about you. If your friends love you that much, then you must be that loveable.”

Dana envied Lara’s ability to be so comfortable, especially since she felt a panic attack coming on. “I’m sorry about this place. I had heard such good things about it. They seem to take forever huh?” Dana quickly grabbed for a bread stick that was sticking out of a glass on the table. “It’s ok! It’s really nice…here. It’s…um…”

Lara leaned forward and watched Dana’s mouth closely as if she was hanging on every word, making Dana think too hard about what she was saying and ultimately, silencing any further attempt at conversation. “We don’t have to stay here…we can go someplace else, it’s no big deal. Maybe grab something on the pier and walk around.” As their eyes met, the breadstick snapped in two, sending a sea of crumbs flying in every direction. Dana dropped the breadstick and slapped her hand over her mouth as Lara, wiping the crumbs from her dress said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Marina grabbed Tim’s wrist and pulled him into her. She looked deep into his eyes and as she felt him weaken, she removed his hand, taking a step back. Her icy stare returned with the revelation standing before her. He wore an exposed nerve of his own, and she found it. Tim looked to Jenny for something, anything, but she offered nothing. Marina finally walked over to her and said, “Show me.”