If the woman was surprised, it didn’t show. ”Well honey.” She hopped up onto the counter, swinging her legs in a way that was all too familiar to Maura. ”You’re new to the area and no one moves here unless they’re all kinds of gay.” It wasn’t a question, it was a fact. ”And when you saw me, you looked for a moment like you were gonna eat me alive.” She smirked as she finished her sentence. ”Now, did I make it up or…”

Maura stopped. Why had she moved here specifically? Was it because it was a high profile gay area, hell everyone knew that about San Francisco, it was no surprise. Even in her short exploration of the area, she’d seen more gay businesses than she could count.

”I’m not gay.” She said certainly. ”I, well, I guess you would call me bisexual if you had to put a label on it.” Maura frowned suddenly. ”Why are we talking about this?”

The woman laughed, a warm, throaty sound that both thrilled and scared Maura. She was all too much like Jane.

”Do you have any shoes?” Maura asked suddenly.

The woman looked to Maura’s feet. ”Got nothing that fancy!” she said, regarding Maura’s Jimmy Choo’s with a shrug. ”Got some nice flip flops though.”

Maura nodded and selected a simple pair from the display, her mind sprinting with thoughts, questions, and sudden regrets. She paid and thanked the woman before slipping the simple shoes on and continuing on her walk. She walked for many blocks, twisting and turning through the town she would now call home until she came to the park near her home. ’Kite Hill Open Space’ the sign read. Maura ambled through the luscious greenery, enjoying the silence and solitude that a park walk afforded. She sat on a bench and watched children playing football on the grass.

From the pocket of her slacks, she heard her ringtone and frowned. No one had called her in weeks; since she’d handed in her resignation she hadn’t heard a word from anyone. Pulling the device out into the sunshine, her heart clenched in her chest. Jane. She stared at the name until her messaging service made the decision for her and kicked in, stripping Maura of her right to choose how to deal with the call. Still she started dumbly at the screen until its mechanical beep informed her she had one new voicemail.