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to reconcile whether I had made things worse. Certainly I had for Dorcas. The last time we had seen each other, she had sustained her injury. If it hadn’t been for my visit, she would be whole.
    Yet I would want to know what happened after the storm. I longed to learn of Dorcas’s fate. Was the waterfall offering me a chance to assuage my thirst to know?
    Or did it, perhaps, have a bigger plan?
    This was an intriguing possibility. There might be a mission for me in the past, if only I could discern what it was.
    It was time to have a stern talk with the falls.

C HAPTER T EN
    A W IDE S WATH
    Susanna received a big envelope via snail mail today from the examination center. They still had our address as her place of residence.
    It had to be the scores from her placement exam, and I knew it had to be good news. There must be other stuff in there, too, like all of the information she would need to start on her GED prep program.
    I was itching to find out for sure. The sooner she got her diploma out of the way, the sooner she could start college. I wanted to watch her tear into this envelope right now, but I’d also promised Gabrielle that we could start on our next psychology project, even though it was Friday. She had to head to Hollywood tomorrow morning for a bunch of weekend meetings.
    There was an easy solution. I went to Gabrielle’s house first and then had her driver take us to Lucy’s. We could work there as well as anywhere. At least, I hoped so.
    The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived. I held the door for Gabrielle and followed her in. She stood uncertainly just inside the entrance while her bodyguard gave it a once-over.
    “Is this fast food?” she asked me after he gave her the nod.
    “Not really.” My attention had already zoomed in on Susanna.
    She was in the dining area, busing a table. A tall guy in the same overalls-style uniform stood beside her, talking fast. The moment his gaze landed on Gabrielle, his mouth fell open.
    Susanna straightened and glanced our way. When I smiled, she didn’t smile back. Instead, she spoke a few words to the guy, who immediately transferred his gaping stare to her. Clutching a tub of dirty dishes to her chest, she stepped around her co-worker and approached us.
    “Hello.” She nodded at Gabrielle before focusing on me. “Why are you here early?”
    So much for a warm welcome. “We thought we’d grab dessert while we study.”
    She met my gaze without blinking or smiling. “There is red velvet cake today. It is delicious.”
    “Can you join us?”
    “Perhaps in a few minutes.”
    Once Susanna had taken off for the back, Gabrielle tucked her hand into the crook of my arm. “What do we do?”
    I had to drag my gaze away from the sight of Susanna’s stiff form disappearing through a swinging door. “Cake and coffee?” At her nod, I pointed at the front counter. “Do you mind placing the order? The staff would much rather gawk at you than me.”
    I grabbed a table with a good view of the dining room. While Gabrielle was talking to the cashier, Susanna reappeared with new rags and a broom. She gave me a brief, hard stare before walking to the opposite side of the restaurant.
    A lot of staff found a reason to come into the dining room to watch us. Two people brought our food. Gabrielle ended up signing three autographs.
    We were laughing over some of the stupid ideas we’d come up with for our project outline when Susanna walked up, a mug in her hand, and drew out the chair next to mine.
    “Hey, babe. Are you okay?”
    “I am.” She watched me steadily. “What have you been discussing?”
    “Sigmund Freud.” I slid my tablet into my backpack. It must be almost time to go.
    “What is that?”
    Gabrielle jerked in surprise. Susanna’s eyes flickered, but she had no other reaction. “Sigmund Freud was a drug-addicted scientist who pioneered psychology, a field that has spent the past century trying to forget him.”
    She frowned. “When is this