It was a quick ride to her house, and I was glad. The train ride was long and I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. I unloaded the luggage and we walked up the few steps to her beach house. Liz took out a house key and opened the door. I stepped inside and looked around. It was a very soothing atmosphere; the living room set with a soft tan color. I peered into the bathroom. The shower curtain was a pale blue with sprinkles of seashells on it. The soap dispenser had baby turtles swimming on it.

"Jeff's not here yet. He's at work. Did I ever tell you what he does?"

I shook my head in response to Liz while I scoped out the house. She didn't realize I wasn't listening, but that's how she's always been. She'll talk for hours on end, regardless of whether or not anyone's listening.

"Well, he's a journalist. Last week he got the cover story of the Oakland Chronicles!" she continued.

"That's great!" I said, because it really was. Good for Jeff. But I wasn't all that interested in what Jeff did. "What do you do, Lizzie?" I asked, tracing the meticulous design on the kitchen cabinet.

She paused. "I'm a waitress. At the local diner. Betty's. It's a nice place, really. They pay well, too." Her voice was soft and I knew she was hesitant to tell me.

Lizzie had watched her mother get murdered at a diner back in Washington. Her mother, Patricia, was waitressing tables one night and Liz came to help. As Patricia scribbled down the orders of a friendly elderly couple, a man shot her. Liz tried to warn her. She watched her mother fall slowly to the ground, lifeless and cold.

She vowed never to step into a diner again.

I didn't know what to say when Liz told me about her new job, so I said, "That's nice, Liz. Really nice." I even offered up a comforting smile. Something I hadn't done for too long.

"Well," she said, "I'll get you set up in the room upstairs."

So we walked up the winding staircase, and waited for Jeff to get home. Liz didn't know how to tell him they had a new addition to the family for a few days, so we decided to let him see for himself.