Sometimes random thoughts pop into Rose's head making her take a long hard look at things, considering them in an entirely new light. It almost always happens unexpectedly, completely out of the blue, and it usually concerns some small problem that's been lurking in the depth of her subconscious, poking at her like an itch she can't quite reach.
That's what happened the first time Lissa had everyone over for a private holiday dinner. Glancing around the table at the faces of her friends—and feeling a pang of sadness for the faces that were missing—Rose had an epiphany that filled her eyes with tears and made her quickly excuse herself from the table before they broke free and embarrassed her.
In that moment, she realized that sometimes the closest families aren't the ones tied together by blood, but the ones created by love, mutual respect and friendship. She'd spent years longing for a family, not realizing or appreciating that she'd had one right there all along, staring her in the face and waiting for her to acknowledge it.