INT. - PHILO's BAR AND GRILLE - EVENING

Ray sipped her wine, happy to see Kinsey, grateful her friend made the invitation open and warm, without a hint of an agenda. It helped, being here with the anthropologist, after Cici blew her off. Saved her from the hurt she felt, from the cold creeping in around the edges of her pain.

She hadn't expected Gerri to arrive, but held still when the tall redhead sank into her chair, the crowd at Philo's naturally moving away from her ...