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know how long we would have stood there in our own private world if a loud explosion hadn ' t rent the air. Some children screamed happily, and a flash of color streaked across the sky. " Fireworks! " I exclaimed.
    Sure enough, a display was starting. I had forgotten that they were part of the harbor festival, and I blessed my decision to come here. It was the perfect ending to the most romantic date I ' d ever been on. Such simple pleasures had turned out to be unforgettable. I felt like I was walking in a dream, especially when Kent took my hand in his. We watched as the lights burst with brilliance, and sparks trailed down into the water. Katy was right. I decided to savor every moment of the present, and let the future take care of itself.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    Now, when I awoke in the mornings, I actually jumped out of bed. Cleocatra was clearly unsettled by my new enthusiasm. What ' s going on? she seemed to ask as she was shunted aside. I answered her yowl as if she had spoken the words. " I ' m seeing Kent again today, Cleo. Isn ' t it wonderful? "
    She invariably stalked away into the kitchen, letting me know that the only wonderful thing was breakfast. I hummed as I fixed it for her, daydreaming pleasantly. Kent and I had been out four times in the past week, and with each date, I felt closer to him. Ordinary events like a soccer game or a movie took on a magical quality. I would have been happy just sitting with him and watching the grass grow. It was exciting to be swept off my feet, and I kept myself from thinking of the time that they must touch the ground again.
    This morning, I was pouring cereal into a bowl when the telephone rang. I knew who it was. Only my mother called so early, and besides, she had the uncanny ability to interrupt a meal. I put the box down and answered.
    " Lily, is that you? "
    There was no one else it could be, but for some reason she always asked. I said patiently, " Yes, Mom. How are you? "
    " Oh, all right. " The implication was that there were dire maladies she was choosing not to speak about. " And you? "
    " I ' m fine. As a matter of fact, I— "
    " That ' s nice, dear. You will never guess who I talked to last night. "
    I could not let her get away with cutting me off this time. " Was it someone more interesting than Kent? " I asked. " Because, I ' ve got to tell you, Mom, I— "
    She went on as if I hadn ' t spoken. " Stephen, what do you think of that? "
    I was too surprised to think anything. This was definitely out of left field. " Stephen Mallory? What did he want? "
    " To talk to you, of course. He ' s back in town and he didn ' t have your new number. I expect you ' ll be hearing from him soon. "
    I felt a surge of aggravation. " Mom, I wish you would ask me before you just give that out. What if I don ' t want to talk to him? "
    She sounded surprised. " But it ' s Stephen. I thought you ' d be pleased. "
    A year ago, it would have been the most important thing in my life. But time had served to ease the memory of my ex-fiancé. He had gone out west to do his residency after medical school, but that was just the final nail in the coffin. Such a demanding career had left him little time for me. Once he left, I heard from him less and less until finally communication had ceased altogether. It was a bit shocking to me that the mention of his name could still cause this knot of emotion.
    " It would have been nice to know. Talking with him could be awkward. But I suppose I ' ll have to now. What did he say, exactly? "
    " He was very sweet, " my mother said. " We just chatted for a minute. He told me how he missed New York and the change of seasons, and that Arizona wasn ' t what he was expecting. I think he wants to transfer to the hospital here. And he asked me for my oatmeal cookie recipe. He said he ' d never found any even half as good. "
    This was a totally unexpected turn of events, and I was not ready to digest it.
    " Well, we ' ll see what happens, " I said evasively. "