? Victoria shook her head, trying to hold back tears. ?No, but I haven’t had sex in two years. That’s bound to have tightened me up.? ... ?Look,? said the redhead in a compassionate voice. ?If there’s anything I can do, let me know. I’m like, a couple feet away from you, after all. My name’s Carla, by the way,? she added, almost as an afterthought. Victoria stuck her hand through the bars. ?Thanks. I’m Victoria, but you can call me Tori if you like. ?Good to meet you,. We started paddling straight out toward the island.When we were halfway to the island, Brad said, “Relax, Mom. I got this.”I slipped my paddle under the seat and enjoyed the quiet as I reached over the sides and let my fingers drag through the water. When Brad turned the canoe, I looked over my shoulder and asked, “You’re not going to the island?”“Not yet, Mom. Let’s go around it. It’s a perfect day for a canoe ride, and I need the exercise.”I lifted my legs and spun around in my seat to face. Another generation would call her a nerd. She was the house authority on several subjects, not even including her English Literature major. Everyone knew her as someone to go to with a homework problem or to prepare for a test. It was this line which eventually brought Edith and Pedro together. Pedro was studying a book the bank had provided. He was doing well with basic English terms, but banking has a technical language of its own. When the terms became more than Deirdre could handle, she. "The big German shepherd heard his name spoken a second time and raised his head to survey the two females. He studied them both for a long moment, noting that his mistress' face and eyes had taken on an unfamiliar laxness, while hers of the midnight hair were quickly beginning to appear the same. He listened to the soft sounds of their voices, then changed his position so that he could rest his head on the floor and watch them. The confusion which had tensed him at first was no longer in the.