CHAPTER 9The square glass shade frosted with lilies came into focus as Mara stared at the light fixture in the ceiling above her bed. The edges were still somewhat blurry, when it occurred to her that a high-pitched beeping had awakened her. I feel awfully tired for someone who constantly finds herself regaining consciousness. She rolled over and grabbed the demanding cell phone on her nightstand. Should have turned it off. Holding it in front of her face, she saw Sam on the screen with the Video Chat icon flashing below it. She slid her thumb over the camera at the top of the screen and tapped the icon.
“Dude, you never do a video chat with a girl before she gets out of bed. That’s just common—”
The image of a handsome thirty-something man with light auburn-reddish hair appeared on the
