〃Do the people you work with know about your past？〃
Her eyes flew to his； warning； then haunted。 She gave him a wan smile。
〃You make it sound lurid。〃 She pushed home fries around her plate。 〃They
know where I e from…some even know that I had a sister。 Lee knows
most of the story。 But the lovely thing about my life here is that the
people I know see me for what I am today。 It's easier not having to
constantly contend with the past。〃
Ross seemed puzzled。 〃Why do you assume you'd have to do that anywhere？
It's been eleven years； Chloe。 The world goes on。 People accept change。
You seem to be the only one who can't move on。〃
Chloe set down her fork。 She took an angry breath。 〃I look in the
mirror。〃
rooted in the present。 There were reports to read； studies to review；
proposals to consider。 The more she worked； the better she felt。 For the
first time since having done the lab work earlier that week； she studied
the sediment analysis of samples taken along an increasingly unstable
portion of the Cape Cod National Seashore。
〃Problems？〃 This from Debbie Walker； who popped her head in shortly
after eleven。
〃Hi； Deb。 e on in。〃 She smiled at her petite； sandy…haired associate。
〃It's the Cape analysis。 I was just studying the results of the work I
did last week。 I have the grain sizes of the sand pretty much divided by
sections。 Boy