Bed & Breakfast Next to the Pink Roses Hotel

HE KEPT STARING FOR A FEW SECONDS.

"Are you Kathy?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"It's good to see you, pal!" intervened Dr. Cameron, crossing the threshold onto the doorsteps, where the stranger was still standing, to pat his back and shake hands. "Sad it has to be under these circumstances. Kathy," he then added, turning to her, "please meet Jesse.

Kathy raised her eyebrows and stared back at the man in his thirties, who, despite the doctor's effusiveness, was still looking at her.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

The newcomer - or maybe latecomer - seemed to be pondering something before he answered.

"It's great to see you at last, Katherine." And then he gently kissed her cheek.

Kathy went red, which was a feature of her childhood she had been able to control for the last two decades. It made her feel weak, and that was one thing she couldn't afford right at this moment.

Fortunately, Mrs. Martin and her daughter, Geneva, released her from those seconds of self-consciousness when they came into the hall to greet Jesse.

Kathy paid attention to everyone's reactions, hoping to discover as soon as possible who this Jesse was, for she had several good motives. The first and most important, of course, was that his name had been Mrs. Sloan's last word - not only that: she had expressly asked her to meet him. This ought to induce her to partiality, since Mary Anne would not have wished her to become acquainted to anyone less than honorable. Secondly, Dr. Cameron, who had started to win Kathy's respect and trust, was truly pleased to see him. And third, she was curious to know why he had caused such a strong effect on her, for no apparent reason.

She raised her head, unconsciously drawn down by timidness. He, again, in the middle of mixed conversations, questions, answers and condolescences, met her gaze.

Well, maybe the reason was not so non-apparent. When he looked at her, she felt he could see through her skin, her veins and her spine. The deepest eyes she had ever encountered.

But, on second thoughts, she had once met a man who made her feel dizzy when he smiled. And in the end it had turned out that this "dizziness" was not a symptom of reciprocal true love but of her being way too romantic for real life. So she was not going to make the same mistakes again, permitting signs that eventually were not signs to overwhelm her and lead her to a sure and now still avoidable disappointment.