Cate's face was solemn. "Yes, I saw. But listen to yourself, Sarah. I'm really, really happy that you're happy, and yes, he seemed like a nice guy, but you just said you thought he was stalking you. What was that all about?"

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"Well, I think I forgot to tell you that part."

"Uh huh. I guess you must have."

"Let's see . . . well, he was here at the store one night when I was by myself, and then, I don't know, I got up one morning and he was on my porch . . ."

"Doing?" Cate prompted.

"Sleeping. Or, well, no, I guess I just assumed that--he was sitting on the steps when I went out to get the paper, and he said he was watching over me, and then he sort of took off, but then--"

"Sarah! He was sleeping on your porch? Is he homeless? Does he have a home? What does he do for a living?"

Sarah didn't quite know how to answer that. "Um, I don't know. I don't know a lot about him, and what I do know, I can't really tell you."

"Why not?"

"I just can't. Not right now. Maybe later."

"Okay. You're a big girl, and I know you've had a lot going on, and I know you think you know what you're doing, but please be careful, okay? If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, but if there's stuff you can't tell, that tells me that there's something wrong, and I really don't want you to get hurt. Promise me you'll be careful?"

"I'm being careful."

"Just keep on being careful."

"I will. Now why don't you get out there and see if Jason needs help?" As they talked, Sarah had heard the bell on the door ring several times, and Jason probably did need help, but he was certainly capable of letting someone know if he did. She just didn't want to talk about Zach anymore; or, well, she did, and that was the problem. She wanted to tell Cate all about him, and she didn't think she could do that, didn't think she should do it.

What was the protocol in this type of situation? Cate was sure to think she was nuts, and if she didn't, if she believed her, she'd demand proof, and then what? Oh, but wait! Zach had said that you had to believe in angels in order to see angels, and Cate had seen him the other night, so, if that meant that Cate believed in angels, then was it okay to tell her? She was going to have to get this all straightened out with Zach, find out what it was okay to tell and what was taboo. Assuming she saw him again.

What if she didn't? She groaned and buried her face in her hands. She was acting like a lovesick teenager. She hadn't been emotionally involved with anyone since James' death. She'd gone out on a few dates, mostly arranged by friends, but no one had ever clicked, and she hadn't met anyone that she'd missed when they stopped coming around. Because they all did, eventually, stop coming around.

She knew she wasn't the easiest person in the world to be with. She had all that history, all that baggage; an awful lot of baggage for someone still in their twenties. Closer and closer to thirty now, though, and whoa. It just hit her. What if . . . Might it be possible to have another child? It was something she had never allowed herself to think about, because in some way it seemed disloyal to Gabrielle. But maybe . . . Was that her biological clock she suddenly heard ticking? She nearly laughed out loud.

Who knew whether anything would develop with Zach or -- oh dear. If he was telling the truth, he wasn't even human. She groaned again. Oh, my God, she thought. I'm losing it. She got up and went out to help Jason and Cate in the store. What will be, will be.

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