Dragging herself out of bed the next morning proved very difficult. Keara had just fallen asleep last night when Maeve got home, and although Maeve had been quiet, Keara’s paranoid ears picked up every little sound. She’d had to get out of bed to assure herself it was Maeve, and then she’d lain there staring at the ceiling for an hour, wide awake. She’d finally gotten up and read a book for a while, but when the alarm clock went off at eight she was dead to the world and awoke groggy and disoriented.

And eight o’clock wasn’t even early! Usually she was up at six thirty to get ready for work and drive the commute on the busy freeway to her bank branch.

She forced herself to have a shower even though it seemed like way too much bother, and for what? Nobody cared if her hair was greasy or her legs were furry. Then she poured herself a cup of coffee and went down to the shop where Maeve was already at work even though the store didn’t open until ten o’clock.

“Good morning!” Maeve greeted her with a sunny smile, which faded when she took in Keara’s appearance. “My goodness, you look terrible.” She stood up from behind the desk in her office and moved toward Keara, studying her face. “Didn’t you sleep last night?”

Keara shook her head. “No. I couldn’t get back to sleep after you got home.”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry, muirnín!” She clasped her hands together in front of her face.

“It’s not your fault.”

“But I feel terrible! I woke you and then you couldn’t sleep…”

“It’s okay, Maeve. That’s the way it is for me. You can’t change your whole routine for me.”

“Oh.” Her eyes gleamed with distress. “Well. What else could we do about it?”

“The doctor gave me a prescription for some antianxiety medication or antidepressants or something, but I don’t want to take them if I don’t have to.”

Maeve’s brows dipped. “No, I understand that. I agree it’s better not to take drugs if you don’t have to…but you must get some sleep, muirnín.”

“I know.” Keara sighed and sipped her coffee. “It’s so frustrating. The more I tell myself I have to get to sleep, the wider awake I feel. My mind just won’t stop going around in circles, remembering stuff, thinking how…”

“What?”

Keara waved a hand. “Nothing. Never mind. Maybe I should just take the pills.”

“You don’t need pills. What you need is sex.” Maeve returned to her seat behind her desk.

Keara choked on her coffee.

“Sex is the best cure for depression and insomnia,” Maeve continued. “Now don’t give me that look. I’m not pulling your leg. Sex releases endorphins into the bloodstream, producing a sense of euphoria and a feeling of well-being. An orgasm releases oxytocin, which helps with sleep. It’s the safest tranquilizer in the world. It also relieves headaches by releasing the tension that restricts blood vessels in the brain.”

Keara rubbed the back of her neck. She did have a headache.

“Well, I’m sure that’s true,” she said. “But I don’t have a partner handy at the moment, so…”

“Well, you don’t necessarily need a partner. There is self-gratification, too. Let’s go look at the vibrators out front…”

“No!”

“Why not? Keara, I’m serious. It could help you.”

“I’m just…” Wildly uncomfortable having this conversation with her great-aunt? “I’m not interested in sex right now. That’s the last thing I feel like doing. I’m…tired.”

“You won’t be so tired after sex,” Maeve insisted. “Even a couple of good self-induced orgasms will make you feel better. The more sex you have, the more you want, because of the hormones your body releases.”

“But…I don’t have anyone to have sex with. I don’t think getting myself all…uh…worked up and then being frustrated is going to help me feel better.”

“Hmmm.” Maeve sat back in her chair. “You may have a point there. But there’s no need for you to be alone. You’re a beautiful girl, smart and sweet…we’ll find you a date.”

“No!” Once again Keara coughed on her coffee. “That’s okay, Maeve. I didn’t come here for that.”

“Well I’m not going to forget it.” Maeve set her mouth stubbornly. She tipped her head. “If I think of someone for you, I’m going to introduce you. And in the meantime, please consider the vibrator offer. And don’t just brush it off. There’s solid scientific evidence that what I’m saying is true.”

“I’m sure there is,” Keara said with a gulp.

“Why do you think I’m still so lively at my age?” Maeve’s eyes twinkled. “Sex produces other hormones, too, like DHEA. It boosts your immune system, repairs tissue, and keeps your skin healthy. Maybe even gives you a longer life.”

Dear God. Her aunt was certainly persistent. But truly, sex was nowhere on Keara’s radar at that moment. All she wanted was to feel better, to shake off the heavy blanket of depression that weighed her down, to not have that tight feeling of anxiety knotting her stomach all the time, and to just be able to sleep. Somehow she knew if she could just sleep better, everything would improve. She sighed as she went out to the storefront to open the store.

“Fiona’s invited us for dinner on Friday night,” Maeve said, following her into the store. “Isn’t that nice of her? You remember her and Declan, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course.” Keara paused. “Shane mentioned that Declan had a stroke a couple of years ago.”

“Yes.” Maeve sighed. “That was terrible. He seemed so young for that. But he has made an amazing recovery. He still has some weakness on the right side of his body and his speech is just a bit slurred, but his mind is sharp as ever, thankfully. He gets tired easily.”

“So he’s retired, then?”

“Yes. He didn’t go back to work. Fiona was happy about that, she wanted him to retire years ago, but he loved his job.”

“Did he sell the business?” Keara remembered that Shane’s dad had been a contractor, building high-priced homes all over the area.

“Yes. He was pretty devastated about that.”

“They still live in their house?”

“Oh, yes. Shane was determined they would stay there. His da spent months in the hospital of course, so Shane looked after his mother and the house, and he still helps them. They do love living in their house. Declan was always such a gardener, and though he can’t do as much as he used to, he enjoys planting things and puttering around in the yard.”

“That’s nice. I hope dinner isn’t too much trouble for them.”

“Fiona is still quite able,” Maeve replied, preparing the till with a float for the day’s business. “She wouldn’t invite us if it was too much for her. We’ll bring some wine of course and I said we’d bring dessert.”

“Maybe I can make something.”

Maeve eyed her. “That would be lovely, muirnín. I didn’t know you liked to cook.”

“I don’t.” Keara gave her a faint grin. “I pretty much heat up frozen dinners or eat out. But I’m sure I could put together some kind of dessert.”

“Well. If you feel up to it. That would be very nice.”

Much as she’d enjoyed Shane’s parents as a teenager, the idea of a big, noisy family dinner with the Dunstans just made her feel even more tired. Conversation seemed too much effort. Paying attention and thinking about what to say seemed exhausting.

Oh God. She was a sad, sad case. Really, she had to snap out of this. Maybe she and Shane were worried about Maeve for nothing. She seemed fine this morning. And if she could still play bridge, she couldn’t be that bad. Right?

As customers entered the store, Keara pasted on a smile and shoved away her worries.

Would Shane be there for dinner? That would just be great. The animosity he felt for her now wouldn’t make for a very enjoyable evening. Maybe she’d find out, and if he was going to be there she’d make some excuse not to go.

Maeve’s talk about sex and then thinking about Shane naturally led to thoughts of sex with Shane. Keara leaned on the counter, lost in memories. She’d been seventeen, Shane nineteen, home for the summer after his first year of college. They hadn’t had a lot of places to go to be alone, but they’d driven to the coast, found a private spot on the beach sheltered by large rocks, where they’d had many picnic lunches and…sex.