She told herself she didn't have time for despair—she had a daughter to care for, a business to run, a life to live. But the fog settled in and left her days gray and her nights black without the hope of stars. She recognized grief. She'd experienced its cloying debility before and was well acquainted with its capacity to undermine and disable. For Janey's sake as well as her own she couldn't let that happen. When she'd come home on Saturday morning with tears still streaming down her face, Liz had taken her in her arms, and the whole story of her glorious conquest and her agonizing rejection had come pouring out. Her sister had held her and comforted her and encouraged her to cry until there were no tears left. When Paul had arrived a few hours later, Elyse had been able to give him a coherent account of what had happened between her and Clint. She'd asked Paul to stop in to see his brother that evening and make sure he really was all right.
