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Mary made it to her office, which was a rented space in a professional building that held a single sitting area, a coainst a wall surrounded by glass

Thirty minutes after she arrived to her office, her first client showed up Four hours after that, she was locking the door

A deli around the corner froo-to choice for a late lunch They had a counter that wrapped around the kitchen and offered her a view of the cooks as theyto store food away for the winter

She greeted the hostess by na for booths She set her notebook on the counter and tucked her purse under her feet "Hey, Carla" The waitress smiled as she passed

"Hi, Mary The usual?"

"Creature of habit"

Carla waved and kept walking

Mary opened her notebook and scribbled a few things about her first client She wrote down her observations and her predictions So far, the singleclassic post-divorce decisions that were less than healthy for her fragile state of mind The woman was a man pleaser, a typical reat for everyone, often neglecting her own needs in the process Noo years after her divorce, she was entering into a relationship identical to the one she’d just left Asthe client that her new guy was just like the old one wasn’t seeping in Mary spun things around this week, asking about her client’s pastthe two Her client left the office in a state of confusion

The woand that hat Mary wanted

"Is anyone sitting here?" a lanced up with a s space "Looks like you are"

The man wore a suit Probably walked fros in the area He lifted a menu and blew out a breath "That’s a lot of choices," he said

He was obviously speaking to her

She took hiha little younger than she preferred, but a nice smile and kind eyes "I haven’t had a sandwich here I didn’t like"

Carla set an iced tea by her place mat and joined the conversation "You’ve only eaten one sandwich on the whole menu"

Mary felt her cheeks warhed "And which sandwich is that?"

"The Reuben," both Mary and Carla said at the same time

He placed the menu down and offered a nod "Then that’s what I’ll have"

Carla waved her pen in the air

Mary placed her focus back on her notes to find herself being pulled out of theain

"Is it always this busy in here?"

"Weekdays The breakfast crowd on Saturday and Sunday keeps it open on the weekends"