She signed the check with her latest name, Stephanie Hill. She liked the sound of it, the way it sunk in and meshed with the threads of the paper. It made her feel real.

She--Stephanie--was on her way to the hotel to see Marley. For some reason, of all the men she'd met in her lifetime, Marley stuck in her head.

He was older, worn by stress more than time. He had the power of a corporation in his hands but she'd seen the desperate hope of an abandoned puppy in his eyes.