Coconut Grove nobody wants to hear you sing about tragedy.

She wasn’t sure she had ever come across a coyote before, but the conversation suddenly reminded her of Mahler warning her about larger predators. Druid swallowed thickly and shoved the thought aside, breathing through the momentary pain, her face a rictus.

The man’s question distracted her and Druid realized they should probably introduce themselves. But even giving someone her name was going too far. She shied away from the idea. She was determined they remain strangers, even if she allowed herself a few minutes to have her first conversation in weeks.

No, I—no. Druid paused, biting back a sigh and clearing her throat. I’ve never been this far down the coast before. I’ve never seen anything like these trees, she observed, raising her two-toned eyes toward the palm trees bent over the dunes. Despite herself, she tacked on, Do you live here?