Sunsets by Robin Jones Gunn

up. I think that’s why I still like to travel today. I usually go on two trips a year. Sometimes three, if the agency pays.”
    “Besides traveling, what else do you like?” Shelly asked.
    “Reading. I read a lot. That’s about it.”
    “No interesting men in your life?”
    “None.”
    “Wait until you meet Jake, next door,” Shelly said, a playfulsmile blooming on her face. “He’s an actor. Well, a wannabe actor. He has an agent and everything, but he hasn’t gotten his big break yet. He was in a commercial, though. It aired a lot last winter. You probably saw it. It was for that new pain reliever. He was a mechanic. He held up a wrench and his line was, ‘When the job is this big, there’s no substitute for the right tool.’ ” Shelly’s brow furrowed, and her voice deepened as she imitated Jake’s TV debut.
    “Then he holds up a bottle of the aspirin and says, ‘And there’s no substitute for the right pain reliever when it comes to headaches as big as mine.’ ”
    “I think I missed that one,” Alissa said, smiling.
    “He thinks he’s famous now. Only that was his last part, so he’s been working as a waiter at Chez Monique’s over in Santa Monica.”
    “I’ve heard of that place. It’s supposed to be really nice.”
    “Oh, it is! He makes great tips.” Shelly let out a low giggle. “If you really want to bug him when you meet him, call him Mr. Wartman. That’s his name, Jacob Wartman. But, of course, his agent changed his last name to Wilde. He goes by Jake Wilde in the Hollyweird circuit.”
    “Hollyweird?” Alissa questioned.
    Shelly laughed. “That’s what I call it. Jake is always good for a story, and every one of them is weird.”
    “Weird Jake, huh?”
    “Jake’s not weird. Just his experiences. He’s working on getting his pilot’s license right now. I met him through Steven and Genevieve. I work for the same airline as Steven, and he tried to fix me up with Jake.” Shelly rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Was that ever a disaster! But I found out about this side of the duplex and moved in the next weekend. They had a married couple who were moving out. Jake and I are great buddies now. So don’t worry; there’s nothinggoing on between us. Besides, I’m never home. That’s part of the reason I decided to get a roommate. It seemed pointless for this place to be empty and go unused for half the month. Especially for what I pay.”
    “That probably should be my next question,” Alissa said. “What do you pay?”
    She was pleased to find out that with splitting the rent she would pay two hundred dollars less per month than her condo had cost her. It seemed a perfect arrangement all the way around.
    “So, what do you think?” Shelly said. “I don’t smoke, and I keep the TV in my room nice and low. Oh, and I eat more than anyone I know, so when I’m home, I’ll cover the majority of the grocery bill.”
    “Have you lived here long?” Alissa asked.
    “Only a year or so. I came from Seattle. That’s where all my family lives. My dad’s a minister. His father was a minister, as was his father. And my great, great, great—did I get too many greats in there? Anyway, how about you?”
    “There definitely are no ministers in my family tree,” Alissa said.
    “I guess I should have asked about you and God earlier. You’re not a Buddhist or anything are you? I mean, not that you couldn’t still rent the duplex if you were. It’s just that religion can often be a dividing point in friendships, and if that’s going to be a real difference between us, we should talk about it now.”
    “I don’t think it will be a problem. I’m …” Alissa hesitated. It had been a long time since she had labeled herself for anyone. “I’m a Christian,” she said.
    Shelly sat still, eyebrows slightly rounded up. She seemed to be waiting for Alissa to define that starting point.
    “I haven’t gone to church in a while, but I’m on good termswith God, if