"Oh yes," Tarantulas confirms, his lips tightly pursed. "She was very clear and insistent on this point. If there is to be any relationship between us, it will not proceed without your and Erik's approval."

Her distress brings him no pleasure; just the opposite, honestly. He finds it very counterproductive to his goals. So he adds, "For whatever it might be worth...in the dream, Amy and I had just recently added another woman to our marriage. Someone she had known since childhood and loved dearly. But we still discussed the matter for several months before finally agreeing that wedding her would do our own relationship would no harm. Perhaps River learned something from the experience?"