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She grabbed her purse and ducked down the hallway After a few minutes, the busboy walked past and she reached out to touch his arm "Excuse me?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

She glanced at his na "Gabe, I'e towell and need to leave I' to buy him a drink on your break?"

Gabe's face reddened "Aren't you together?"

Kate smiled "No, I'm not his type I'm sure if you offered, he'd be interested"

Recognition sparked in his dark eyes, and he nodded "I'd be interested"

"Thank you Good luck I' to slip out the side door"

She vacated the restaurant, caught between despair for her plight and happiness she had aydar completely sucked

The March night was brisk and cold in Verily, and she breathed in, not wanting to go hoht, and it was only eight thirty Her high-heeled boots clicked on the pave the artsy Hudson River town that boasted a variety of stores and cafes with an edgy, funky feel White lights glittered around the trees that lined the sidewalk, and s, the popular bar that also served as a nightclub A fullthe Tappan Zee Bridge, which glittered in the distance She weaved her way through pedestrians with dogs on leashes and giggling groups of college students, and dropped a buck in the pail of the youngabout broken hearts

Loneliness hit She was so tired When was it her turn? When would she finally find the connection for herself? Unless

She never found it Bruised fro up on the drea her match would serve her better Maybe, just maybe, there wasn't a man or woman meant for everyone Maybe, just maybe, she was meant to be alone

She fought the sudden urge to cry andin a self-pity party She was done If she went on onedate, she didn't think she'd recover The hell with love She'd buy a new book, go hole under a blanket

Kate paused in front of the used-book store Ti love She'd concentrate on her business, her friends, and doing things that made her happy

With her head up and her new resolution firm, she stepped inside, and the bell tinkled Scents swarmed around her in wonderful familiarity Leather Paper Mothballs Perfection

She crossed the worn carpet and stopped in front of thefor me, Hector?"

The boy behind the counter was reed thin, with a s of pirin "Been waiting for you, Kate I' a new box of used books in the back I had no ti"

She shivered with the lure of the unknown Would she ever get tired of ripping open a new box of books and sifting through the treasures? "No worries I'll go through them if that's okay?"

The teen motioned toward the back of the store "Help yourself It'll save me some work"

"Thanks" Kate walked down the deserted aisle and into the storeroom The cramped space held an array of boxes, file cabinets, and papers in an extreanized fashion The new shiph, so she pulled it down from the pile and ripped it open with her own hands, rather than with the box cutter She'd never be able to keep a perfect manicure anyway

Kate sat cross-legged on the cold concrete floor and pulled the She kept to the side a few that she wanted to try, then found a great one on love signs that seemed several years out of date Hhties Could be helpful She added it to her growing stack An interesting book on how s Definitely couldn't pass that one up And then--

Her fingers closed on a fabric-covered book and she pulled it out Bright violet assaulted her vision The Book of Spells Simple title Small, square, not a novel but lanced through the first page

A low huers Her belly wobbled, as if she'd just seen a hot er as she flipped through,notes of an ancient love spell and a chant to Earth Mother Fascinating She'd never seen anything like it; there wasn't even an author noted Hoas that possible?

Definitely a keeper Maybe so fun for her clientele

Kate dropped the book on her pile

A crackle of electricity shot through her body like a wet plug in an outlet She yelped and yanked back, staring at the purple cover What the hell was that? Maybe the fabric gave some type of shock But damn, that hurt

"Need any help back there?"

Hector's voice echoed through the store Shaking her head, she pushed to her feet and set the box back Careful not to touch the purple book, she scooped up her treasure pile and made her way out of the storeroom

"Got everything I need Hector, I took six books Charge it to my account, please!"

"You got it Have a good one"

Feeling a bit better over her new purchases, Kate headed toward her car and the typical Saturday night with her books and her dog

Good-bye, nued in the record book of disasters

It was going to be a long time before she had the stamina to even think about one hundred and one

one

I'M MOVING OUT"

Slade watched his sister drag her oversized floral pieces of luggage down the hallway and drop theh his syste the scene unfold Hell, no She wasn't ready to go anywhere on her own yet, but so like a crazed control-freak brother He kept his voice gentle and firm

"Jane, I don't think it's a good idea I know you want a place of your own, but I don't think you're ready Besides, I'll get lonely by myself Give it some time, and I'll help you find an apartment"

Jane turned fast, hands on hips, that furious female scowl he kneell Bottoive me a little

credit I' o And the only reason you're lonely is your refusal to stay with a woht"

Slade winced Unfair He was always discreet when it ca his sister to try to bond with any of the-term commitment was dooe breakups caused a shudder

Sheroorab a few off the shelves Crap, was that The Chew's new cookbook? He hadn't even looked at the pictures yet "Be reasonable, Jane You have nowhere to go, and I don't want you staying at a crappy studio in Manhattan It'll cost a million dollars and won't be safe Are you still upset over your breakup? We can go slash his tires, get drunk, and watch chick flick ht?"

Jane tipped her head back and laughed "God, Slade, if I didn't love you so much I'd murder you I have a place already I rented an apartment in Verily on the river I quit e there"

The rooical, steady sister and wondered what she'd drunk to turn into Mr Hyde "Quit your job? You orking on tenure!"

"And I hated it there Stuffy, po I hate Manhattan, too It's crowded and hurts ed in a breath and walked over, stuffing the books into her tote bag Her long jet-black hair sprung into a ind of curls, and her cocoa-brown eyes peered at hilasses "I can't do this anymore," she said "I need a fresh start on e focuses on using creativity in literature I can grow there Maybe h was totally wry, and Slade's heart squeezed in sheer fear

He couldn't let her go If soain At least if she were under his roof, he could easily gauge if she was down-spiraling Slade swung into lawyerone of the top divorce lawyers in the state had to be good for so other than ree it's ti off to a town you don't know is dangerous I'll go with you to Verily this weekend I'll help you look, maybe ure it out together"