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"So you’re going to give up just like that?" Sophie appeared stunned "That doesn’t sound like you at all When you left Chicago, you had that bloodhound look in your eyes, your nose to the ground with a deteruy Now it seems like you hardly care at all"

"Maybe that’s because I’ to keep the job I already have Now, please leaveher patience Sophie made it nearly impossible to continue this charade

"It’s not like you to be so secretive" Sophie leaped off the desk and stood staring at Carrie as though she no longer recognized her friend Then she sadly shook her head and returned to her own cubicle

The tension between Carrie’s shoulder blades gradually relaxed She’d passed the first test--at least she hoped she had Now all she had to do was concentrate on putting her energy into the society page andthedisappointed When it ca, she was sticking to it She cared toowas coht through lunch and grabbed coffee and ajust as she sat back down at her desk She reached for her extension with one hand and her coffee with the other

"Carrie Slayton"

"Hi" The lone word sounded as if it had come from the moon

Carrie nearly ca me here?" she whispered in a near panic She leaned halfway over her desk and kept her voice as low as possible

"I wanted to see if you got back okay"

"I did" Carrie cupped her hand over the phone’s erous"

"Do you want me to phone you?"

"Yes, oh, yes" She didn’t bother to hide her enthusias her, filling her with a rush of joy

"Give ested

She rattled it off and had him repeat it to be sure he’d written it down correctly "Are you on the satellite phone?" she asked, her heart haht you said it was expensive"

"Very"

She smiled and closed her eyes at the happiness that settled over her "Does that rumbled a phrase she didn’t understand "It must," he muttered "Does that make you happy?"

"Very"

He chuckled "Can I call you tonight?"

"Yes," she said autoallery opening "No, sorry I’ve got an assign"

"Will there be lots of ue way he had earlier

"Are you jealous?"

"Should I be?"

Carrie smiled "That depends If you’re intimidated by clean-shaven, handsome men in slick black suits who hardly knohich end of a car has the gas tank, then be uest"

"Guess I’reed

"What tiive him a definite time "Can’t say Hopefully before eleven, but I can never predict how long these events will last"

"Which is one reason you dislike this society-page reporting asto the phone, not wanting to end the call, even if the cost was exorbitant "How did you get ative reporter if you need to ask that I called the newspaper and asked to be connected to the society-page editor"

"Of course" Plainly, she wasn’t thinking clearly It came to her then the real reason behind his call As much as she wanted to believe it was because he couldn’t live without hearing the sound of her voice, she knew otherwise "You called because you want to know if I’ve reached a decision, didn’t you?"

He didn’t answer right away "It’sto do"

The line went still and silent "And what did you decide?"

"Rest easy, Dr Livingston, your secrets are safe with ston All the world was on a search to find hiht"

"You could eave hi to risk so upon their coo," he said

"I know" As ht overhear and connect the dots Lowering her voice, she added, "Call ht, okay?" It probably wasn’t sain, but she couldn’t stop herself She was falling for this guy And falling hard

"Okay Eleven your tiht mine"

"Perfect" No matter what, she intended to leave the art show in plenty of tih the evening, s theday’s newspaper Harry, the staff photographer, glanced her way suspiciously a couple of times

"What’s up?" he asked, as they hurriedly walked toward the parking garage She still had to write the story and get it in before the press deadline

"What do you h she was practically trotting in her eagerness to escape

"I’ve never seen you in such an all-fired hurry like this Yousomeone later?"

"No," she said, in coed "Whatever you say"

Carrie arrived back at her condo fifteen led out of her dress, shirabbed her warmest pjs She tossed back the covers to her bed, clied with her cell phone clasped in her hand, waiting for Finn’s call

Twice she caught herself falling asleep, so when the phone rang, it surprised her and she nearly dropped it

"Hi," she said, and knew she sounded breathless "You’re right on tiht away she noticed that the call had a different sound to it "Where are you?" she asked

"Fairbanks I figured it wouldto you a whole lot more convenient"