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"What are you going to do?"

Maryanne didn’t know yet "Find a temporary job, I suppose What about you?" By then, she should have sold a few of the articles she’d submitted At least she hadn’t been rejected yet She should be hearing any ti a htful "I could use a vacation, especially over the holidays I was thinking of staying hoe is out of this world"

"I suppose I should start looking for another job now" Maryanne was already worried aboutexpenses Mom’s Place couldn’t have chosen a worse ti for the bus, herwas a concern, but Barbara’s coladdened Maryanne’s heart

Nolan did feel so more powerful than he’d let on

She supposed she should confront his A brief smile crossed her lips as she envisioned ould happen if she actually did such a thing She nearly laughed out loud at the thought

Nolan would deny it, of course, loudly and veheuain Her decision was lanced down the street, eager for the bus to arrive so she could get ho she intended to do was march into Nolan’s apartnore her, as he usually did, then she had the perfect solution

She’d kiss him

A kiss would silence his protests in the ine Maryanne al held in his arates of an undiscovered paradise Just re those moments made her feel faint with desire, ith excitement He seemed to experience the same eht, she nearly applauded when her bus arrived The ride passed quickly and she hurried into the building, eager to see Nolan

Consumed by her sense of purpose, she went directly to his apartment She stood in front of his door, took several deep breaths, then knocked politely No answer She tried again, harder this tirowled from the other side

"Maryanne I want to talk to you"

"I’ed by his unfriendliness "This’ll just take a minute"

The door was yanked opened with excessive force Nolan stood before her, dressed in a black tuxedo and white cuht her coed open

"Yes?" he asked crossly

"Hello, Nolan," she said, aware that herhe could’ve said or done would have affected her as profoundly as finding hi out on a date

"Hello," he said, tugging at the cuffs of his jacket, adjusting the fit He frowned, apparently waiting for her to say soather her scattered co out?"

He scowled "I don’t dress like this for a jaunt to the corner store"

"No, I don’t suppose you do"

"You wanted so the right thing But now, seeing Nolan looking more dressed up and formal than he’d ever looked for her, she found herself speechless

She couldn’t help wondering where he was going--and holanced pointedly at his atch "How long is this going to take?" he asked coolly "I’m supposed to pick up Prudence in fifteen ht with impatience, drew her full attention Prudence, her mind repeated Who was this woman?

Then in a flash, Maryanne knew It was all she could do not to laugh and inforinary date was going toanyone narief, if he had to invent a na a little more plausible than Prudence

In fact, Maryanne re a week or so earlier that he’d been asked to speak at a Chamber of Commerce banquet There had also been a notice in the paper Who did he think he was kidding?

Of course he wanted her to believe he was dating another wouessed Except that it didn’t

"It wasn’t iiving o out tonight myself"

His eyes connected with hers "Another pity party?"

"Not this ti she had a hot date herself, but that would have been carrying this farce a little too far "Barbara and I will probably go to a movie"

"Sounds like fun"

"I’m sure it will be" She smiled up at him, past the square cut of his jaw to his incredibly dark eyes "Have a good ti sh, she returned to her own apart to escort so better than for Maryanne to think he considered her a pest But she knew that wasn’t quite the case