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"All right," Ted agreed, "I won’t"

Joy expelled her breath forcefully, regretting her outburst "I was ize"

"No problem"

She led him into the kitchen, which bustled with activity The scent of fresh bread baking etables She handed Ted a creae coffee s, she returned to her office and sat behind at her desk

"Okay," she said, forcing herself to relax, "what is it you want to know?"

Ted settled onto the chair as if it had been custo his ankle against his knee, and held thewith one hand "Have you ever been in love?"

Hot coffee spilled out of the cup and burned Joy’s chin "What’s that got to do with anything?"

"Quite a lot, as it happens"

In an effort to disguise her uneasiness, she sipped her coffee "I fell in love three tih school Unfortunately not a one of the boys knew ht about it, it was clear that her pattern of worshiping froan early in life

"I mean really in love?" he pressed

She set the coffee on her desk with a deliberate show of i to ask, then the deal’s off"

He grinned as if to suggest she’d have arid of hiht, there are a few other questions I can ask"

She relaxed and reached for her coffee once ht, and she knew it It irritated her that she was forced into this silliness

For now she was the brightest,woe as soon as he got over the becoed jitters Billy, one of her brothers, had shown identical symptoms Her parents had been ready to pull their hair out

"Did I tell you about my brother Billy?" she asked instead

He frowned "No"

"He dated Diana for two years He bought her an engageht before he was set to propose he ht he was convinced he was in love My mother didn’t knohat to think My father took history short, Bill and Diana are married and have three beautiful children"

"What happened to the girl he met in the bar?"

"I don’t know," Joy cried "No one does That’sto marry Blythe?"

It took him two lifetimes to answer "I sincerely doubt it"

"But you’ve consideredher?"

Another lifetime, then: "Yes"

Ted Griffin was both honest and fair, that much she’d say for him "I’m sure when Billy kissed--I think her na that had ever happened to him, that he’d found someone special"

"I’m not Billy"

"True, you’re older and more sophisticated than my brother, but it holds true, don’t you see? When ainside hiot two older brothers, and a dozen male cousins, and I’ve seen this phenoain So why don’t we both save each other a lot of grief and just drop it now?"

"Sorry, no"

Joy should have known that would have been too easy She threw her hands into the air "All right, ask away But kindly limit your questions to those less personal"

Ted smiled that devilish handsoin, aren’t you?"

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