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Seventeen

Ashley cornered her ht? For a couple of ?"

"Not at all I have so to run by you It’s not really for the whole faot ht? He’s not working?" When Gina shook her head, Ashley said, "See you here right after dinner? When the kids have scattered?"

"Perfect"

Before the dishes were even done, Mac and Gina sat expectantly at the kitchen table Eve had gone to their rooer kids were in the basement with the piano, computer and TV Ashley looked at her hed "I really didn’t mean to alarm you I wanted to talk to you about Eric"

"What is it, honey?" Gina asked

"I went shopping with hi me that someone has been after him to sell his body shop At first he just said it wasn’t for sale, but then he started thinking about it and wondered if just ood, but I don’t have any idea what that s, other opportunities, if he did decide to sell He said it’s almost an offer he can’t refuse I told hi even farther away and he said there was a potential thing in Thunder Point, but he orried about it--he asked h for the two of us Everyone would take one look at us and know--he’s my father"

"Oh, jeez," Gina said "How do you feel about that?"

"I’ "I’ve introduced hiical father to people we’ve met It doesn’t bother me a bit In fact, I’m kind of proud that he wanted to meet me once he found out about uys He doesn’t want to put it to you directly--he doesn’t want to blindside you He said itup the past, which was kind of a scandalous past for you Moeboyfriend Then, he reminded me, add to that the fact he went to prison Holy crap, huh? I o to prison! And he’s pretty embarrassed about it, but he said he’s never tried to hide it He said it wouldn’t work to try to hide it--it would always be found out eventually, so he aded "He turned his life around It’s a good thing"

All Gina said was, "Thunder Point?"

"Yeah Well, here’s what he said He said if he approached you with the possibility--and it’s still just a possibility, he hasn’t accepted the offer on his body shop or anything--but he said you’re the kind of person that would tell hi that worked best for him You’d just be nice about it That’s why he asked ive you tiive him an answer that really fits what you feel and not just the nice answer Because he promises no matter what he does next, he’ll see me now and then, just like he does now He doesn’t want you to feel uncouys talk it over? Really talk it over? Decide how you really feel about the idea? And then I’ll tell hiood move to this town if it made me uncomfortable?"

"Mom, I know he’s sorry about the past, about the loser he used to be He said you’re in a new e now and wants to make sure you don’t feel, you know, embarrassed by him"

Gina looked at Mac "That’s kind of sweet"

Mac frowned "It’s kind of sweet as long as he doesn’t have feelings for you"

Ashley laughed "Do you think he’d dare? Actually I think he has feelings forhome, he admitted he’s scared to death of Grandma"

"He probably should be," Gina said

"So, don’t answer the question Talk about it Be sure Because you could be stuck with the answer"

"And, Ash? This would make you happy?"

"I’d be okay But, Mom, I’m ale and then--whatever comes next I don’t know if I’ll live in Thunder Point the rest of my life I know I’ll visit a lot if you’re here, but where Eric lives isn’t that big a deal We’ll stay in touch This has a lot more to do with you and Mac"

Devon was on the quiet side at the clinic And tomothers with small children eren’t in school and one woman who stayed home from ith a terrible sore throat and fever Scott fixed her right up with a strong antibiotic and did a throat culture for possible strep

And of course he noticed Devon’s ht and happy "I sense trouble in paradise," he said

"Maybe I’ Spencer’s excuse

"That’s okay, Devon You don’t have to talk about what it really is"

And she said, "Thanks I can’t at thecompletely honest She couldn’t talk about it without tears threatening She was trying so hard not to hope and pray he’d call to say he’d been a fool who overreacted She wanted to be as over hi in herin his--she didn’t see hied herself over to the diner for a coffee break and found Gina in her usual place behind the counter There was a trio of elderly ladies in a booth, gossiping and laughing up a stor up either a late breakfast or early lunch

"Well, hey," Gina said "Where have you been?"

"Just working," she said

Gina automatically poured her a cup of coffee "What did you and Spencer do over the weekend?"

Well, she thought Word usually travelsthis little issue they had to hi her coffee "We had a raucous gahtthen a bowl of ice cream"