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"Jase?"

Of course he had Charlotte’s number "Yeah What do you want it for?" Suspicionsa newspaper reporter, Paul was used to getting inforet all bent out of shape, little brother Leah and I want to go to a movie"

"So?"

"So, we’d like Carrie to babysit She was a real hit with the boys yesterday You don’t irl’s a natural with kids"

"Of course I don’t ht pleased If Paul and Leah wanted Carrie to babysit, then Charlotte would be at hoins would do--and casually drop in on her

They needed to talk, and the sooner the better, although it wasn’t talking that interested hie, brushed his teeth and shaved He even slapped on sowas an exception

He histling when he’d finished, his spirits high

On the pretense of asking about next Saturday’s ball gaet hold of Carrie He had In fact, he’d be picking her up in the next half hour Allowing ten minutes for Paul to whisk Carrie out of the apartment, that left hio fast, Jason mused, as he sat back down and turned on the TV But hisin his ht, he decided, detere He didn’tand devious about it…Well, yes, he did, Jason thought with a grin

He’d be gentle with her, he pro For years he’d been treating terrified animals One stubborn woman shouldn’t be anyher into anything Nor would he coerce her if she was at all unco naturally, spontaneously

He glanced at his watch, eager now, and was disappointed to see that only ten , but it see now, Mom," Carrie called out

Charlotte walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a terry-cloth towel She shter "Do you knohat time you’ll be hoht"

"I’ll have her back closer to nine," Paul assured Charlotte

"Okay" She nodded "Have fun"

"I will," Carrie said as they left, offering her first s to Paul, but she let it pass Carrie was still upset about the school dance and had been cool toward Charlotte all afternoon

Charlotte had just settled doith a book when there was a knock at the door Please, God, don’t let it be Jason, she prayed, but apparently God was occupied elsewhere Just as she’d feared, she opened the door and came face-to-face with Jason, boyishly handso her with his smile It wasn’t fair that a man should be able to wreak such havoc on a woman’s heart with athis ht exaggeration; she’d been planning to delay calling for as long as possible "Oh?"

"Yes…I won’t be able to go to the ball game with you next Saturday after all"

"Don’t worry about it," he said,himself comfortable on her sofa He anchored his ankle on the opposite knee and grinned up at her "There’ll be plenty of other Saturdays The summer is filled with Saturdays"

It ard for her to be standing, while he seemed completely at home So Charlotte sat, too--as far away froled her legs sideways, her hands clasped "I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it any other Saturday, either"

A pause followed her announcement "Why not?"

"I…I…" She couldn’t look at hiood idea for us to see each other anymore"

"Uh-huh" He didn’t reveal his reactions one way or another

E anything, but he was feeling it Charlotte was, too

"Is it so I said?"

She lowered her eyes farther and shook her head

"So I did?"

"No…Oh, please, Jason, just accept this Don’t make it any more difficult than it already is" Her voice, which had remained steady until then, cracked

"Charlotte," Jason said, ility "For heaven’s sake, what’s wrong?"

She covered heruntil you tell me," he said

"I can’t"

"Why can’t you?"

"Because!" she cried, leaping to her feet "Everything would’ve been all right if you hadn’t been so…so nice" She was angry now, unreasonably angry, and not quite sure why

Jason stood, too, his gaze holding hers "I’ret that"

His words made it all so difficult She wasn’t sorry, either

Her expression must have told hiently holding her shoulders Slowly, he drew her forward Charlotte had no resistance left, and walked right into his embrace