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She s how flustered he’d looked when she’d said they had an audience

Su down on the bed, she stared up at the ceiling and soon found herself giggling She was in love with Jahtest qualm or uncertainty To think she’d actually believed she’d never love another ht have drowned in a pool of self-pity if it hadn’t been for James She owed hi each other, she kneould be difficult to maintain the relationship, especially since they lived such separate lives

It would require effort and co She could tell that James wasn’t as convinced as she was that they could le doubt

Summer dressed carefully for her dinner date with James She chose a simple sundress with a lacy shawl and pretty sandals

He aiting at the sa a suit and tie He’d worn one of the short-sleeved shirts they’d bought that day and a pair of khaki pants For a h he hadn’t a care in the world

"James," she whispered when she joined hirinned He placed his hand inside his pant pocket and struck a catalog pose

Sury," Jauided her toward the door

"I’e ourselves in a feast fit for the gods" When they reached the sidewalk of Glitter Gulch, the lights ht about the conversation we had this afternoon," he announced out of the blue

"About keeping in touch?"

He nodded "I’m not sure e have, the two of us, but whatever it is, I don’t want to lose it"

"I don’t, either"

"I’ve only felt this strongly about one other woman in my life"

"I’ve only felt this way about one otherbetween us…"

"Yes?" she asked when he hesitated Jahtful man She didn’t mean to rush him, but she wanted hiue Consequently, she had no qual in "I love you, Ja"

He looked at her as if he were actually afraid she’d do exactly that "What you feel is just gratitude"

"Gratitude," she repeated scornfully "Just gratitude" She shook her head "I’ my own mind, thank you kindly, and when I say I love you, I mean it"

"I see," James said, and his voice fell

"You don’t have to worry about telling me how you feel, either," she was quick to assure hi she needed to know

"But…"

She stopped in the er to his lips

"I’m too old for you," he muttered

She narrowed her eyes

"But I’est fool that ever lived, but it’s true"

"Thank you very ood job of hiding how I feel Maybe that’s because I didn’t expect to feel like this" He splayed his fingers through his hair "In retrospect, I wonder what I did expect"

"I assuht and we’d talk about e said in our letters, and then we’d o our separate ways, me back to my life in California, you back to yours…"

"Really" He arched his eyebrows

"I wanted Julie to fly in for the weekend, but she refused and I couldn’t get her to give me a reason I kno She realized what I hadn’t--that I’s developed slowly over the past year, and Julie saw it happening" She inhaled a deep breath "I don’t want to lose you, Ja to be easy"

As his words faded an idea struck Suoodness"

James stopped abruptly "What is it?"

"James" She clasped his ar second the idea gained …wonderful," she said urgently

"What is it?" His arm circled her waist

"Oh, James Kiss me, please, just kiss me"

"Kiss you here?" Ja her arms around his neck, she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his to him--and his to her

He stared down at her dumbstruck when she stepped away

"Jaet married"

"Married" The as barely audible

"It ree? I kno I feel about you, and you’ve ads for s, e already have what’sHe looked around, and his expression seeination