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"Summer, he’ll be here in a few days"

"I know"

"You haven’t told him about Brett?" Julie asked

Suood would it do? Jaot a chance with me Unfortunately he doesn’t seee whenever he calls"

"By the hen James visits, I’et a hotel room--really, we don’t mind"

"Don’t be ridiculous This is your hoh enough stress lately"

Surateful it was all she could do not to weep It was the stress, she decided, this tendency to be over elad I a of it," Julie said airily

"I mean it, Julie I don’t knohat I would’ve done without you these last weeks I feel like my whole world’s been turned upside down"

"It has been Who else goes away for a week and comes hoested it?"

"Yes," she ad the most fabulous dinner of her life "I don’t think he’s done anything that irinned "Until he met you"

"Funny, Ja just then, and Summer leapt up to answer it on the off chance it was Ja up, please, I’ you"

"Brett" Her heart sank "Please," she told hi"

"About what? We have absolutely nothing to say to each other"

"Ithe frustration "It’s too late What do I have to say to convince you of that? You’re rew hoarse "If you’re married, then where’s your husband?"

"I don’t owe you any explanations Don’t phone ain It’s over and has been for more than a year"

"Summer, please…please"

She didn’t wait to hear any more His persistence astonished her When she’d found hih he was relieved to be free of the relationship In retrospect, Su before, but had lacked the courage to say anything Later, when he’d married, and she learned it wasn’t the saas, she wondered about this ht she kneell, and discovered she didn’t know hi Brett for six years, she expected to feel so she couldto do with hiain?" Julie asked when Su room

Suht about having the phone nuet call display, too"

Julie studied her for a ot a new phone nu he can do so far away Brett doesn’t concern e County airport forty ht was due, in case it caether was carefully planned

The only negative for Su Herthat she needed to discuss with Jaed everyselfish, but she didn’t care

Julie, true to her word, had made a weekend trip to visit a family member, an elderly aunt in Claremont

By the time James’s plane touched down, she was nearly sick to her stomach with anticipation As soon as he stepped out of the secure area, he paused, searching for her

Their eyes connected and in the second before he started toward her, her heart seean to race

When they’d parted in Las Vegas, it felt as if everything had come to an abrupt standstill Now she could see him, could feel hio

Dashing between the other passengers, she ran toward hiainst hiht hers

His ehting back a flood of emotion Unexpectedly tears filled her eyes, but she was too happy to care

Ja It was so good to see hi his thuuess I missed you more than I realized"

"You’re beautiful," he said in a low voice

"I bet you tell all the women that," she joked

"Nope, only the ones I ether they headed toward the luggage carousel "I packed light"

"Good" Because it felt so good to be close to him, she stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his cheek "You’ll be glad to hear Julie’s gone for the weekend"

"Remind me to thank her"