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"He won’t be back," Suile and he wouldn’t return after being huht, he won’t," Ja order first thing toht of doing it earlier

"This isn’t the first tiaze

"He’s the reason you had your phone nuave a small nod

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"What could you have done from Seattle?"

"You should have told me I could at least have offered you some advice For that matter, why didn’t you tell your father?"

James was furious and she suspected she was about to receive the lecture of her life When nothing more came, she raised her eyes to her husband--and wanted to weep

His face was a ht have been better if she could’ve convinced hi at hie had been involved in an altercation--and all because of her

The police left soon afterward

"Can I get you anything?" Suuiltily as they entered the apartment

"I’m fine," he said curtly

But he wasn’t fine His hands were swollen, his knuckles scraped and bleeding All at once he started to blur, and the roo in on her Panic-stricken, Suroped for the kitchen counter and held on until the waves of dizziness passed

"Suht-headed, that’s all" She didn’tout Even now, she felt the force of her as the only thing keeping her conscious

Jauiding her into the living rooainst his shoulder, wondering rong with her

"I’ back tears

"For what?"

"The fight"

"That wasn’t your fault"

"But, James, you have a terrible black eye What will people say?" She hated to think about the speculation he’d face when he returned to Seattle, and it was all on account of her Perhaps she should’ve told hi her, but she hadn’t wanted to burden hiure I was in a ht," Ja to happen to my reputation in years People will see ht"

"Everyone onder…"

"Of course they will, and I’ll tell theuy"

Suh but found she couldn’t She twisted her head a bit so she could look at him The bruise on his jaas a vivid purple She raised tentative fingers to it and bit her lip when he winced

"Oh, James" Gently she pressed her lips to the underside of his jaw

"That helps" He laughed and groaned at the sa her ing deep, hungry kisses

"I refuse," Ja difficulty with his swollen hands, "to allow Brett to ruin our last few hours together"

She smiled and slid her arms around his shoulders "Want to have a shower?" she breathed

"Yes, but do you have a large enough hot-water tank?"

Su their last experience in her coone cold at precisely the wrongin the lock told Summer her roommate was home She sat back abruptly and fastened her blouse

"Hi, everyone" Julie stepped into the living roo anything, aaze narrowed "James? What on earth happened to you?"

Jao unnoticed, but he wasn’t prepared for the ae Wilkens" Louise Jareeted hi Then she dropped her pencil "Judge Wilkens!" she said "My goodness, what happened?"

Heend of a fist and hurried into his office It was clear he’d need to come up with an explanation that would satisfy the curious

Brad Williae let himself into James’s office and stared "So it’s true?"

"What’s true?"

"You tell ht"

"It was ato say about it" Jaer to escape a series of prying questions he didn’t want to answer He had the distinct feeling the rest of the day was going to be like this

And he was right

By the tiretted that he hadn’t called in sick He ht’ve done it if a black eye would disappear in a couple of days, but that wasn’t likely, so there was no point in not going in He checked his reflection in the rearview mirror The eye looked worse than it had the previous day He pressed his index finger against the swelling and was surprised by the pain it caused Still, he could live with the discohtliness of the bruises and the questions and curious glances he could do without

Irritated and not knowing exactly whom to blame, James drove to his father’s house He hadn’t been to see Walter in a couple of weeks and wanted to discuss so a New York Times crossword puzzle when James let himself into the house He looked up from the folded newspaper and did a double take, but to his credit, Walter didn’t mention the black eye "Hello, James"