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"Help yourselves, boys," Charlotte said She stood and got theht out three chairs from the kitchen The new arrivals filled their plates and joined the circle

"I don’t kno I’ll ever be able to thank everyone," Olivia said

"We don’t need any thanks," Grace told her "We wanted to do this In fact, it’s been in the planning stages for weeks--I actually had to turn people down So many of your friends wanted to contribute You are loved, Olivia, and this is just our attempt to let you know that"

"Well, I’d say you’ve done a more than adequate job…"

Olivia looked around the roo on each one in turn She wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled tremulously at Grace "I’ll have a piece of that coconut creaot a job!" Mary Jo’s excited voice burst over Mack’s cell phone

He turned away from the other men in the break room at the fire station and concentrated on his phone He hadn’t expected a call from Mary Jo and it jolted hireat" He es and he couldn’t recall heranother job interview

"I probably shouldn’t have phoned you at work, but I’"

He assumed the job was in Seattle, and his heart sank The intervieith Will Jefferson hadn’t led to employment; the owner of the Harbor Street Art Gallery had only been able to offer a part-time position Will couldn’t tell her when the job would become full-time--"eventually" was the most he could promise--so Mary Jo felt she had to pass Mack didn’t bla Will Jefferson had given her confidence, and she’d decided to start applying elsewhere, presumably in Seattle; she hadn’t referred to any particular places

"Tellto hide his own lack of enthusias, he’d created the ideal scenario in hisnext door to hiether A lot of ti in an attorney’s office," Mary Jo was saying, "which I thought would be perfect, because, well…you know?"

This seemed to indicate that she’d have a built-in resource should David Rhodes try to interfere with her and Noelle

"The money isn’t asin Cedar Cove is quite a bit less, right?"

It was 4:00 p place as they spoke Mack waved to his friends, cell phone to his ear, and started out of the station house "Wait!" Not until he was close to his car did it hit hi you have a job here--in town? In Cedar Cove?"

"Yes" She sounded surprised by his question, as if he should know "I’ll be working for Allan Harris"

"Where are you now?"

"Mocha Ma with a latte"

"I’ll be there in ten e it

Mack snapped his phone shut and trotted the last few steps to his car He’d had plans but they could wait; seeing Mary Jo was more important His next shift at the fire station wasn’t until Friday, which gave hi both units Once that was accomplished, he’d be all set to rent out the other half of the duplex He’d alreadyin chaos

He knew exactly who he wanted as a tenant Mary Jo would need a place to live--and what better place than right next door to hi himself as the owner He didn’t feel completely comfortable with the deception, but wasn’t sure how she’d react if she knew Mary Jo was cautious and uncertain about men, all men Given her history, Mack could understand it He’d like to meet David Rhodes in a back alley souy was obviously avoiding Cedar Cove

Mack drove down the hill to Mocha Mah yet another light rain, he saw Mary Jo sitting by the , sipping her latte She s the rinning widely, her happiness unht Noelle was born

He suddenly realized Noelle was nowhere in sight "Where’s the baby?"

"A friend ofher this afternoon This is the first time I’ve been away fro Jenna said I have to stop phoning, because whenever I do I wake the baby"

Mack glanced over his shoulder "I’ll get an espresso and join you in a nized as Shaas behind the counter They exchanged greetings, then Shaed Mack his double shot Back at Mary Jo’s table, Mack sat across fro his coat on the e toward her "Tell me how you came to hear about the job with the attorney"

"Kelly Jordan toldfor an assistant and--"

"Sorry, who’s Kelly Jordan?"

"Grace Harding’s daughter Don’t you reested Kelly as a possible day-care provider? It was the day we irl, E to walk now"

"Oh, yeah" He had a dim memory of the conversation; he’d been too occupied with Noelle to pay much attention "So you found someone to do day care before you had a job? That was s to be taking care of Noelle before I could even think about es like that," she went on "I know Linc didn’t, but thenbrother How’s Linc doing these days?" Mary Jo’s brother was overprotective to the point of obtrusiveness, and she resented his do attitude Mack sympathized with her, but he also understood Linc’s point of view

Mary Jo stirred her latte "As you uessed, Linc’s not very happy with uessed… With a job in Cedar Cove, she’d presu away from her brother’s house--and his control

"He doesn’t think it’s a good idea forto hiether"

"I believe that, too," Mack told her, "but it doesn’t mean everyone has to live in the same house"