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Rachel’s appetite was gone, and she pushed her food around while Bruce finished his Heyou, isn’t it?"

Bruce was stating the obvious, a typical male trait in her experience Because she found it impossible to conceal her emotions, she simply nodded

They left, and he followed her back to her rental house, parking at the curb She unlocked the front door and let hi she noticed in the dark foyer was the red light flashing on her answering es, she turned on the house lights and drew the living rooht out the DVD they’d selected

While he put the disk in the slot, she poured thelass of wine He liked the reds, especially s under her, Rachel sat on the sofa Bruce sat next to her

The previews had just started when the phone rang Unfolding her legs and setting her wineglass on the coffee table with a sigh, she hurried into the hallway to answer it She wasn’t expecting any calls, but there was always the possibility that Jolenethe remote, Bruce sped ahead to the movie portion and hit the pause button

"Hello," she said, slightly out of breath

"Rachel, it’s Nate"

"Nate?"

Bruce’s eyes flew to hers and she whirled around, unable to look at hiuilty, although she told herself there wasn’t a single reason she should

"Thank heaven you’re ho for the last half hour Where were you? Damn, I wish you’d turn on your cell phone"

"Did you call to yell aton" His words were followed by a slight echo "Why won’t you answerI feel is necessary I think we should end this right now"

"Fine, whatever, but the least you can do is tell me why"

Rachel didn’t want to talk about this now, especially with Bruce listening to every word

"Is there souy, isn’t it?"

"No"

"Did I do anything?"

"No" She twisted the cord around her elbow

"Do I have to play a guessing garessman Olsen’s son"

Her announcement was met with a brief hesitation "That’s a proble problem" He needed to understand what that information had done to her And if it wasn’t a proble her to discover it on her own?

"Does this change who I aed reluctantly

"Then I don’t see why it’s a probleress nails and hair"

"What’s that got to do with anything?"

"If you don’t know, then I can’t explain it"

"I’m Nate Olsen, a Warrant Officer in the United States Navy Why can’t you accept that and that alone?"

"Because"

"That doesn’t tell "

"Why did you enlist?" she deuard "I had so to prove"

"It’s the sa me in the same way"

"No"

"I’ine what he’d think if he learned about ive a damn what he thinks"

"Well, I do," she said forcefully

"Then you aren’t the woainst the wall "No, I guess I’ oodbye, followed by a click He’d disconnected The phone droned in her ear, and a long moment passed before she replaced the receiver

When she turned around, Bruce was standing in the doorway "You okay?" he asked

She was going to lie, to shrug it off, but couldn’t "No, not really," she finally said

He slipped his arainst his shoulder

Thirty

"Jack!" Olivia co to start using that tread ever since Christh he’d made an effort to look pleased, she’d seen the disappoint out from the bathroom in his underwear "Soon"

"You promised to start last week"