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"Everyone knows about The Talk," she said crossly

"Is that so?" He sounded irritated "You shouldn't believe every bit of gossip you hear about me"

"You mean it's not true about The Talk?"

He opened the door, letting in another gust of wet air "I've got no intention of discussing the details of my private life at this particular moment"

"Why not?" Her chin carimly "It isn't But just so we're clear on this subject, I'd like to point out that we've already had The Talk"

"Is that so?" she asked in icy accents "I don't recall it"

"Then you've got a short-terle out of this" She strode forward, clutching the chenille throw to her throat, and caer against his chest "You did not givelike that"

"No," he agreed coolly "I didn't deliver it You did"

That stopped her cold

She stared at hi your pardon?"

"Don't you remember?" He moved out onto the shadowy porch "You made it clear that you're a free spirit and that you'll be leaving at the end of the su other than a short-ter of the kind You're putting words in ht and started down the front steps "I know The Talk when I hear it"

She was too dumbfounded to speak for a moment By the ti away into the night

She abruptly realized that her bare feet were very cold

Chapter 9

"What do you think is going on?" Lillian asked on the other end of the line

"I think they've started an affair" Hannah glanced out into the hall toon her conversation with her sister

Satisfied that she and Winston had the office to themselves, she closed the door and went back to the chair behind the desk Winston, stretched out on his belly on the rug, watched her alertly

It was obvious that he sensed her tension

"You're sure they're involved?" Lillian asked

"Yes You should have seen hiht when he ca on between those two, it's serious"

"Did he give her The Talk?"

"I don't think so I asked hi a joke out of it, the way he usually does, he acted pissed off"