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"Is that Anne or Mary speaking?"

"Anne," she confessed with a laugh

"That’s what I thought"

"Okay, coht a sketch"

They left the hotel, and Anne handed the valet her claiht her car around, and at Anne’s instruction, parked it by the outside curb to avoid delaying anyone as pulling into the portico The Cadillac was one of the few things she’d gotten as part of the divorce settlement Roy said that was because Burton had wanted it to look as if he’d been fair

"As I explained, this isn’t one ofthe door Because of the size of the painting, she’d brought along her sketchbook It lay on the passenger seat, and Anne picked it up and opened it to the sketch of the angel

For a long"This is the sketch you painted froe rush" She told her the size of the canvas While on the ferry, she’d shaded in the sketch, using pencils "Like I said thisI’retted showing her art to such a renowned professional, Anne quickly added, "Listen, it’s all right if you don’t like it"

"Like it?" Marta said, aze "I love it This is incredible I realize it’s only a sketch, but if the painting’s anything like this, you have a real winner on your hands Maybe it’sdown at the pad, "but I feel like…like I’ve been touched by God just looking at it"

Anne could hardly believe Marta had said that…

"I’ toood as I think it’ll be, I’reed?"

"I…of course"

"I can get eight or nine for this"

"Hundred?"

Marta grinned "Thousand"

"Eight or nine thousand?" Anne knew she had to be drea

"Maybe more Now, I have to tell you that as the dealer, I take a percentage, but you could still end up with four or five thousand dollars"

Anne wanted to throw her arms in the air and scream for joy Instead, she clasped both hands over her ht

Now that her father orking, Julie always stopped at the er accompanied him or rode her bicycle--her brand-new bicycle--to and from school As she strolled toward the house on Monday, she shuffled through the day’s collection of bills, notices, Christmas cards and the usual junk mail--and paused at the thick manila envelope addressed to her Julie hesitated in midstep The return address was that of a well-known Seattle law firled the house keys, the rest of the mail and her backpack as she extracted a letter and a thick wad of paper Using her shoulder to open the door, she nearly fell into the house when she realized what she was reading

A settlement offer

From Roy Fletcher

Julie scanned the details and by the tihty wanted to buy her off He illing to spend twenty-five thousand dollars to shut her up Julie couldn’t believe it, couldn’t coet rid of her, especially when she’d assured hi

She didn’t want hisfroest insult of her life

Pacing now, she sto rooood idea to try to reason with Fletcher, especially when she felt like this, but she couldn’t stand still and she couldn’t stay honation This pent-up energy had to go sohts continued to churn as she tossed her car keys in the air and deftly caught the to tell Mr Big Bucks exactly what he could do with his "settlery she barely noticed the ten-le parking space available anywhere at Fletcher Industries With no other option, she pulled into a handicapped spot

Ar at her sides, every step filled with determination, Julie headed for the company’s headquarters In the back of her mind a small voice whispered that this was probably a

She stor man with impressive biceps Jason, she recalled She’dher "You have to check in here first"

Julie waved her hand at him as he moved out from behind his desk "You don’t want to mess with me just now"

"Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you onto the elevator until you’ve been cleared by security"

"Hey, uard said, co around the corner "How you doin’?" he asked, as if they were the best of friends

Julie vaguely remembered him from the day of her accident Roy Fletcher had spoken to him briefly when he’d dropped off her bike at the office couard "You remember me, don’t you, Jason?" she said "I ca?"

"Okay, I guess," he said, eyeing her skeptically

For once Julie was grateful for the family resemblance

"Yeah, I remember you now," he said after a moment "Do you have an appointment with your father?"