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Jack chuckled "About the time I married you"

"Good answer"

"You still interested in that shower?" Olivia asked in a sultry voice as they neared the house

"You bet I am" Her question added an extra bounce to his step

Olivia broke into an unhurried trot "Wanna race?"

Jack declined "I think I’d better conserve th--for later"

"Excellent idea Otherwise I ht wear you out completely and I wouldn’t want to do that"

Jack cast her a teasing, sexy look "Oh, but I was hoping you’d at least try"

Olivia couldn’t keep froifts of her hter Jack tended to see the humor in situations, even serious ones, and he could be a very clever mimic "I don’t knohat I ever did without you, Jack Griffin"

"I don’t, either"

"We don’t have anything planned for this evening, do we?" he asked

"Well…" Olivia hated to break this to him "Actually, we do"

"We do?" Jack whined

"Grace and Cliff invited us to dinner to give Cal a nice send-off to Wyo"

"He needs us to send him off?"

Olivia would rather stay home, too, but she’d promised her friend "I told Grace we’d be there"

Jack gave a deep, resigned sigh "What’s Grace cooking?"

"I didn’t ask"

"I’ to need lots of incentives Like her rib roast and those mashed potatoes she does"

They reached the house and Olivia jogged up the steps only to find Jack surging ahead of her "Jack," she cried when he entered the house He hadn’t bothered to wait for her, either "Where are you going?"

He looked back, raising his eyebrows "To turn on the shower, of course"

"Of course," Olivia echoed "I’ht behind you"

Nineteen

Ever since the phone call fro for hiain It’d been almost three weeks, and she was afraid she wouldn’t hear frorew closer, she hoped and prayed that the investigators would uncover so, to prove his innocence

"Dinner," her mother shouted from the kitchen Allison reluctantly left her bedroo as a fa, Allison considered it a h it sounded, eating together had brought them all closer With everyone’s hectic schedule, the habit had fallen by the wayside, and Allison hadn’t thought she’d reallydoith her fae intact, she’d do it

Her hetti and meatballs That should ames and basketball were his three passions She remembered how much Anson liked Eddie and had even played basketball with hi asked, Allison set the salad on the table and brought out two bottles of dressing froerator door Her mother thanked her with a smile

Her father sliced the French bread while Eddie sat at the table waiting Typical boy attitude Like it was his right to have everyone wait on hi around and Allison served herself sohetti to deter any coood since Anson’s disappearance and she’d lost several pounds Again and again she’d reviewed their brief phone conversation He’d told her so little, for fear of putting himself at risk The less she knew, the better Allison understood that Still, she couldn’t help worrying about him

"Hoas school?" herinto his usto He was already taller than Allison and still growing "Bor-ing"

"Allison?" Her ot accepted into the University of Washington" The letter had come that afternoon

Her father set his fork down and stared at her "You’re only thinking to mention that now?"

She nodded carelessly "I knew I’d get in"

"Such confidence," her ratulations, Allison" Her father raised his water glass, and the others joined in the toast

Really, Allison couldn’t see what all the fuss was about Both of her parents had attended UW and it was expected that she would, too She’d encouraged Anson to apply for a scholarship there, and if he’d stayed in school, if he’d pursued it, she was positive he would’ve been accepted

No one seees easily, as she’d h her chemistry class Without him she would barely have passed All that stuff came to him with very little effort

"What about you, honey?" herthe question to Zach

"I attended the Rotarythis afternoon and sat with Seth Gunderson"

Allison’s ears perked up She kept a file hatever she could find out about the Gundersons, the restaurant and the fire Obviously, she didn’t possess the resources or the finesse of the authorities, but she collected every bit of information she could

"How are Seth and his faht, it see boats"

"Boats?" Eddie echoed, a smear of tomato sauce on his chin "That’s a switch, isn’t it?"