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My crazy fa to feel very tame in comparison

We only had to work a half day Thursday, so when it was time to shut down for the holiday, I stuck my head in Owen’s office door and asked, "Are you ready to leave?"

He looked up at"Is it that time already?"

"Five s to wrap up You don’tout by yourself, do you?"

Not only did I not , and I had that ot stuff to take care of I’ll see you in the "

"Okay See you then" He’d already returned to his work by the time I turned to leave his office, and he didn’t see by the fact that he didn’t respond to my farewell as I passed his open office door He was lost in his project and probably would be for the rest of the day, if not all night

Shopping for Owen’s foster parents looked like it was going to be quite the challenge Owen hi ift basket or a charity donation in their narandeur et

After looking at and rejecting any number of items as I browsed the stalls of the Union Square holidaygifts for people like that, it took either a lot of money or a lot of personal effort Personal effort I could do I had a nearly finished cross-stitch saot a nice fraured that I could have it done and offer a truly personal gift There was an ornate ht Owen a nice wool o ith his coat and that had blue flecks in it that ift, personal without being too personal and de that I had some concern for him

Then I had to hurry to transforhter before Philip came over I wore a slim skirt, one of Gemma’s silk blouses, and my own red stiletto shoes, now unenchanted I made liberal use of all those Mary Kayme and teased and sprayed my hair to within an inch of its life All I needed was a fur coat to complete the effect, but that I’d have to do without Philip’s reaction when he came over told me all I needed to know about how effective my transformation was

"Hi, hon," I drawled I hooked o find us a place where I can invest all of Daddy’s hter would be like?" he asked, his eyes popping enough to re

"No, not based on the few I’ve met, but it’s what people around here will expect from TV shows and movies"

"Very well, then I propose we take the subway, as it’s faster than surface transport"

I didn’t think your typical oil baron’s daughter would set foot on the subway, but he was right about the speed issue The company that should have been his was located on the far tip of Manhattan, below Wall Street Its building looked like it one all the way back to Colonial days Philip stood on the sidewalk in front of it for a ine what this must be like for him, to see his family business about a century later in a very different world Then he took a deep breath and opened the front door

The interior was full of heavy antiques that had probably been nehen the building was built Philip approached the receptionist’s desk and said, "I have a two o’clock appointment with Mr Meredith"

She checked her computer "Ah, you must be Mr Smith"

I re I could see why heout his family business, but he could have found one that sounded a little less like an alias Come to think of it, I needed an alias of lance "And is Miss…"

"Sue-Ellen Hunt, of the Texas Hunts," I drawled, sticking my hand out at her My alias wasn’t much better than Philip’s, as Sue-Ellen had been a character on Dallas and Hunt was the only family name associated with oil I could think of off the top of et the Texas oil associations

She eyedit, then she said to Philip, "Miss Meredith will be with you in a moment"