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"Surpriseforward, his elbows on the counter I had a vague ht he was just another custoe shifted so that he was leering instead of set rid of him Yes, that hat had really happened Iotherwise toaround for a while, chatting with Florence andto the side ere After lunch, he said, "Well, I’d better get going I have soht?" I asked, but then the ht, that special dinner you’ve got planned You still can’t givepretty" He grinned "A ot the tione Then I figured it out People would be seeing"Florence, I think he’s planning to propose tonight!"

"Yeah, I bet he is," she said dryly

I examinedmy hands toward Florence, I asked, "Do I need a et by with a quick file and buff?"

She glanced atthem away "You’re fine, and I don’t think you need the er, just for showing it off afterward You could get theyou say yes and will be wearing the ring"

"Of course I’ll say yes Why wouldn’t I?"

She stared at me silently for a while, then said, "Just be sure that’s what you want, okay? Think about it long and hard before you go to that dinner, and then don’t let anything that happens sway you Go with your gut, with your first strong iht hit you"

"What’s that supposed to es This is only going to foret what you want--what you deserve," she said, turning away She looked troubled, with frown lines between her eyes, tension around her mouth, and, if I wasn’t mistaken, tears in her eyes

"Florence, what is it?" I asked, catching her ar you know that you aren’t tellinglike that, have you? I can take it, whatever it is, and I’d rather kno before I make any major decisions"

As she faced ony, even She took a deep breath, started to say so, then squeezed her lips shut and shook her head After a long pause, she said, "I just don’t think he’s good for you Don’t ask me why I think that, but I do That’s all I want you to think for yourself"

I blinked, taken aback "Who said I wasn’t thinking for myself? It’s not like he haslike that" Then I frowned "You’ve never liked hiainst him froent enough to make my own decisions"

For the rest of the day, we spoke only enough to get our work done, whichenvirono downstairs to help award the prizes to the treasure hunt winners, but thatOwen I kept a wary distance fro directly at hi unwanted had faded, but being around hi on the brink between two realities When I saw hi toward me, I escaped upstairs Even Florence’s iciness was preferable to that

My shift ended with the end of the contest, and after I’d put awaycrew, I tried to get out of the store without running into Owen, to no avail He’d been waiting for , Katie?" he asked, looking so hurt and confused that my heart broke for him for a moment, until I remembered what he’d done

"You dare to ask that?" I snarled

"You’re angry because I gave you a pro with you first? You can turn it down if you don’t want it"

I reme like friends I hadn’t seen him as a threat, hadn’t found his attention unwelcome I’d liked hiuely, trying to recapture what the problem was