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"How about lunch tomorrow and I’ll catch you up?"

"That scaresand I talked to you a nu and need to be caught up kind of scares otta run into the office now"

"Okay, Ben, love you"

"Love you too" I hang up and can’t help wondering how she’s going to react to hearing the news

• • •

Typing a response to one of the dozens of e-mails in my in-box, I click SEND and close it down My crystal typewriter award is sitting on ht hits it creates a mock rainbow around it that lance fro to the screen of my phone for the umpteenth ti me It’s been more than six hours--I ran ho to stop in for only a few short minutes, and hours later I’m still here

"Hey, man, you’re here," Beck says from the doorway just as I pick up my phone to call S’belle

"Technically I’ht Well, anyway, I want to show you this I caht until this "

He sits doith his laptop in front of him at the conference table in the corner of ot"

"Be prepared for your world to be rocked," he gloats

I shakehow ht now I’ to talk to her As Beck walks n of how he plans to si into the social enuinely impressed by not only his skills, but his visionary talent But when my phone chirps from across the room, aze drift to rin "Give rab my cell

"No worries,or anything"

"You’ve been spending too much time with Alexander Only difference is you sound like a douche bag using the word o after what he wants"

I sit back in oing after what I want"

"Glad to hear it All right, then I’ll leave you to it I’ht Need anything before I go?" Beck asks

"I’ood"

"And, Ben," he says

I look over at hier She’s liable tolike me who never would have taken six weeks to close a deal"

"Thanks for the advice, er

"Close the door"

He laughs and walks away, leaving it open Fucker I read the e from S’belle

Can you meet me at Pebbles?

I can pick you up and take you out to dinner

I’d rather h that wall yesterday What’s going on?

Can you justwith me, are you? 50 First Dates is not what I have in ht

Please

Sure, when?

Two hours?

See you then And, S’belle, I can’t wait

I want to fk with her soes are too straightforward, too direct, so I stop After I read through a few more work e-mails and forward some of them on to Aerie for her to follow up on, my attention level is close to nil and I decide to call it a day

Once I open the glass doors, the cool, crisp breeze assaults me The air is much cooler than yesterday Fall is definitely here With plenty of time to spare, I zip upswitched toroads at a speed I’ve co the day but equally as breathtaking as when the sun falls off the cliffs and into the ocean at sunset

Stopping at et off hts of wooden stairs to the top Froeles during the day is a sight It’s one huge conglos, freeways that sprawl for et used to But I’ve lived there and good and evil lie hand in hand--although I suppose that ht, I stride back down to my bike and head into the city