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"Thanks You e received I’ll keep an eye out for your guy" Colleen smiled and bustled away

Colleen’s pushiness aside, E, and Lucas, too Angela, as well She’d have allies, in other words Her parents were in the neutral coluht her the beer, and Esport Fire Depart, which consisted of poker and dirty jokes

So What was she supposed to do at this very moment? She hadn’t been on many dates since the breakup She’d been on, oh, let’s see noo

It had taken a while to get over Kevin, of course, the only man she’d ever dated, slept with, kissed or even held hands with And those two dates had been pretty terrible One guy had had to go to the hospital to pass a kidney stone; E to ith hiot there The other guy had asked her to pick him up, then invited her in, flopped onto a couch, picked up his bong and asked if she wanted to get high and watch SpongeBob "You have the right to re had ended in his arrest

Also,a path to her door She’d read the books, the ones that instructed her to feign idiocy and let the man do all the work and be feminine and unavailable and all that, and she was uys asked

Eot it She was a police officer who played hockey and had a seous, either, not like Colleen or Faith or anything Shoulder-length brown hair Blue eyes that were not sapphire, ultramarine, cobalt, turquoise or cerulean Just ordinary blue Her body was average, she guessed She was in good shape in that she ran and took a kickboxing class froe Farht

Kevin’s parting words to her had been about her weight

Sigh Mason Maynard was forty-seven seconds late Not that she was counting

She’d been clear in her e date and nothing ht and hotel for the weekend, of course, and all she wanted was an amiable coated by her parents, to sis without a date before, of course But those had been the weddings of nice people Tom Barlow and Honor Holland, Faith and Levi last year

She looked at her watch again Allison’s ex-husband’s cousin’s friend was now three minutes and fourteen seconds late She took a sip of beer, but not too much, because she didn’t want Mason Maynard to think she’d been waiting too long or was the type to chug like a frat boy

It was possible that Mason would be lovely That at the age of forty-one, eight years her senior, he’d have a heartbreak story, too That he’d co, he’d be charsport and he’d say, "You know, I had a great time Want to have dinner soet et married to Kevin

That’s what happened when you rade

"Emmaline?"

She looked up so suddenly she practically dislocated her neck "Hey! Hi! Yes That’sthan his photo

Much better-looking

Now there was so that didn’t happen every day He looked like Michael Fassbender Hopefully in every way

"Nice to meet you," he said with a faint smile Emmaline’s storin

He had beautiful dark eyes and graying hair, and he lookedhe looked like a husband Not that she was getting ahead of herself

"Yeah You, too," she breathed

His grin widened Yep Husband

"This isworim "Patricia, this is Emmaline"

"Hello," Patricia said in a toneless voice

"Hi," E After all, it wasn’t weird that a guy would bring his sister on a date, right?

Fine It was freaky But ood reason Maybe her car had broken down, or she had dropped by unexpectedly Or, from the look of her, she needed a keeper

"She wanted to reat"

Colleen caet you?" she asked merrily

"I’ll have a vodka tonic," Mason said "And my sister will have water with a very, very thin slice of le E to eat?"

"No, thank you," Mason said, as he and his sister sat down "We’re just here for drinks"

Emmaline wavered On the one hand, weird already shiry her sto "I’ll have the nachos," she said, food slut that she was Patricia slid lower in her seat "You can share, if you like," Em added

Mason smiled Emmaline smiled Patricia didn’t smile Colleen walked back to the kitchen

"So," said E you both"

"I have a s alone omen," he said smoothly

"So I always come with him," Patricia said "Always Every time"

"Ah" Dear God, where do You hide the norhed warmly "No, she doesn’t"

"Yes, I do"