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God, she was so fierce she ht, but was doubly glad that she pretty h soenuine compassion to jaded cynicis?" he asked

"What do youis driven by a cause What’s yours?"

She turned away, busying herself ashing her hands again

"Ah," he said "So I’m not the only one with secrets"

She turned back to him at that, eyes narrowed "Tell you what I’ll answer one question for every question you answer for ht have treated her like a one-night stand but he knew damn well she was different By all appearances, she was pretty and sweet and innocent, but beneath that guileless smile, she held all the power, and he knew it She’d have hi his sins with one warm touch

She isn’t for you…

"Yeah," she said dryly, hands on hips "I figured that’d be too …and yet he opened his et off?"

This shocked her, he could tell Fair enough He’d shocked himself too

"Seven," she said

"I’ll pick you up"

"No," she said "You know the pier?"

"Sure"

"I’ll meet you there In front of the Ferris wheel"

She didn’t trust him Smart woman "Okay," he said "In front of the Ferris wheel"

"How do I know you’re going to remember to show up for this date?"

A date Christ, it was utter insanity But he looked into her beautiful eyes and nearly drowned "Because this tie of all my faculties," he said

Except, clearly, he wasn’t

Chapter 9

Stress wouldn’t be so hard to take if it were

chocolate covered

As Mallory got into her car after her shift, her phone rang from an unfamiliar number

"He came to the hospital to see you?" Amy asked

Mallory didn’t bother to ask how Amy knew Ty had been at the hospital earlier It was probably put out as an all points bulletin "Whose cell phone is this?"

"I just found it at the diner Don’t tell Jan; she likes to keep all the leftover phones for herself"

"Amy! You can’t just use someone’s phone"

"And that," Amy said dryly, "is why you need Bad Girl lessons Okay, iht now, because you’re in crisis"

"I a "Always use a situation to your benefit"

"That’s lesson number one?" Mallory said "What’s lesson nuet your exploits recounted on Facebook Rookie hed "Do you have any wisdoht actually be helpful?"

"Yeah" There was so, and she ca, war for a job She says lesson nuuys are about the visuals, and she’s right Alear Bad Girl shoes and Bad Girl panties They create the mood"

The panties were self-explanatory "Bad Girl shoes? You wear steel-toed boots"

Moreas Grace and Amy conferred on this subject

"Okay," Amy came back to say "Grace thinks it’s a frame of mind I’m a shit-kicker, so the boots work You’re…softer You need high heels Strappy Sexy"

The thought of high heels after being on her feet all day made Mallory want to cry Then she remembered how it had felt when Ty had put his hands on her ankles and removed her heels for her She’d liked that, a lot "My only heels hurt my feet"

"Get another pair Lesson nuh the contacts"

"I’h his contacts!" Mallory paused and considered "And ould I be looking for, anyway?"

"Anyone listed as My Drug Dealer That’s when you’d run not walk"

Mallory blinked "The guy who left his phone at the diner has a contact that says My Drug Dealer?"

"And also Bitch Ex-Wife Oh, and Moot on the phone then, herto have to asasmic brownie "One of you take a turn now"

"Well, Grace here has been turned down for all the jobs she applied for froo," A to go with the brownie In the iving her the local discount to keep staying there for cheap, since she’s a local now As forfor warmer weather to make my move"

"Your move on what?" Mallory asked

"Life In the meantime, we’ll concentrate on you," she said "You’re the irl shoes"

Mallory hung up and drove to the pier When she got out, she took a moment to inhale the salty ocean air as the sound of the waves hitting the shore soothed her antsy nerves At the pier’s entrance, flyers were posted, one for an upcoh school play, another for aweek But it was the flyer for the town’s ht her interest

This here Bill Laould pitch her Health Services Clinic and get the town’s collective reaction

In theto her heart rate, was ied into a summer dress she’d borrowed from Tammy’s work locker Tammy had superior clothes This hat happened when one was ot a hell of a discount

Walking to the Ferris wheel, Mallory took quick stock of her appearance Not too bad, she thought, although her walking sandals were definitely not up to Bad Girl code

Next tiently against the pylons far below the pier The power beneath her feet made the pier shudder faintly with the push and pull of the tide, which h her