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The worry faded as she smiled "You always say that, but I’ve never seen you do it"
"Sos are best done in private How’s Dyna?"
"Beautiful It’s nice to have a warm, furry body in bed with uys I’ve dated"
"Would I do that?" he asked
"In a heartbeat"
THE REST OF lunch passed in easy conversation Larissa ate too much, but hoas she supposed to choose just a couple of things when there were so many options?
She leaned back in her chair as Jack cleared the table He wasthe lack of stiffness in his shoulder
"You know there’s surgery," she said before she could stop herself
Jack scraped the plates into the sink, then ran water and turned on the garbage disposal When he walked back to the table, he put both hands on her shoulders, then bent down and kissed the top of her head
"No"
"They’ve ery It didn’t help"
"It helped a little"
"Not enough"
He released her and she scrambled to her feet, prepared to take him on Because this was important He was always in pain and what if she wasn’t around to make him feel better?
"Taryn find her dress yet?" he asked in a very obvious attee the subject "Because I have to tell you, I don’t think I can take another afternoon in a wedding-gown store"
"She’s decided and she’s going to look beautiful"
"Good She and Angel are good together They fit"
He was relaxed as he spoke There was no tension, no sense of hesitation She knew in her heart that whatever had happened between the more than friendship They hadn’t been in love
Because being in love would change everything Being in loveto be close, having everything divided into Jack or not Jack Ithis smile, his touch, like she needed air
"Larissa?"
Jack’s voice cah water Or over a distance She could hear hi to stay standing as the truth sla She was in love with Jack
"I have to go," she said as she raced for the front door
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing" Everything "I’ain
LARISSA DIDN’T REMEMBERfrom Jack’s house to the Score offices She was out of breath so she’d probably runand raced down the hall She flung open the door to Taryn’s office and stared at her friend
Taryn was on the phone She glanced up, took one look at Larissa and spoke into the receiver "Jenny, I’ to have to call you backUh-huh This afternoon I pro up and stood "Who’s dead?"
"No one Everyone is fine"
Taryn’s brows drew together "You don’t look like everyone is fine"
"They are It’s not that It’s ht"
Larissa didn’t want to say the words out loud, so she waited for the truth to sink in Taryn’s violet eyes widened
Her friend swore "Seriously? You’re in love with Jack?"
"I think so Maybe I was having lunch with hiel fit And then I started thinking what it means to be in love" She paused for breath "Is it possible?"
Taryn sank back into her chair "Dear God, I hope not"
Larissa settled across from her "Because it will end badly"
"That’s one way of putting it Jack doesn’t coet that involved" The worry returned "You know that, right?"
Larissa nodded "Of course I’ve seen hione" She was still trying to absorb the unexpected truth In love with Jack? Seriously?
She didn’t have to ask how it had happened He was a great guy Giving to her causes, always there for her Funny, char hiht," she ade inaloud "Being around him like I have, maybe I didn’t have a choice in the matter"
"I warned you about him when you first started"
"And that was supposed to be enough?"
Taryn sighed "I suppose not So nohat?"
"I’et over hiet him to fall in love with you?"
"No way That’s not possible" Although it was nice to think about "If Jack was going to seemore than his friend, don’t you think it would have happened by now?"
"Good point So how exactly do you plan to get over Jack? He’s kind of a great guy"
"How did you get over him?"
"I was never in love with hiht "So hoouy? You see him as he is, not as you want him to be I need to focus on Jack’s flaws He doesn’t commit, he’s emotionally unavailable"