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"Sorry I got carried away"

"No problem You two know each other?"

She s about their wine list"

"You speak French"

Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t realized she’d slipped into the other language "Um, a little"

It sounded like uage CDs on flights It helps pass the tiet to practice when I’m in that country"

"So it’s more than French"

"I speak Italian, a little German I tried Mandarin, but I so don’t have the ear" She shifted in her seat as if she was unco deal Anyway, the wine list is very iton wines I like to try local when I’lass of soional with my room service dinner"

"Rooht?"

"Not even close After a perforo back to the hotel where I eat soo to bed Occasionally there are dinners with patrons Those aren’t as fun as they sound I have to be totally on, which is its own kind of tiring"

He knew nothing about her or her world, he thought A few articles on the Internet and Nicole’s dismissive comments hadn’t prepared him for Claire As she talked about life on tour, he realized he’d asked a world-famous pianist to be his babysitter

"Who are you?" he asked, withoutto speak the question aloud

"What?"

"You don’t belong here In the real world"

"But I like the real world That other place isn’t very fun"

He couldn’t begin to understand her life What it would be like to go fro at a level only a handful of people could reach

"I want to fit in," she added "I’ to be like everyone else"

"Don’t lower your standards"

"I don’t think I’m better I’m just different I want to be less different"

She was beautiful, he thought absently When had she gotten so beautiful? A to ads, but there was little about her that reirl’s toy She was all woman and he liked that He liked her When had she stopped being the evil ice princess?

"Why don’t you order the wine," he said "Go crazy We’ll both try soht "Are you sure? I can be very free with thy discussion in French about different wines Claire flipped pages in the wine book and pointed Finally they agreed on a local boutique winery he’d never heard of The waiter appeared and they ordered their dinner When they were finally alone, she leaned toward hiabout that smile--an invitation thatClaire He wouldn’tvoice in the back of hisby the sah the cere When the sommelier had left, Wyatt asked, "Has Drew been back to the house?"

"Not that I know of I still can’t decide if I feel badly about hurting hi ht help his character"

"He’s your stepbrother?"

"One offa line of men who screw up relationships Most offor the land speed record for divorces My dad recently remarried It’s his fifth Drew’s o I can’t remember which one"

Claire looked a little startled "What about your ether about twenty-five years But not ive this one six months" He leaned toward her "The proble he’s not--a ht woman"

"It could happen"

"Not likely We have screwed up relationship biology I wasn’t going to get ured I’d try to stop the train wreck before it happened"

"You nant I didn’t have a choice"

Claire tilted her head "Actually you did You could have not e see to do At the ti"

So in the direction he wanted "I’m not the hero here"

"Why not? Shanna’s the one who left Was it right after Amy was born?"

"Within a couple of months, after we confirle father I guess I half expected Shanna to bolt, ith aze and held it "You’re lad we’re going out and I’ood tiood, but I don’t get involved I don’t do serious"

He shrugged "II don’t know if you’re interested But if you are, I want to be clear about what I’ to do and not do"

Her blue eyes widened "You want to have sex with ot fro ood I totally understand that But you really want to sleep with me?"

"Why is that a surprise?"

Because no one ever wanted to, Claire thought, lacing her fingers together tightly in her lap so she wouldn’t give in to the need to clap her hands in delight Wyatt wanted her Her!

He was a pretty uy He could probably have anyone he wanted and he wanted her! Could this day get any better?

She wanted to ask hiain, maybe with a few details thrown in Like when he’d decided she was sexy and did he plan tonervous and shy and went for a safer topic

"I’ loss She was born with it?"

"That’s the theory She has a s in one ear and al aids help, but they’re far from perfect Even with all the ital hearing aids to the specific hearing loss Whether it’s high tones or low tones"

"What about other treatet a cochlear implant?"

"It’s possible" He sipped his wine "The current surgeries require the inner ear to be destroyed for the iy comes up, it can’t be used There’s a lot of debate in the deaf community about theo in that direction?"

"For now A better I want her to hear" He shrugged "A very unpopular opinion and one I wouldn’t say to a lot of people For so deaf isn’t considered a handicap It sihter to have every advantage I’ives her that"

"You have a lot to deal with"