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Just as she started the car, her phone rang A Nevada area code flashed on the screen, bringing a wry smile to her lips It wasn’t quite a call froh

"Hey, Missy," she said after she switched the call to speakerphone

"Hey, sugar pie! How’s ?" With the way Missy Masterson chain-smoked, you’d think she’d sound perpetually hoarse, but Seth’s mother had one of those breathy, Marilyn Monroe voices that only added to her sexpot status

"I’ot the voiceue between et a chance Thanks for the birthday e It eet of you"

"I can’t believe you worked on your birthday Shame on you"

"Hey, as I recall, you were at the theater until three in the rapher Where else would I be? Now, tell es How’s business?"

"Pretty good Enroll a full house for the recital at the end of July All the parents are super excited" She rolled her eyes to herself "Except for hter doesn’t end up dancing in the recital at all"

She quickly told Missy about the awful "date" with Porter, and when she finished, the older wousted "What a sli, Miranda set the phone in the cup holder and drove away from the school "I totally should Seth would be happy to do it--he already kicked the ass of one man who had the audacity to bother htest "My boy has always been a hothead And too big and strong for his own good" Missy sounded suspicious now "Is he giving you any trouble? Because he definitely has the tendency to bulldoze people in order to get his way He gets his bossy, overbearing side from his father"

"Seth has a father?"

The second she asked it, she felt like a total"No, Miranda, my son was born via immaculate conception"

Okay, she deserved that "I mean, neither of you talk about Seth’s father I didn’t realize he was ever in the picture"

"Oh, he was Not for long, though He bailed when Seth was five But good riddance, because that man was nothin’ but trouble Anyway, I wanted toyou any grief Is he hitting on you left and right?"

For a second she al, but she wasn’t sure if he wanted hison what happened tonight, dating ht not even be in the cards

So she opted for a casual response "No, he isn’t causingover you for h her