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"We expect you to get onto the next Jitney and co, and it was again her father, who’d left it But before he’d disconnected the call, words spoken by her"How can she do this tothat drunkard out of the pool How could she!"

Other parents would have been proud of her heroic act, but no, her parents saw it as an affront As if she’d saved the guy siround her teeth and listened to the last e Surely another idle threat made by her parents

"Hey Tara," her sister’s voice chih the phone "If you’re still in the Ha in Southa out with so together Call ht Had Veronica not heard from their parents yet, or had she been asked to set a trap? Truth be told, Tara wouldn’t put it past her mother to use Veronica to lure her hohter ould do anything herher sister the benefit of the doubt, she decided to reply to her But she would be careful A text e would suffice to test the waters

When were you thinking of going shopping? Tara pressed send

She had to wait alolfing all day, then big dinner at the Ryans Tuesday okay for you?

Relieved that her sister wasn’t pushing to meet her immediately, Tara let out a breath If her mother had put her up to this, Veronica would have insisted on going shopping on MondaySo it appeared that her sister didn’t know yet that her parents were looking for Tara

Cool See you Tuesday I’ll let you knohere and when to meet

See you then, came Veronica’s reply a moment later

A sound from above alerted her that she wasn’t alone anymore Tara turned off her cell phone and put it back into her bag, then walked to the steps that led up to the main cabin The sry

She ran upstairs, happy that Jay was back Despite the fact that they’d spent practically the entire night and day in each other’s co ti She loved that she could be herself with hiood," she said as she entered the galley He’d placed the pizza on the large island and was opening a hanging cabinet to pull two plates froe" Jay turned halfway and placed the plates next to the pizza box, then turned back again to retrieve cutlery

"I don’t need a fork I’ll eat with ers"

She felt him hesitate, before he turned fully to her, his head tilted down But there was no disguising the discoloring on his face