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"I can’t help if I was scared," she said defensively "It was the first tih and raided irl froainst the headboard "That’s not the ridiculous part You’re being charged three dollars a square foot?"

She nodded at her knitting "It’s a roo, which makes me sad, but I’m told it’s quite a steal at 450 a month"

"A flat in Bushwick, Brooklyn? That sounds horrific I think er than a hundred and fifty square feet"

She laughed "I don’t doubt that, Mr Griffin"

As she glanced over, he rubbed his chest idly Oh, that bare chest with all thoseover or she was likely to get herself into trouble

"Just call ether," hehis chest "Feels weird otherwise So you’re renting a hole of an apartment in a terrible part of the city Does Hunter not pay you very well?"

Oh, dear "Mr Hunter pays ally so I can send e is appalling Malish"

"It is"

"Really? Where in the grammar books do you suppose they cover ‘and them’? Who, pray tell, is ‘them’?"

"My sisters and my Nana and my Pepaw--"

He waved a hand "You knohat? I’m sorry I asked Never mind Please, continue with your horrific tale of woe"

Maylee was silent He washer, wasn’t he? She couldn’t exactly tell hihed and rubbed his face "So you send et a job closer to where you were?"

"Mama wants me to be successful," she said softly, and was surprised by the ache of homesickness that swelled in her "She said all the truly successful, dynao there She said I was such a good daughter that I didn’t deserve to end up stuck in the backwoods with a bunch of hillbillies for the rest of my life" Tears pricked Maylee’s eyes She loved those "hillbillies" and would have stayed with theer sisters and I’ood example for thes the first time someone breaks into ive up"

"Two younger sisters? I shudder to think what their naled at his snotty tone "One is Alabama, and the other is Dixie"

"Dear God Of course they are"

"I’ named after Nana and Pepaw After that, s"

"And what does your father do?"

She sobered and n of the cross "Daddy died ten years ago"

"I’one and it kinda sounded like he e, too"

She looked over at hi down, a bit surprised "Oh?"

"When I was sixteen Boating accident"

She reached across the pillows and touched his are I wish I’d been younger so I wouldn’t have so manydown at her hand

Oh, had she hten the mood, she added, "I proain

"So what about your faain "Are you the oldest?"

"Thank God I ae He is the official duke Since I’er son, I am a mere viscount"

She blinked in surprise and looked over at hier sister of the queen," he adht and day while we’re here"

"Oh Wow"

She had just asked to share the blankets with royalty Lordamercy No wonder he was so starchy all the time He was probably appalled by her Maylee sed hard "I thought you were fancy, I just didn’t realize how fancy"

He groaned "Please, please, never refer to me as ‘fancy’ in front of anyone"