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"Oh," I say, "they’re extreood," he says and rolls over to reach for the water glass on the nightstand next to his side of the bed--after a workout like the one I’ve given hi is both necessary and advisable--only to find Owen, the orange tabby cat, perched there, watching him

"Jesus Christ," he says, startled, as Owen blinks at hiet cameras in here and put on our own reality show"

"I told you we could go to your place," I say, holding out htstand to the bed An outstretched index finger is, as any cat person knows, irresistible to most cats, as they cannot help but ainst it Owen is no exception, and Cooper is able to reach the water glass as Owen leaps frohtstand to the bed "Then ouldn’t have an audience"

"No," Cooper says after sing down half the contents of the glass "I like your place better"

He doesn’t need to explain His place--one floor of the brownstone below er, but it’s also been Cooperized, with curtains that don’t close all the way (particularly in the bedroom), books and papers piled on nearly every surface, and at least five pairs of shoes left in the middle of the floor in every room because, as he explains, "that way I know I can find them" I personally don’t understand why anyone needs to have seven bottles of nearly empty conditioner in the shower, and clearly Cooper doesn’t either since he spends nearly all his ti it only to use his admittedly fantastic kitchen, his office, and his bedrooe clothes Even the animals prefer my place, except e’re in the kitchen downstairs My floor only has a kitchenette

One thing for which I’ve been cada has a cousin who runs a cleaning service Although Cooper is horrified at the idea--he grew up on the Cartwright coe penthouse apartment in Manhattan, with a full-time staff of nannies, maids, cooks, and chauffeurs, and so as an adult is determined to do his own dishes and laundry--it’s a battle I’m equally deter people--one of whom is also in school--shouldn’t pool theirhomes to come to theirs to do so It’s practically unpatriotic, as a matter of fact, for the so in this argu more relaxed and the cat has made a neat little ball of hiie bed on the floor, is snoring softly "I know you didn’t want to talk about it in front of Tom and Steven But don’t you think in this particular case client-detective privilege should extend to nment his father had offered, Cooper had refused to elaborate further on what had happened in the offices of Cartwright Records Television At the bar, he’d just ordered another beer, then wolfed down a plate of fish and chips, fried oysters, and half the contents of the basket of h , I didn’t object too herita hich to consoleto beSo I really think I should be let in on what’s going on"

"Why do you think I took the case?" Cooper asks, lifting an arle closer

I’m perplexed "Your dad offered you a million dollars?" I offer hopefully With that kind of , and also all the brownstone’s walls painted, get ne treatments, the s cleaned--they need it badly--and re-do all the bathrooms, not to mention maybe put in a hot tub in the backyard

"Not quite that ive my father a quote that’s tripleto have to be spending allto need to be aer along his arm, all the way down to the complicated watch I’ve never seen hi to have to be spending with Tania?"

"Every ot her tucked into her Maybach and headed back up to Park Avenue, I’m off duty That’s the deal ITania during the hours her presence h I didn’t tell him so, of course They’ll have to find alternative security the rest of the time"

"Wait" I lift my head from his shoulder and stare into his face "What? How is Tania’s presence putting ht that bullet that hit her bodyguard was randorim "If everyone still believes that shot was randoe? Do you have any idea howCRT to move location from that resort, which they had to have paidnificantly marked down at TJMaxx--dark purple Calvin Klein sheets to my chest Cooper’s chest is protected by a fine mat of dark hair I’m not that wild about hairless chests--Jordan used to wax his in order to appear nonthreatening to his fans, pri all the roo to have the cafeteria restaffed and set up over the next couple of days That can’t be cheap"

"Granted, the college is probably letting the," Cooper says "The promotion for the school alone will be worth it--"

"If the show casts the school in a positive light," I s Stephanie Brewer suggested, about hoe could let the girls sneak out, chaper-oneless, into the city to create "drama"