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Sauy in a short-sleeved dress shirt and a straw fedora, with the longest nose I’ve ever seen "And may I just say," he adds, "I’m real sorry about this, Heather But in our line of work, you know, it happens"

"Our line of work?"

I look down at the myriad forms, some yellow, some white, some pink Since Cooper and I aren’t married yet, I haven’t been able to put hie health insurance plan, which is excellent Being self-employed, Cooper is also self-insured, by souide, the phone book It is the worst insurance in the entire country I know, because as his bookkeeper, I’m the one who’s had to deal with the couy, Cooper had said If the other guy is worse off, we ate, or the guy’s friends ht show up first, to finish the job Maybe that’s why Cooper’s asked Hal to couns

"Heather, Jessica and I have talked about it, and we’ve decided we’ll go," Nicole says suddenly, tugging on my shirt sleeve

I blink at her, startled "I’et the prescriptions filled, the pills and the crutches," Nicole says, speaking to me slowly, as if I’m a child "And then we’ll leave, I swear, if that’s what you want us to do"

"And I swear I won’t take any of Cooper’s pills," Jessica adds "Even though I have nothing to do this weekend, so they’d be excellent for recreational purposes But I’o entirely herbal And cut down on my alcohol intake, too, of course"

I look from Sammy to the wad of forms in my hands to the twins Suddenly I want to cry Not froratitude, and, yes, even love I may not have a family--one I like, anyway--but I seem to have friends

"You’d do that?" I ask,a little

Nicole’s jaw drops in shock "Heather, yes Of course!"

"Duh, Heather," Jessica says, rolling her eyes "We’re your bridesmaids, re tomorrow" Nicole bites her lower lip, then releases it, and asks in a rush, "You still want us to be there, right? Both of us?"

I’d forgotten all about the fitting At this point I can nothan I can reo--but really it was only last May, right after Cooper proposed, e’d been planning on an elope

I say to the twins, tears filling my eyes, "Of course I want you there Both of you"

I surreptitiously check the sidewalk before allowing the white Escalades, then triple lock the door behind the twins and turn to deht, as it who did that to Cooper? Tell uy named Hamad?"

"Hamad?" Sammy looks confused

"Saot into had so I carry a gun to work touy? Were they foreign? Were they driving an Escalade?"