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"Thanks," she said "That was honest and encouraging, but Martin, you were going for nice"

"I wasn’t finished yet! I also wanted to tell you that you’re beautiful"

"That’s better"

"Unbelievably beautiful And… and I don’t kno to say it I’ But you make me feel like myself" He swept a loose lock of hair from her forehead "You remind me of my sister"

"Oh, really? You have that kind of sister?"

"Yes, confident, funny"

"No, I meant the kind that you want to sain, this tie She fit her arm around his neck and let hi to detect if his heart was pounding like hers She peered at him and saw a little frown line between his eyes

"No, my sister doesn’t kiss half so well"

He walked her around, singing soh she were a baby, then set her down on a tree stuht

"Martin, could you lose your job over this?"

He traced the line of her cheek with his finger "At the moment, I don’t care"

"I’ll talk to Mrs Wattlesbrook about it at our departuretomorrow, but I don’t think ht Thank you"

Then there was silence and with it a hint of ending, and Jane realized she wasn’t quite ready for it Martin was the first real guy she’d ever been able to relax with, turn off the obsessive craziness and just have fun She needed to be with hier and practice up for the real world

"I’m supposed to leave toe ht I could find a hotel in London, far away from Wattlesbrook’s scope of vision, and I could see you Just hang out a bit before I go home, no weirdness, no pressure, I promise"

He smiled broadly "That’s an offer I can’t refuse because I’ you have a very nice bum"

Boyfriend 13

Jimmy Rimer, AGE THIRTY-EIGHT

Jane had lost most of her social life with the departure of boyfriend 12 and the dog, so pretty ht Unless she worked late Oh, joy

A year hobbled by and Jane was still avoiding eye contact with the opposite sex Molly tried to set her up with friends of Phillip’s, but Jane blindly spurned theh Central Park every day, and despite her iron--willed reluctance, the romance just happened It felt like a tiny, perfectherself a chance to fall in love again They decided not to burden each other with psychiatric profiles or travelogues through past failed relationships and instead just experienced each other So refreshing! Such a graceful way to begin loving! For five months, Jane wondered why she’d never tried this before

Then one fateful springwith that? Absolutely nothing It should be a cute idiosyncrasy in theJane like a hornet, and it swelled and itched and bothered her till she sat up in bed at two AM and thought aloud, Mr Darcy would never snort

She altered her route through the park