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"Divorced? Single?"

"Single Never been married He’s a mechanic, and from what Rocco tells me, he’s one of the best in the city Apparently, he can fix just about anything"

If nothing else, Beth would knohere to go if she experienced car trouble Still, she sensed there was so her "And …" she prouy you’ve ever dated"

Seeing as her dating experience had been limited to an approved list from her mother and that one date with Tyler, that was probably true Still, she felt obliged to ask "Different in ay?"

Nichole glanced down the hall as if looking for so Nichole tihts

Her friend sucked in a deep breath "When I first met Sam he was … I’m not sure how to explain it Let’s just say he was a bit unconventional … still is, for thatit "How so?"

"He swore a lot"

"Not good" Beth got enough of that from her students in the hallways She found it to be in bad taste and a sign of a poor vocabulary

"It’s better now," Nichole was quick to add "Owen ive hiled to hold back a s to pay for e education"

Oas Nichole’s son froe "Good for Owen"

"I can’t say what Sae is like now, but when he’s around the house his descriptive phrasing isn’t as picturesque as it once was Rocco and I don’t get out as much as we once did, so we don’t see Sam socially a lot anyh He’s crazy about Matthew I’ve never seen a man take to a baby the way he has He’s perfectly content to hold hi a diaper, either Just not awas troubleso, her parents would balk at the thought of her dating a et out fro else you care to tell me about Sam?" she asked, undecided Frankly, this dinner didn’t sound proaze "Actually, I think it would be best if I didn’t say anything more You should make up your own reat guy I had ive him a chance, okay?"

Beth nibbled on her lower lip "Let ht or first thing to?"

"Sure I know it’s a last- oftogether, and by the tiainstSam It would be a waste of time on both their parts From what little Nichole had said, it didn’t appear they had anything in coood , her long, thick, salt-and-pepper hair hanging straight and loose, reaching all the way down to theher aunt in anything other than long skirts and Birkenstocks She’d rerew the 1960s Concentrating on her work, her aunt apparently didn’t hear Beth enter her studio