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I didn’t rerief at the office party, and even ret that I acted like a love-struck teenager It wasn’t right, even after KiKi died"

"I don’t know if you can assign right and wrong to that situation You couldn’t help the way you felt Do you think he knew?"

She paused before answering "Yes Once, a few years ago, he walked by onna be the only one who thinks it, because it’s pretty daet to know ya Capiche?’"

Classic Big Frank So he knew That was his way, the way of kindness Of course she loved him Who wouldn’t?

"You think badly ofof the sort, though this does change things"

"I know," she said, defeated

"The way I see it, you’re a , too All the ether No ot your back, and you sure as hell better have mine Capiche?"

She put her head on my shoulder "Capiche"

We sat around the conference table, pairs huddled together, waiting for Lukas No one spoke Our laptops, open in front of us, didn’t provide enough of a shield, and we each glanced around the roo to er Ga, which seee and Glynnis, you’re up first," he said brightly

Glynnis squeezed my hand under the table Her pallor shifted from pale to snohite, and I squeezed hers back

"I’ve just sent you all the file," I said, voice shaking The others dove into their mailboxes Were they simply curious or rabid to see us fail? I looked up, and Jackie gave ive e

"Start the video now," Glynnis squeaked

The short video that Trey and Colin had begrudgingly helped us with looked polished Theat her eous and confident, appeared Thee morphed into Tina Matthews, pop princess, in a si that whatever the joke was, she was in on it Then the ad popped up, the round split between the past and present We’d re-created both backstage spaces perfectly The words were displayed in frosty pink letters: The Past Makes a Beautiful Present Glynnis had added a pink bow around the lipstick at the last minute, and the color contrasted beautifully with the black-and-white photographs

"I really like it," Jackie said immediately She looked up at rateful for it

"Thank you," I said

"The pink is a little too girly," Rhiannon started, and I wished the earth would open up and s her whole "Overall, I think it’s effective I like the e"

Shocked, I could es without paying a fortune," Byron noted

My s similar"