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She can’t hurt lanced up at her, pretending he had no idea she was referring to the waitress She rong, though; he’d seen it in the girl’s eyes

He took a breath "You lookrested" And she did Four years abroad had been good to her She’d shopped and spa’d her way across most of Europe Her skin looked youthful and refreshed, and her eyes sparkled as maliciously as ever

The years had been better for hiratulated himself Four years away fro the boy she’d spent twenty years tearing down Four years of deciding who he really wanted to be

He grinned inwardly over his accoht he’d never be able to get

The waitress ca smile at her as he thanked her, his practiced voice the perfect blend of confidence and boyish charled nervously, and nearly spilled the white wine spritzer his ," he said once they were alone again, pulling a se from his pocket He’d wrapped it in tissue and tied it with ribbon hi that, even after all these years, he still wanted to please her so badly

When she just stared at it, her eyes filled with rancor as if it would be beneath her to open the hande with her own hands, he leaned forward "Here," he said, trying to hide the disappointers treh the insubstantial paper, revealing an antique filigree locket with a tiny luirls

He thought it was perfect He thought it would be beautiful on hisher lovely throat

He waited for her to say solared at him as she reached for her drink, and he noticed her hands for the first tied, he realized belatedly, as he gazed at her iernails

Chapter 17

HER PARENTS HAD MET THEM AT THE FRONT door, and as rateful that he’d stayed by her side If she thought the police were thorough, it was nothing coe of questions she’d faced at home

And in the end, when all was said and done, Violet couldn’t stop herSara and her team for what had happened to Violet

"Mo to have this conversation now--or ever, really--as she tried, once more, to explain "It wasn’t Sara’s fault" She collapsed onto the couch, too tired to do anything else as she glanced up at her mother "It could’ve happened to anyone," she said, still trying to convince herself it was partly true since she still didn’t knohere her purse was