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She stopped at a photo of a tall, thin, five-story house in what looked like Amsterdam "See that house?" she asked

"Yeah," I said slowly

"We bought it"

"You’reHence, the semiretirement"

"I’m fully confused" I sat back in h I love what I do, I want more than work This trip was a totally different way of living, one that I want We’re young, Benjamin’s been very lucky financially, and we don’t want to be tied down any longer"

"This is being tied down?" I asked incredulously, looking around her fabulous office in her fabulous design firm

"We’d rather spend our ti to live it toru to pace

"This world is too big to not try and see it all"

"And now it’s a bladder control commercial," I muttered "So what exactly does se for the other end of the office

"We’ll be here half the year, and in Europe the other half We’ll have this great base in Amsterdam to travel from wherever ant, have friends coht even start up a little design consulting business over there"

"And what happens here?" Pace Pivot Pace

"I talked to my lawyer and my accountant, and we’ve come up with a plan that will enable s, but let s? That’ll never work!" Pace Pivot Pace "Before you went on this honeymoon you were here all the time, all hours of the day!" Pace Pivot Pace "You’re the Jillian of Jillian Designs, for Christ’s sake--how in the world do you think this place is going to run without you half of the year?"

"I’ me your--whuh?" Pivot, trip, face plant

Thank Christ I was no longer chewing on that colored pencil

• • •

"You face planted? Right in her office?"

"Totally I ate carpet"

"I knew you weren’t just experie!" Mimi yelled I was on the phone with her as I drove hoht, still stunned over what had transpired

"Funny," Idown my street "Then she helped me up, and then she proceeded to make me an offer I felt like I couldn’t refuse" And I could kiss Rio good-bye

"Why in the world would you refuse to be a partner? You’re not even thirty, for God’s sake; that’s incredible to get an offer like that! Although we’re getting close to the big three oh, can you iover thirty and not beingaboutto refuse And what the hell, Miets married before they’re thirty any thirty! And what the hell is in ht into"Letup the phone Because in my driveas a white Mercedes convertible With a red bow on it What the actual fuck?

I parked the van, hurried up the ay, opened the door, hurdled over a sawhorse like an Olympian, and dashed into the kitchen Where I found Simon, on a ladder Faded jeans No shirt Tool belt

"Um, what’s that in our driveway?" I asked He turned in slow motion, it see he was Sculpted ar down to that sweet spot just above his buave up a seven and eight as well And then that V on either side that just seemed to slip into those jeans

"Well, it was the funniest thing," he started, cli down his belt sander He gave great sander "I atching you drive off today in that ridiculous van and I thought, htso the walking sex coht at me

I couldn’t let hi

He crossed to me, slowly, and I walked backward as he advanced Before I knew it, I was up against the wall With a shirtless Wallbanger inches fro into the house, I was pretty sure as going on And what he’d obviously done And I was pretty sure I was pissed

Reood he et how pissed I was

"If you don’t like the color, we can go down and pick out another one," he said, now only one inch froin to penetrate mine Penetrate? Yes, please

But wait, he can’t just buy me a car!

"Yeah, you can’t just, just buyfuzzy as he leaned intoto vibrate like a tuning fork

"Yes, I can just buy you a car It’s a gift--get over it," he replied, his brow furrowing as if he couldn’t understand why I was giving him shit about this And at that very one this long without hag sx with Siet to ood!

"But a car, Sine?"

"It’s polyurethane"

"They should bottle that shit," I breathed,husky

"It co for you," I ht upone hand in my hair

"Did you do this on purpose? This whole handyasped when he took ainst hisdrill bit

"You ca into hed and dropped ht, because within seconds my shirt was ripped, s around his tool belt "I liked that shirt," I protested

"You really care?" he asked, slipping his fingers underneath the lace of my panties Slippery already, and he moaned at the first touch