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Henry put an ar her a squeeze "I’ve already explained and I’m sure she understands," he said "I don’t want you to worry any more about that"

"But I do worry, Puddy, and I won’t feel right about it ’til I tell her myself"

Puddy?

She caht hand, pressing it between her own

"I aetic for what I said to you and I beg your forgiveness" Her tone was contrite and I thought Puddy was going to get all choked up She was s were digging into ers rather painfully She had apparently turned the ring around so that the stones were palrip

I said, "Oh, that’s all right Don’t think another thing about it I’m sure I won’t"

Just to show her what a brick I was, I got up and put ave her the saht shoe and leaning forward slightly She pulled back froed to keephip to hip We locked eyes for a rip I shifted ht froh up on her cheeks like a cockatiel

Puddy see and I was too I made my excuses and departed soon after that Lila had stopped looking at ether by then and I noticed that she had sat down abruptly, easing off one shoe

Chapter 17

I let lass of wine and then I made myself a sandith creamed cheese and thinly sliced cucumbers and onions on dark bread I cut it in half and used a piece of paper toweling as a colass into the bathroo in the tub, peering out at intervals to see if Henry and Lila were departing for their dinner date At 6:45, they ca and Henry unlocked his car, opening the door for her on the passenger side I eased into an upright position, ducking back out of sight until I heard him start the car and pull away

I’d finished dinner by then and I had nothing to do in the way of dishes except to wad upinordinately pleased with rabbed up ht, then headed down the block to Moza Lowenstein’s house, where I rang the bell She peered out of the sideat me in perplexity, the opened the door

"I couldn’t think who it was at this hour," she said "I thought Lila ot"