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So this hat house flippingwas like Backbreaking, ever more expensive, built on a frail hope, but kindof fun anyway

Especially with Thing One Hewas eternally patient with her dopey questions—she hadn’t been able tofigure out how to change a vacuu the other day—and he nevermade her feel useless, the way Harry did And when he s so sharp and sweet, it actually hurt her chest Addto this the fact that he walked around half-dressed all the time, and heckyeah!

Ja on the roof, then stood and crossed his beautiful arms over hisbeautiful chest “Put up or shut up,” he said with a wink

“Jeesh, Thing One! Such an ego”She paused “But you are fun to look at”

“You look nice, too,” he said“I’e carpenter pants were grubby, theT-shirt from Gianni’s Ristorante Italiano was torn, and her hair was stuffedunder a Yankees baseball cap—one didn’t forget where one was born, afterall, and Parker had been born at Columbia Presbyterian, New York, New York,thank you too inethe shade of red her face had taken on: beet or boiled lobster Either way,she was not flushed a delicate pink; she knew that The bathroom had amirror, after all

Well She’d cool off with a swimin another hour or so, and hopefully Ja thenSee—he watched her likeNana watched the kids in Peter Pan when she was out there—but she also knew hecouldn’t take his eyes off her, eleven pounds be damned

So Mutual lusting Alwaysfun

“Parker? Oh, dear God, telllike an Ecuadoran stonemason”

Parker’s eyes widened in shockat the sound of the voice She turned Oh, Lord It was true “Mo here?”

Althea Harrington Welles FosterBrandheiser Levinstein was staring with openmouthed horror at Parker, thehouse, the yard She wore Jackie O–style sunglasses, a long silky scarf anda white linen suit The car was a red BMW with rental plates

“This?” Althea said“This iswhat Julia left you? Oh, the old shrew! I’d kill her if she wasn’t alreadydead! She alwaysAndthat father of yours I’ll kill hiirlfriendin prison I hope he’s on a chain gang I hope—”

“Mom! Wow I can’t believeyou’re here” Parker wiped her forehead with her sleeve and walked towardAlthea

“Neither can I I’ this is a bad drea Tell meyou inherited the Pines Please”

“This is it It’s all I have inthe world, Mother dear”

“Oh, my God You may as wellthrow yourself off that dock and hope to drown quickly The smell in thistown! How can you bear it?”

Actually, Parker had gotten usedto the s, which Altheaaccepted, daintily patting Parker’s shoulder “It is what it is, Mo here? Why didn’t you call me?”

Her ave Parker a level look “When one hears that one’s daughterhas been in prison, one hops on the next plane Apparently, you’re followingyour father into a life of crime”

Parker sighed “Yes, MotherThat’s it exactly I’ dealer It wasn’t prison, by the way It wasjust a holding cell And the charges were dropped”

“Just a holding cell Dear Lord,what have we coht? You look beefy”

Only Althea would call a sizeten beefy She herself had the scrawny size-four physique of the desperatelyed—those women ere liposuctioned and implanted and had tansapplied and paid a personal trainer to deny Nature its due “And calling me?Why was that a bad idea?”

Althea stared She , but Botox had frozen her eyebrows into that shiny, plasticinelook, as well as given her a permanent half smile, so Parker could nevertell

“I wasn’t sure you could getphone calls, dear I thought tiht’ve been of the essence”

“How did you knoas introuble?” Parker asked

“Lavinia tracked oodness, the woman sounds like Yul Brynner on hisdeathbed”

“Since when do you and Laviniatalk to each other? She told me she hadn’t seen you since you werekids”

“Well, I appreciated the call,Parker I’ht need bail money”

“Thanks, Mom” Althea wouldnever win Mother of the Year, but her heart was in the right place

“What is that?” heras best she was able Beauty stood on the steps, not quite readyto defend the place, not quite ready to back down froress, in other words “Is that a dog?”

“Shoot, I thought it was a ponyNo, you’re right, it’s a dog Dang”

“Sarcasm is the lowest for? And who on earth isthat?”