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She hadn’t waited on him, but she’d noticed him because he sat at a booth, alone, and she’d wished he’d sat at the counter, where singles usually sat Pinkie’s had a policy about keeping booths free for larger groups She’d debated asking hiainst it since the diner wasn’t busy

So about hi he looked shifty, orout the frontMaybe both

So Oh, yes She’d definitely seen Colin Morgan before; she’d seen hi in the front corner booth He’d been there that terrible, terrible day when Sabela had foolishly put all her hopes in a stupid lottery drawing The day she lost the last of her innocence … she’d thought

Colin had been there Had he seen her crying in Diana’s arms?

So on, and Sabela’s ain This wasn’t right Everything rong

And soan was playing

Chapter Seventeen

THE HEAT THAT SPREAD THROUGH his chest and left hi alive wasn’t because of the scotch Colin hadn’t had a drop of it yet All of it was because of Sabela and hoell their one

For a while, he’d been so enthralled he’d actually forgotten about the plan

Who knew that a dinner eaten in the kitchen would be enjoyable? The only times he’d been in the kitchen were to consult with Marie about dinner preparations, and even then his visits had been brief at best

It had been spontaneous, and a good ti the activities he enjoyed was the wrong way to go about things She seeht than she had at any other time while in the chalet, and Colin wanted to foster that joy for as long as he could

As loosened up and at ease with each other as they noere, he found hie of the situation and really advance his personal agenda

But Colin found he wasn’t as interested in exploiting her anymore

Sabela was a bright and talented young wouilty for h Blanca had been sweet and innocent There’d been no challenge in her Sabela on the other hand …

Maybe his plans could be modified so no harm was done to Sabela After all, it wasn’t her that Colin wanted to destroy

Liquor would soothe his nerves and shake the shackles of what had been Liquor always helped, and the scotch was as good as he had bragged it would be What he didn’t tell Sabela was that this brand of scotch, Yamazaki 35-year old scotch, cost more than twenty-five thousand dollars He looked forward to her reaction when she tasted it

What else could he expose Sabela to that she’d never experienced before? She’d led such a narrow life in Brent Grove The possibilities were limitless

How many of theht?

Colin turned to hand Sabela a glass She was no longer slared at him, seated primly on the couch, hands clenched in her lap, lips pressed thin and brow knitted

Then he saw the pink matchbook in her hand and realized what he’d done The bottom fell out of his stomach

“You were there,” she said It wasn’t a question

How could he have overlooked such an incrilasses of scotch back down upon the table, buying himself a second to think

He’d coht He’d been so pleased to share the evening with Sabela that he hadn’t ree the previous day

The plan was starting to unravel by its seams His mind worked frantically

Was it tiame end without the victory he’d anticipated? He’d try the first and accept the second if absolutely necessary Failure would be a bitter pill to s, though

“I was,” he replied, keeping it simple, not certain of which day she meant

The line between her brows grew deeper ”Why didn’t you tell me that already?”

“I was there” He could give up part of the truth What he didn’t tell her would be the key to salvaging the plan

Sabela’s fiercely calm tone drew him back to her “So you sahat happened”

She didn’t say anything else, but he nohich day she was referencing Crowded around the dinky television screen in the diner, Sabela had dissolved into tears, and Colin had watched her do it