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“No excuses,” it read “The female population of Boston will just have to do without you for one weekend” The words were e of a tiny heart
He couldn’t help laughing The note was froo that the only way to handle her stepbrothers was to be every bit as tough as they were Not that it was going to get her anywhere, this time
An eighty-fifth birthday party for the old man? Yeah, it was a shocker Not the party; Catie, sweetheart that she ould surely want to do so nice to celebrate the event It was the fact that Jonas was so old that caught hio, his father had looked as tough and hard and lean as ever He was ageless—except, he wasn’t The invitation proved that Still, Slade’s decision was definite He wasn’t going to the party No way His life was crazy enough lately, without adding a weekend with dear old Dad to the mix
Slade glanced at the clock He had the feeling he wasn’t the only one looking at a birthday party invitation just about now…
His private phone rang, just as he reached for it
“Slade, my man,” Travis drawled, “how you doin’?”
Slade smiled, picked up the vellum card and tilted back his chair
“Well,” he said, in that saer turned up at my door”
Travis laughed “That’s our Catie, efficient as always She even took the tie is lookin’ at this boht about now, too”
“I was just about to call you That auction was the other night, wasn’t it?”
There was a tiny pause “So?”
Slade’s eyebrows shot skyward “Trav, my man, don’t be so testy”
“I’ I called to discuss this invitation”
“What’s to discuss? I ain’t goin’”
“I’ll just bet your high-priced architectural clients love that down-home talk”
“They’re never lucky enough to hear it, and stop changing the subject How’d the auction go?”
“It went Soht me”
“Lucky lady She have a name?”
“Alexandra And that’s the end of the story”
“How o for? More than the dude froood-lookin’?”
“I went for enough, I beat the pants off the other guy, the lady was okay, if you like the type”
“Oh, my”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, sounds to e”
“Think again, pal”
“She’s there with you, huh?” Slade grinned “Trav, you old dog, you”
“Slade, do you think you could get yourelse?”
“You really want to talk about this birthday party, huh? Well, there’s nothing to talk about I’ I already told you that”
“Jonas is cohty-five It’s a milestone”
“I don’t care if it’s a century stone Why would any of us subject himself to a weekend of misery?”
“It won’t be so awful”
“Says you”
“There’ll probably be a couple of hundred people there The old boy won’t have the time to chew us up Besides, I hate to disappoint Caitlin”
“What’s with you, Trav? It alet out of town”
Travis cleared his throat “It’s just—I wouldn’t e of scene”
“Wohed
“Yeah I guess”
“I ht have known”