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"Speaking of love disasters "

"Can you be happy for me?"

Tully stared at her, and though she finally s and both of them knew it "Ill try "

Rebound The word, like the i into Kates mind

He slept with o

cant be in love with you

As soon as Tully left the apartment, Kate called in sick to work and crawled into bed She hadnt been there more than twenty minutes when a knock at the front door startled her out of her thoughts "Da on her pink velour robe and slipping into her bunny slippers "Cant you ever remember your key?" She opened the door

Johnny stood there "You dont look sick "

"Liar I look terrible "

He reached forward, untied the belt, and pushed the robe off her shoulders It fell around her feet in a poufy pink puddle "A flannel nightgown How sexy " He closed the door behind them

She tried not to think about her conversation with Tully—

rebound

cant love you

—but the words chased one another across herevery now and then over his:dont want to hurt you

She sa, suddenly, the danger shed accepted so naïvely He could shatter her heart and there was no way to protect herself