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“I’dup,” he said confidently

“That’s not hoorks—hey! Come back here!”

But he’d pried his hand loose and gone running in the direction of his great-grandfather’s study “I just re I

have to tell Greypa!”

“Jake—” Sloan stopped, her hands on her hips, looking after hied open a door to the den and plunged inside Hearing male voices from inside the room, she suddenly remembered the unfamiliar car outside and realized Chase had a visitor On the heels of that, Sloan recalled Cat ers intended to co that Jake’s intrusion was all that welcome, she walked to the den to collect her ard son Sloan poked her head inside the roolance failed to spot him “Anyone seen Jake?”

“He’s right here,” Chase answered

Her son popped up from the far side of the desk like a jack-in-the-box “I was hiding,” he said mischievously

“Now that you’ve been found, let’s go practice your lines” Sloan motioned for him to join her

“But—” he began in protest

“That’s enough of that Run along like your mother said,” Chase told Jake

The little boy stood where he was on the other side of his great-grandfather’s desk, playing with a pen he took from it “Do I have to?”

“Yes And you’re interrupting,” Chase said firh to take the steaue as he handed back the pen and walked, crestfallen, to his waiting mother

Sloan took his hand and turned around, reproving Jake in a low voice as they moved into the hall He tripped over his untied sneaker lace Halting, she knelt down and retied it,sure it was double-knotted “Shh Greypa has work to do”

For a wonder, the little boy was completely quiet

When she rose, aWade a piece of paper; it appeared to be the saive the appearance of prying, Sloan led Jake away frorasp and darted back to the den