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Of all the people to see Taylor leaving his tent, why had it had to be Duffy? Jack leaned back in his chair “Not planning to”

“You like her”

“Yes, and you’re right I’ll probably hurt her,” he acknowledged He was the first lover Taylor had had since her divorce and that made her even more vulnerable, made him want to protect her all theher fro me”

Duffy laughed “Yeah, right”

Jack shrugged “Crazier things have happened”

Duffy’s brow lifted “Never known you to get caught up enough with someone to be hurt Not since Courtney”

Yeah, Jack wasn’t digging this conversation Not for a thousand reasons Duffy knew him well As well as anyone really Hadn’t Duffy played a hten his life out? To become a doctor?

“We agreed not to talk about Courtney years ago”

Scowling, the olderto that”

“Perhaps it was an unspoken agreeht you understood”

“I understand a lot of things Like that you never let anyone get close enough to care about them and I’m worried about whatever this is with Taylor”

“There are a lot of people in my life I care about”

“Not what I meant, and you know it Let’s talk about Courtney and then you tellout of your tent”

Jack glared at his long-ti besides soda thisphilosophical about your own life choices and trying to project them onto me?”

Duffy’s expression hardened, but rather than respond he just stared at Jack with cynical eyes