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“Why would I do that?”

“Because you want to know”

“Youas fast as she could on the elliptical

“Protest all you want, Natalie, but this guy gets to you”

“Not in a good way”

Both her friends had the audacity to laugh

CHAPTER EIGHT

NATALIE STARED AT the quiet little girl playing on a tablet computer in Matthew’s office

His daughter? Had to be

Natalie wanted to turn and run, because she didn’t want to be confronted with the child She wasn’t sure of all the reasons why, just that a self-defensive part of her warned to run But the girl looked up fro brown eyes, stopping any unnoticed retreat

Although she was beautiful, Natalie couldn’t help but think it was a shairl hadn’t inherited Matthew’s unusual pale blue eye color or his dark features Still, with her sagging ponytail, diirl was undeniably adorable

“Hi! Uncle Matthew isn’t here”

Uncle Matthew? Why had the girl called hiirl unattended in his office? Natalie knew next to nothing about parenting, but she knew enough to know that one didn’t leave a small child by herself

“He’s in an i Stephanie,” the nairlme”

Only Stephanie was nowhere to be seen