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She stopped, shook her head “Never mind”

He frowned This was really bothering her “No, what? Besides what?”

She took a deep breath and aze “I’ve seen her, Tom That day ere in the basement I knoas her because she looked just like her picture in the dining room”

“You’ve had tooto put her off, freaked out a little bit because he actually believed her He’d been just as glad to get out of the base to it that he couldn’t explain “And you have an overactive iination”

“Maybe” She put her hands together “I thought maybe it’s because … because I’m lonely and this place is so e up with stuff in my head to make connections that aren’t there”

Toood terms with loneliness He kne to be a recluse with the best of the up dead relatives It was good Abby went to Jess’s tonight no et out ested

Her gaze dropped “I’ood at that I’et so in the first place I fake it and smile a lot, but I don’t tend to open up easily”

“You seeht,” he observed

“That ” Her smile was sideways, and he couldn’t help but sht

“So that’s what you got into”

“Jess had a pinot noir that was really good It was such a fun evening…” She laughed a little “Next tio to a class I’ll make sure I have the number for the cab before I leave”

He nearly said not to worry, he could always coo rather than stand here like an idiot “You going to be okay now?”

She nodded “I think so It’s just the dark The worst part is going up the stairs, knowing they’re dark at the top”

“I can put in a three-itch so you can turn the hall light on from the bottom and vice versa”

“Really?”