Page 195 of Positively Pricked

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"You're kidding, right?"

"Uh, not really."

"But I've talked to you almost every day. And you never thought to mention it?"

"Well, yeah," she said. "Ithoughtabout it."

I made a sound of frustration. "But you didn't actually do it?"

"I would've, but seriously, what could you do, anyway?"

I resisted the urge to bang my forehead on the steering wheel. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe come home and figure things out?"

"Figurewhatout?" she said. "It's not like you can put the house back together."

"Yeah, no kidding."

Her voice picked up steam. "And I don’t know why you're so mad at me.Ididn't squash your house."

"Oh, I thought itwasn'tmy house."

"You know what I mean."

I just had to ask, "But why on Earth didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to ruin your trip."

"What?"

"Yeah," she said. "It sounded like you and Zane were really hitting it off."

Not anymore.

Through gritted teeth, I said, "It wasn't a vacation. It was a work trip."

"Oh, please," she said. "Youknowhe just agreed to those interviews as an excuse to drag you away with him."

Funny, he'd practically admitted as much. But that wasn't the point.

In a tone of forced cheer, Charlotte said, "So, did you have a nice trip?"

"No," I snapped. "I didn't."

Not in the end, anyway.

She hesitated. "So, where are you now?"

"A gas station." I sighed. "Don't ask."

"So you're staying at a gas station?"

"No. I'mmeetingsomeone at a gas station."

"Who?"

"Kayla."

"Kayla who? I don't know any Kayla."

"Yeah, me neither," I muttered. "And she's already late."

But just then, I spotted a little red sports car pulling into the lot. In the driver's seat, sure enough, sat the same young woman who'd been sobbing on the front lawn. "Anyway, she's here, so I've gotta go."

And with that, I ended the call without saying goodbye. Of course, I instantly felt like crap.

Sure, I was still angry, but I also realized that Charlotte's heart was probably in the right place.

Unfortunately, good intentions were no guarantee of a good outcome, as I soon discovered for myself – the hard way.

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