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Ben sat behind his desk, remembering Deanna s nervousness when he had stood
near her and the excitement he had felt. He brought his hand to his nose; he
could still smell a trace of her. Smiling to himself, he rubbed the tips of his fingers
together. Even now, he felt the tingle of electricity in the tips of his fingers from
her touch. He knew she was reluctant to go out with him he understood that
she was a professional but he wanted to spend time with her, to get to know
her. He had to.
There was a knock on the door.
Yes?
Jill peeked around the door. Sir, I have those papers you needed to sign.
He nodded, waving her in, turning his thoughts back to business.
6' 6' 6' 6'
The hostess seated Dee and Holly. After giving the waitress their orders, Dee
asked Holly, How s Edmond?
He s good. I m a little concerned for him now that he s working undercover,
but I can t really say anything, because he worries about me for the same reason.
He s a smart guy, Hol. I m sure he s careful.
I know, but I still worry. Where s Maurice? Holly asked, smiling a thank
you to the waitress as she set down her drink.
I don t know. I m through with him.
Finally, Holly said, sipping her drink. He is such a jerk. I never could
understand what you saw in him.
I don t know. I guess I thought I could change him. It s so hard to find the
right man, Dee said, stirring her drink with her straw. Most of the ones I meet
are either too possessive or too insecure.
You ve dated a couple of good guys.
Yeah, but they all turned out to be just friends. I wish I could meet a great
guy like Ed. You guys have a great relationship I envy you, she said, smiling at
her friend. I just want someone who loves me and respects me for who I am.
Denise Skelton
37
Holly reached across the table and squeezed her friend s hand. Trust me, it ll
come. The waitress brought their food. They thanked her and began eating. So
how s work? Holly asked.
Everything s good.
No problems? Holly asked, looking at her suspiciously. Dee thought of the
incident at the hospital.
No, she said, wagging her head.
If it took you that long to answer, something must be up, Holly said, frown-
ing.
It s nothing, she said, waving her hand. I have this new client who s been
looking for a family member, Dee said, skirting the real issue. I don t know if
his real reason for wanting this person found is the one he gave us.
Do you want me to check him out, see if he has a record?
Dee thought about it for a minute.
No, I m sure he doesn t. He says he just wants to get to know this person. I
think there s more to his story, but I really don t think that he means them any
harm. I guess I just get the feeling that he s not telling me the whole story.
If you need any help, let me know.
I will, besides, I don t think this guy is the criminal type. If he were, he would
be the last person you would suspect.
Is he the meek type?
No, the complete opposite: he is ambitious and strong and gorgeous.
Really?
Yes, with the blackest hair and the most beautiful green eyes I ve ever seen.
Yeah? Holly sat up straight.
Hol, you d have to see this man, Dee said, shaking her head in amazement.
I don t even think gorgeous can describe him.
Mmm. Sounds yummy. Is he single?
I don t know. Why do you ask?
I was just thinking, Holly said, stabbing a piece of broccoli with her fork.
Why don t you ask him out?
Girl, I can t do that, Dee said, pushing her food around on her plate. Do
you want to hear something funny, though? she said, whispering. I had a dream
about him last night, and sometimes when he gets near me, I feel& She looked
around, searching for the right words. I don t know nervous, excited I can t
even describe it.
Oh yeah? Holly said, raising her brows.
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38
So today he comes to the office and asks me out to lunch, Dee said, leaning
forward. When I turned him down, he had lunch sent to me.
No, Holly said, showing her amusement.
Dee nodded. Sure did.
I think you should go for it.
No, he s a client. It wouldn t be professional.
All s fair in love and war. I say if you find a good man, grab him by the balls
no matter where you find him. Who cares if he s a client? Holly said, making a
fist.
Dee laughed. You re a mess.
They ate in silence for a moment, and then Dee said, I talked to Terry.
Holly grunted.
She said she met some new guy.
Na-uh, you don t say? Holly said sarcastically, pretending to look surprised.
So, what s going on with her and David?
I don t know. They were supposed to be working things out, but from the
way she sounded this morning, it might be over between them.
You know, the only reason she went out with David was that she knew you
were interested in him.
No& I don t think so. Things just didn t work out between us, Dee said.
Yeah with a little help from her, I might add. Every time he came around, she
was right there, wagging that tail and batting those beady eyes at him. Dee
laughed at that. Seriously, Holly continued. She s always been that way.
Remember Mark and Jamul and& what was that cop s name?
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