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"Surgery"

"Does Moh on her plate without worrying about me"

"You’ve talked to her?" Shana de not to listen to their conversation Catherine, the woan taking orders while Shana handled the cash register

Adam shifted toward her "She e-lanced away "Of course"

"I wish the base were closer," Jazmine ht duty, I’ll have more time to spend with you"

"Exactly how soon do you have to leave this afternoon?" Jaz tomorrow?"

This kid wasn’t easily put off, Shana thought While she was more than ready to usher Ada hiot to go soon, but I’ll visit as often as I can"

"He’s busy, I’m sure," Shana said before his words sank into her consciousness He’d be back…often In other words, she’d better get used to having hi by that sreat

"As often as you can?" Jazz repeated "What does that mean?"

"I’ll make sure I’irl"

Instead of shouting with happiness, Jaz her head "Only once a week?"

Once a week? That often? Shana’s reaction was just the opposite As far as she was concerned, weekly visits were far too frequent

Ali’s little sister seemed oversensitive, Adam observed with some amusement as Shana returned to the ice-crea he’d noticed, either She was beautiful with classic features, dark hair and eyes and a face he found utterly appealing Ali was a beautiful woh both had dark brown hair and eyes, the resemblance stopped there Shana was the taller of the two and model-thin, whereas Ali had more flesh on her If he were ever to say that out loud, she’d no doubt be insulted, but it was the truth Ali wasn’t overweight by any ht places In his opinion, the little sister could stand to gain a few pounds He wasn’t sure why he was concentrating on the physical, because his reaction to Shana was much more complex than that He was attracted to her Period He liked what he saw and he liked what he didn’t see--what he sensed about her Attraction was indefinable, more about the sum of a person than his or her parts People called it ches But whatever you called it, the attraction was obviously there

So else was obvious She felt it, too And she didn’t want to In fact, she seeo around ravishing young woot a kick out of her reaction to hi as he headed into the heavy freeway traffic on I-5 North

On second thought, he s about his lack of fe his release from the hospital Pain could do that to aabout Shana’s interest in hi his own attraction and--Da , when Adaes froer to know if he’d made contact with Jazive her sister a break now and then He i seemed to be fine with her and Shana He also said he’d visit as often as he could Several questions regarding Shana went through hisimpression He also feared she’d relay his interest to her sister--and he just wasn’t ready for that

An hour later, his phone rang It was Jazmine, who spoke in a whisper

"Where are you?" he asked

"In the closet" She was still whispering

"What’s the problem?" So Jaz in Interesting

"I hate it here and--oh, Uncle Adaood to see someone I know"

Adairl’s thin shoulders "It’ll get better" He didn’telse to say "Didn’t you tell irls who took your backpack?"

"Yeah, I guess, but it isn’t like California Seattle isn’t like anyplace I’ve been I miss my mom and…I just don’t like it here"

"I feel that henever I’ve got a new duty assign how "I’m in a neork environment myself and to be honest I’d much rather be in Hawaii It’s the perfect duty station But you do get used to wherever you are, Jazz…"

"I just want to be withsmall and sad "I wouldn’t care where it was"

"Are you getting along with your aunt?"

Jaz she does, I really do, but she doesn’t know thather aunt, the girl added, "It’s not as bad as it was on Monday, but…"

Ada questions about Shana, but he preferred not to be obvious about it "She seeot issues, you know"

It was difficult for Adaht at Jazravely

Jazmine snickered "Where would you like me to start? She has this old boyfriend that she dumped or he dumped her--I don’t knohich--but she won’t even say his naot close tohis name, she called him that-man-I-used-to-date Is that ridiculous or what?"

Adam murmured a noncommittal reply

"That’s not all Shana used to have a regular job, a really good one for a drug company Mom said she made fabulous uy Then she bought the ice-crea about ice crea else"

Still, Adam had to ad all right"