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"Wait You didn’t think I needed you to do this for hed, and she could actually see the eiven the absence of wild beard "Actually, if you’d asked me to, I probably wouldn’t have You really think you can match me for stubborn? Probably not I kept the beard because of the scar," he said, leaning his left cheek toward her "That, and ered the beard apart to reveal a barely noticeable scar "It’s hardly there at all Ian, it’s only a thin line You don’t have to cover it You’re not disfigured" She smiled at him "You’re handsoht is the truckers’ Christhteen-wheelers in the area dress up their rigs and parade down the freeway I see it every year--fantastic You think you’re up to it? With it being that anniversary?"

"Maybe it’s a good idea," she said "Getting out, changing the mood"

"We’ll eat out and--"

"What’s all this?" she asked, looking at the bags and boxes

"Snow’s forecast It’s just what you do up here Be ready But this tis, in case you’re sick of stew And I never do this--but you’re a girl, so I bought soh to last a couple of days No fridge; and they’ll freeze if we leave ’em in the shed"

"Ian, what about the bathroom? What e do about the bathroohed at her "No problem We’ll tromp out there fine--but I’ll shovel a path And I’ll plow out to the road, but it’s slow going and if the snow keeps co to be even slower"

"Wow Is it safe to leave tonight? For the parade? Will we get back in?"

"We don’t have blizzards, Marcie Snow falls slow, but steady Now, I’ bath day How about you?"

She put her hands on her hips and looked up at hiht, be very careful here I’ve hadmakeup, Ian Jesus You wanna try to clean e for a moment Then he said "Bath day forher cheek under one eye "Just a couple of tear marks, but you can take care of that Let etfor the thrill of your life?"

"I have soht, at the end of the day, they all turn out to be just men

Ian had in mind an Italian restaurant in Arcata, a place he’d been a time or two When he’d been before, he always just ate at the bar, alone This tilass of red wine each, there was talking It was hardly possible to rerunted or complained that he didn’t need to have people around Marcie e; to Christirl she had been

"Bad, very bad I took the terirlfriends, just the boys I could take all of ’eirl--biting, hair pulling I went froot called to school a lot I was a bratty little carrottop, the sely So beautifully "How does this not surprise me? You’re a little better rade got a crush on ht was, bet I can get hiht--a total transformation Bobby Erin Elizabeth was prissy froine how it killedpretty She was so darade?"

"Uh-huh We went steady all through school, married at nineteen Barely nineteen"

He just shook his head "Awful young"

"Awful," she said "Our families wanted us to wait, but it didn’t take too --we couldn’t keep our hands off each other I think everyone went along with the wedding just to cool us down But there were a lot of bad jokes--like I earing training pants under the gown That sort of thing"

"And did it? Cool you down?"

"Kept us frorin "Now you have to step up, Buchanan, and tell soh-school irls all over you Huh?"

One corner of hisher laugh so loud that people’s heads turned in the restaurant

"No morals," she interpreted

"Few," he said "I was on irl I barely loved in trouble"

"Barely loved? Did you tell theet in their pants?"

"Be fair--I was a teenage boy!"

"You did! You’re such a dog!"

"I was a pup, that’s what I was The Marine Corps was my dad’s idea, but the joke was on him Not only did I take to it, but spruced-up irls"

"My little brother, Drew, I think eous little devil Sh till you leave a little wet spot on the floor--and he has a different girl everyto be a doctor"

"Doctor?" Ian asked, mouth full

"Uh-huh--he’s a med student now My sister’s a lawyer, h school"