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Gigi, as used to casual contact with Cal now, shrugged "I’ve always said so"

Cal pulled open his laptop and opened a Web site I didn’t recognize He tried a reverse lookup of the PO box by number, but it came back as "private" He bolted out of the rooi’s keys "I need to borrow your car, Gigi"

She lifted an eyebrow "Where are you going?"

"I can’t tell you"

"When will you be back?" I asked

"I don’t know"

"Well, by all i enius?"

"I’m sorry I would borrow Iris’s car, but it’s a little …"

"Conspicuous?" I suggested

He nodded, eyeinga canary-yellowit back with a full tank, Gigi"

"Do you have liability insurance?" Gigi asked in an airy tone, clearly enjoying herself

Cal narrowed his eyes at her "She gets this frohed, the picture of teenthose long legs behind the wheel of a VW Bug aet the little bud-vase attachroaned as she sca to break into the post office?" I asked

"Don’t think of it as breaking in, think of it as liberating infor s and several federal laws"

He shrugged "I’ve done it before"

I cried, "Don’t tell me that!"

"Really, all post-office door codes are the same"

"Don’t tellthat is some sort of felony Look, I don’t think this is safe You don’t think it’s a wonderfully strange coincidence that this Post-it just happened to end up stuck to your copy?"

"No In general, that’s the way ift works, so for"

"So it’s not soluck"

"Don’t think of it that way Think of it as serendipity" When I rolled my eyes, he nuzzled h yet!" I cried "Let me come with you"

"No I’ve learned my lesson, Iris And after what happened in the shed, don’t even think of arguing," he said "I want you and Gigi to be seen out in public, so lad my opinions and considerations were taken into account"

"Trust me, your needs were taken into account, which is why you aren’t going," he said, slipping into his jacket "I shouldn’t be gone for more than a few hours If you co, I want you to call Ophelia Tell her the inforraphite under petal"

"Is that considered English?"

"She’ll understand eventually"

"So was this the big ‘ for?" I asked

He shook his head "No, but it’s a step in the right direction It’s coi crowed as she bounced back into the room "I even put a Britney Spears CD in the stereo for you"

It took the concentration of every single cell inat the expression on Cal’s face

"I’ll be back soon," he toldnoises until Cal walked out the front door We watched as he folded hireen car and drove away