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I could only stare at hihts floundered Was he asking me out on a date? But he didn’t say it was a date, and if I assu totally aard if he didn’t mean it that way But should I play it safe, or juh if I jumped and missed

Uncertainty abruptly flickered in his eyes, and he reached over and gave ood friends going out and enjoying theh reat," I said, relief and disappointo in ht and slinky?" He gave ain "And stiletto heels?"

I srateful for his atte sleeves Y’know: Amish"

"Wear the stiletto heels with it, and it’s a deal"

I couldn’t help but laugh "Just drive"

Chapter 6

Lida Moran lived in a house on the lakefront, almost directly across the lake frohborhood was comprised of older museum-quality houses that had been carefully restored and were meticulously maintained, the other side of the lake was for the people who si expensive house on the lake

And big it was, though it wasn’t quite up to the level of some of the houses in Ruby Estates--the community for people with Too Much Money Still, it was more house than I would ever live in Two stories and sprawling, it took up at least three lots--and I knew that the price of land on the lakefront was nothing short of obscene A ely like a scaled down ivy-league dor to either side along the lakefront

I stood back and assessed the house It had to be at least four hundred feet fro house," Ryan muttered as alked up the driveway

"Great h "They ave a derisive snort "Sure hope so The house takes up most of the damn lakefront"

Then ere at the door and had to carefully compose ourselves into a properly professional mien

Lida met us at the door, barefoot and dressed in jeans and black T-shirt She had little if any s, andlike this and why did she wear the crazy s when she was in public? Of courselike an old fuddy duddy and theto do with how "pretty" she wanted to appear and everything to do with her personal stateoth look was part of her persona as a perfor by, but ere in the neighborhood and figured we’d see how you were doing and if there’ve been any further incidents" I said it all with a sh she was only nineteen she was sharp enough to know that we hadn’t dropped by sihborhood But she see with the fiction

"That’s cool," she said and stepped back "Nothing else has happened, but we haven’t left the house either C’ kinda lazy today, so please excuse theto We followed her through a foyer and into an enorht be considered out of place were possibly the guitar on the couch or the shoes underneath the coffee table Everything else was clean and orderly and about as far froine Not a skull or black candle to be seen anywhere Instead, the room had the unet The furniture looked incredibly expensive and uncomfortable, and the few shelves on the wall held odd little decorative pieces that looked vastly overpriced instead of elegant The art on the walls struck me as the sort of stuff that people alleries, but would never actually buy for their own hos that tried to be ever-so-slightly suggestive, but instead merely looked faintly sleazy