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He pushed his dark sunglasses to the top of his head He wore cargo pants and a hoodie sweatshirt that said I Can Explain It to You but I Can’t Understand It for You "Husband?" he asked, tilting his head toward her phone "Boyfriend?"

"Brother One of tin pains inwith a s? The apartreat, and nope"

"You look a at least a little uneasy over her i to a hotel A hotel would have been more anonymous

And she’d needed anony was, this building put her right in the thick of things, and she loved it When she’d left New York, she’d hoped this would do it A feeeks aould fill up the well, unleash her creativity, and unblock her

One day in and she was already well on her way She’d actually written last night as well as today, late into the night, in fact, and it’d all felt great The truth was, she really loved this building, the views, the people She was having a blast, feeling like a kid on summer break Not that she really knehat that was like Her own childhood had been cut way too short

The only thing she regretted with this trip was the little layer of guilt beneath it all Apparently that old habit of feeling responsible for her entire world and everyone in it was harder to shake than her writer’s block

She looked at Spence, noticing a tenseness to his shoulders "And how about you?" she asked "Are you okay?"

His mouth curved in a small smile "Almost always"

"Almost always, huh?" She cocked her head and smiled back "That’s quite the trick Maybe you could teach it to me sometime"

He snorted "You think it’s a trick?"

"Yes, because you don’t really seem all that okay"

"Hoould you know?" he asked "We’re strangers, reainst her "Maybe I don’t know you know you, but I consider ood read of character" She lifted a shoulder "It’s a hobby"

"Because you’re a writer"

"Yes," she said, gloith pleasure that he’d re the tiniest bit of dread She didn’t want to taint this--whatever this was--by getting into who she really was It changed everything, every single tiht, and not CE Crown, nu author of the Storuess it’s been a long few days" He paused "But on a positive note, I haven’t needed any bail money and haven’t had to hide any bodies yet, so"

"Actually," she said on a laugh, "I ing over, Spence, which, I’ve gotta tell you, is h and shook his head "I like this spot It’s where I come to think"

"Think aboutyour deep, dark secret of a job?" she asked hopefully "Or ed your heart you’ll never love again? Or just about what you’re having for dinner?"

That won her a grin "You think I’ed?"

She tossed up her hands "Aren’t we all?"

He shrugged "And the ‘never love again’ part?" he asked

"I thought if I threw that in there, you’d decide tellingwould be the easiest response," she adly "Good strategy Except for one thing"

"What’s that?" she asked

"I really aht be for dinner"

She had to laugh "I wouldn’t "