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Grant had said their relationship had changed for hirabbed at the first opportunity to back off He’d been all too willing to follow her principal’s advice and spend less ti her Why?

And why did thinking about hiry, not hurt After all, it was supposed to be physical for her—a way to get over the desire for Grant that had plagued her since she was sixteen

Her elove back on and surveyed the bathroo else to clean The small room sparkled more than it ever had when she’d cleaned it for her mom, when her family had lived in this house

And she still felt the ache in her heart

She had already vacuumed every inch of the Pattersons’ home Even the rooms she had left closed up She had scrubbed down the counters in the kitchen, the floors, the s and the , to clean the last little nook, hoping that in doing so she would fall exhausted into bed tonight

Then perhaps she would not lie awake for hours, tor, she peeled off her gloves and sat on the toilet seat Right She could work sixteen hours shoveling horse o to bed and dreahto now Carlene had entered them

The insistent chihts She considered not answering Maybe whoever it ould go away She kneasn’t Tyler this time, because he’d been with Jenny when Zoe called Which left Grant

She’d told hi him

She tucked her feet up on the toilet seat and locked her ar to the hall and willing hi was interspersed with repeated peals fro her ears, but the sounds penetrated She glared at the bucket of cleaning supplies, but they weren’t going to help her—unless she planned to get rid of him with a squirt from the ammonia bottle

She pushed herself up and went to answer the door

Opening it a crack, she peered out

She’d been right It was Grant “Open the door, Zoe It’s damn cold out here”

“I don’t want to talk to you”