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The sun brightly declines I sip lass and try to pretend it doesn’t exist

"Where the heckle –" My hands scrabble for lasses, and I shove them on my face "Ahh, temporary relief So sweet, so transient, so Gucci"

"Made Gregory waddle his way through the sands towards ht and colorful Mediterranean clothing, stare at his atrocious green-and-orange Hawaiian shirt

"Gregory, you’re an eyesore," I cohs and offersin my white swimsuit with the low-cut back

"And you, madame, are quite the opposite"

"No!" I protest as I stand up "No no no, look at these thighs! I’ain in like, a seven thousand years"

He chuckles "Very well Come on, he sent me to fetch you and for some reason he’s antsy as fk-all"

"Antsy? Jack?" I quirk a brow, picking up h the sands with Gregory "Are we talking about the saular personal contact with?"

"The one and only"

"Are you taking hi little chocolates froain - I want them with allup with hiory huffs "He’s been so off-kilter lately After that last case, I told him to stay hoet out," I assert "Put hi the world or at least, like, non-fatal revenge That’s his specialty He’ll love it and I’ll love you for it andyou should be bargaining for here besides oxygen"

"And French ladies," Gregory eyes a village worave;ers "Bonjour! Francois! La bouche un petite chienne! Oh dear, they don’t look happy about that last one"

"That last one didn’t even ory emphasizes, and ers I walk briskly past hie is tiny – white-washed, cra bakeries and butcher shops and candy stores on the street level, and houses on the second level, boxes spilling with fresh herbs and flowers Lines of laundry are thrown bets, sheets and shirts flapping in the summer breeze The seyboards and floats bob and weave between bikes and too-slow couples A pair of oldwine under the eaves of a flower shop

Towards the edge of the village the cobblestone fades, replaced with a orn dirt road Tall surasses sway on either side I scoop up yellow and purple and white wildflowers, a honeybee fighting e blossom

"Go on!" I shoo her "There are a thousand ory chuckles, looking out at the ocean and the small farmhouses we pass

"I’ll miss this town You two’ve picked the best place in the world to settle down, I reckon"

"Hey! No one’s settled! We’re going to Ca! This is home base, not a settlement"

"What’s the difference?"

"Settlement means like, minivans and baby barf Hohest caliber"

Gregory shakes his head "Still, this place is fantastic"