Dancing Tides (157 page)

“H
ow
a
m
I
suppo
s
e
d to
a
ns
we
r
th
a
t
?
”
Co
r
d pu
ffe
d
out a
b
rea
th in
fr
ust
r
a
tion.
“
She
wa
s the
f
i
r
st
fa
mi
l
y I
e
v
e
r
h
a
d
!
T
he
f
i
r
st p
e
r
son
I
e
v
e
r
t
r
u
l
y
lov
e
d.
D
on
’
t
y
ou s
e
e
?
I
c
ouldn
’
t p
r
ot
e
c
t the
one
p
er
son
w
ho lo
v
e
d m
e
.”

“H
mm.”
T
oni
c
h
e
w
e
d on
h
e
r
lip
a
g
a
in.
“
B
ut
y
ou
d
idn
’
t
e
x
ac
t
l
y
a
ns
w
e
r
m
y
qu
e
stion or d
e
s
cr
ibe
y
our
re
l
a
tionsh
i
p th
ere
, M
r
.
B
e
n
n
e
tt.
D
o
y
o
u
f
ee
l th
a
t C
a
ssie
f
e
lt the
s
a
me
w
a
y
a
bout
y
o
u, th
a
t the
f
ee
li
n
g
wa
s
mutu
a
l, th
a
t she
w
ould
’
ve
done
a
n
y
thi
n
g
f
or
y
ou?
T
h
a
t the
love
wa
s
e
qu
a
l
l
y
re
tu
r
n
e
d?
I
’
m
a
s
king
y
ou to think b
ac
k,
t
o d
e
lve
into
y
our
re
l
a
tio
n
ship.”

Co
r
d look
e
d
aw
a
y
.
“N
ot
e
x
ac
t
l
y
. She
c
ould be
m
a
nipul
a
tive
w
h
e
n she
did
n
’
t
g
e
t
h
e
r
w
a
y
.”

“A
h.”
N
ow
t
h
e
y
w
e
r
e
g
e
t
ting
som
ew
h
e
re
,
T
oni t
h
ou
g
ht.
“
I
n
w
h
a
t
w
a
y
wa
s
she m
a
nipul
a
tiv
e
?
”

“
B
a
s
i
ca
l
l
y
, she
c
a
ll
e
d
a
ll
the
shots.
I
f
s
h
e
didn
’
t
w
a
nt me
h
a
n
g
i
n
g
ar
ound
m
y
buddi
e
s
af
t
e
r
w
o
r
k, sh
e’
d pit
c
h
a
f
it if
I
e
v
e
n m
e
ntion
e
d
g
o
ing
f
or
a
b
e
e
r
w
ith th
e
m.
B
e
c
a
use
I
wa
nt
e
d to m
a
ke
h
e
r
h
a
p
p
y
,
I
didn
’
t
s
e
e
m
y
fr
i
e
nds
a
ll th
a
t mu
ch
.”

“Y
ou
g
a
ve
up
s
ee
i
n
g
y
o
u
r
fr
i
e
nds
? Totally?
”

“Yea
h, pretty much.
A
nd she
didn
’
t like
me
g
oing
a
n
y
w
h
e
r
e
u
nl
e
ss
I
c
h
ec
k
e
d in
w
ith h
e
r
a
c
oup
l
e
of tim
e
s a
d
a
y
,
e
ith
er
.
I
tho
u
g
ht it
wa
s,
y
ou kno
w
, no
r
m
a
l.
T
h
a
t this is
w
h
a
t it
wa
s like
to h
a
ve
a
fa
mi
l
y
, som
e
o
n
e
w
ho
c
a
r
e
d.
I
tho
u
g
ht, ok
a
y
, sh
e’
s
w
o
rr
i
e
d
a
bout m
e
, s
h
e
w
a
nts to know
w
h
er
e
I
a
m
e
v
e
r
y
minute
of
t
h
e
d
a
y
so th
a
t s
h
e
kno
w
s
I
’
m
ok
a
y
.
”

T
oni didn
’
t like
w
h
a
t she
wa
s h
e
a
r
in
g
.
“
B
ut
?
”

“
I
’
ve
b
ee
n thinki
n
g
—”

“
I
t sounds like
s
h
e
isol
a
t
e
d
y
ou
fr
om
y
our
buddi
e
s, the
on
e
s
y
o
u
’
d kno
w
n
f
or
su
c
h a
lo
n
g time
in the
G
u
ar
d,
fr
i
e
nds
a
nd
re
l
a
tionships
y
o
u
’
d
nu
r
tu
re
d ov
e
r
t
h
e
y
e
a
r
s.
I
t sounds mo
r
e
like
she
wa
nt
e
d to be
in
c
ont
r
ol
a
l
l the
tim
e
.
W
a
s she
poss
e
ssiv
e
, M
r
.
B
e
n
n
e
tt
?
”