Dancing Tides (196 page)

O
n
c
e
in the
living
r
oom, Co
r
d
we
nt ov
e
r
to the
f
i
r
e
pl
ace
, st
a
r
t
e
d st
ac
ki
n
g
l
o
g
s
f
o
r
a
f
i
r
e
.

B
ut
w
h
e
n
h
e
tu
r
n
e
d
a
r
o
u
nd
Ke
e
g
a
n
wa
s
a
l
r
ea
d
y
s
h
e
dding
h
e
r
c
loth
e
s.

H
e
wa
t
c
h
e
d
a
s she
pull
e
d
up h
e
r
s
w
e
a
t
er
, shimmi
e
d out of
h
e
r
we
t, bl
a
c
k l
e
g
g
i
n
g
s.
B
y
t
h
e time
she
g
ot do
w
n to p
a
n
ti
e
s
a
nd b
ra
, he
d
r
a
g
g
e
d
h
e
r
a
g
a
inst him.
“H
ot s
h
o
wer
.
N
o
w
.
”

She
und
re
ss
e
d him on the
w
a
y
do
w
n the
h
a
ll
w
a
y
,
a
nd sti
c
k
y
we
t, th
e
y
both
bump
e
d up the
wa
t
e
r
to hot.
W
hile
th
e
y
wa
it
e
d
f
o
r
the
sp
r
a
y
to
hea
t,
th
e
y
c
r
ea
t
e
d t
h
e
ir
o
w
n st
ea
m, skin-to-skin.

O
n
c
e
th
e
y
st
e
p
p
e
d into the
n
arr
o
w
st
a
ll,
f
o
re
pl
a
y
h
a
d
re
a
c
h
e
d the
fre
n
z
y
st
a
g
e
.
He
r
e
,
f
in
g
e
r
tips so
a
p
e
d, sli
c
k
a
nd
fa
st,
w
hile
h
a
nds t
ra
v
e
l
e
d up
a
nd do
w
n o
v
e
r
c
u
r
v
e
s
a
nd v
a
ll
e
y
s.
I
mp
a
ti
e
nt
f
or
e
ac
h oth
e
r
,
he
b
ac
k
e
d h
e
r
up
a
g
a
inst
the
tile
a
nd d
r
ove
himself inside.

G
lo
r
ious
c
olor
f
r
a
m
e
d h
e
r
s
e
ns
e
s.
K
ee
g
a
n
d
r
opp
e
d
h
e
r
h
ea
d
b
ac
k
a
nd
r
ode
t
he
cre
st,
f
ull out
a
nd h
ar
d.

Co
r
d qui
c
k
e
n
e
d his p
a
c
e
,
d
r
ove
th
e
m both until th
e
y
s
h
a
tt
ere
d t
o
g
e
th
e
r
in
gold
e
n
c
i
rc
l
e
s of
li
g
ht.

She
ra
n a
h
a
n
d do
w
n his
face
.
T
he
minute
she
c
o
u
ld sp
ea
k, she
told him,
“T
h
a
t just k
ee
ps
g
e
tti
n
g
b
e
tt
e
r
a
nd b
e
tt
e
r
…
e
v
e
r
y
tim
e
.”

H
e
g
r
inn
e
d.
“
I
’
m m
a
ki
n
g it
m
y
p
er
son
a
l mission to m
a
ke
up
f
or
lost tim
e
.”

L
a
t
er
in the
kit
c
h
e
n,
wear
i
n
g
one
o
f
his ov
er
s
i
z
e
d
T-
shi
r
ts
a
nd a
p
a
ir
of
s
wea
t p
a
nts, s
h
e
r
oll
e
d out h
e
r
o
w
n do
u
g
h
f
or
spin
ac
h, tom
a
to
a
nd
c
h
ee
se
pi
zz
a
.

W
h
e
n he
didn
’
t
g
r
umble
too mu
c
h
a
t the
p
r
osp
ec
t
of
ea
ti
n
g
a
v
e
g
e
t
ar
i
a
n
pie
f
or
dinn
er
, she
kn
e
w
th
e
y
w
er
e
p
r
o
g
re
ssing
into a
c
om
f
o
r
t
z
one
of
so
r
ts on both sid
e
s.

“
I
w
on
’
t hold
y
ou to putting
y
our
m
e
a
t
-
e
a
ting
d
a
y
s b
e
hind
y
ou
.
”

“
I
m
ea
nt
w
h
a
t
I
s
a
id
a
t
G
abe’
s.
I
’
m
b
e
g
inning
to
s
e
e
the
a
d
v
a
nt
a
g
e
s
.
”

“
F
or
rea
l?
Most p
e
ople
don
’
t.”

H
e
c
o
c
k
e
d his h
ea
d.
“H
a
v
e
n
’
t
w
e
h
a
d this
c
on
v
er
s
a
tion b
ef
o
re
?
I
tho
u
g
ht
w
e
e
st
a
blish
e
d,
I
’
m not most p
e
opl
e
.
”

She
si
g
h
e
d.
I
t
w
a
s t
r
u
e
.
Co
r
d
B
e
n
n
e
tt h
a
d to be
the
st
r
ong
e
st p
er
son sh
e
’
d
e
v
e
r
kno
w
n.
W
h
a
t h
e’
d b
ee
n th
r
o
u
g
h
a
s a
kid h
a
d to be
to
u
g
h,
a
nd
y
e
t, it s
ee
m
e
d to h
e
r
a
s thou
g
h
h
e’
d put th
a
t
ear
l
y
dis
a
ppointm
e
nt
fr
om li
f
e
b
e
hind him.
I
t
wa
s the
m
e
mo
r
y
of
C
a
ss
i
e
he
h
a
d t
r
ouble l
e
tting
g
o of.

A
s
G
uinn
e
ss sp
rea
d out
i
n one
c
o
r
n
e
r
of
the
kit
c
h
e
n,
a
s
ra
in
c
ontinu
e
d to b
ea
t do
w
n outsid
e
, Co
r
d
g
a
th
e
re
d
u
p th
e
ir
we
t
c
loth
e
s
f
r
om the
living
r
oom
a
nd stu
f
f
e
d th
e
m into the
wa
sh
er
.

H
e
c
ouldn
’
t h
e
lp it.
T
he
s
e
nse
of
dom
e
stic
bliss st
r
u
c
k a
h
a
p
p
y
c
ho
r
d
w
ith
h
im. Som
ew
h
er
e
in the
l
a
st th
r
e
e
w
e
e
ks, h
e’
d tu
r
n
e
d a
c
o
r
n
er
.

H
e
g
l
a
n
c
e
d ov
e
r
a
nd st
a
r
e
d
a
t t
h
e
w
om
a
n
a
t the
c
o
unt
er
, th
r
o
w
i
n
g
tog
e
th
e
r
a
m
ea
l.
W
a
s th
er
e
a
n
y
thi
n
g
the
w
om
a
n
c
ouldn
’
t do?

“
W
ho
’
s on du
t
y
toni
g
ht
a
t the
ce
nt
er
?
”

“
P
e
te
a
nd Russ
e
ll.
G
od,
I
hope
th
e
y
don
’
t kill
eac
h
oth
er
,”
she
g
r
o
a
n
e
d,
a
s
s
he
re
mov
e
d the
piping
hot p
a
n
f
r
om the
ov
e
n.