The 22nd Secret (77 page)

“
I
’m so
r
r
y
,
P
a
u
l
a
.”
J
im
reac
h
e
d ov
e
r
a
nd h
e
ld h
e
r
h
a
nd.
P
a
m
te
a
r
f
ul
l
y
loo
k
e
d up
a
t
J
i
m
.
S
he
w
a
s al
w
a
y
s
ca
p
a
b
l
e
of
c
r
y
i
n
g
on
c
om
m
a
nd,
b
ut
t
his. Th
i
s w
a
s dif
fe
r
e
n
t.
Of
a
ll
the m
e
n sh
e
’d know
n
, none
of th
e
m
w
e
re
l
i
ke
J
i
m
.
S
he
kn
e
w th
a
t
i
n a
fe
w d
a
y
s th
e
y
would p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
p
a
rt fo
re
v
e
r.

S
he
looked do
w
n
a
t
J
i
m
’
s s
t
rong
h
a
nd hold
i
n
g
h
er
s.
“
L
i
k
e
I
to
l
d
y
ou
l
a
st n
i
g
h
t
, it
w
a
sn’t so b
a
d.
I
didn’t love
him
or
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
.
W
e
did ha
v
e
some
g
ood t
i
mes t
o
g
e
th
e
r.
I
f
I
k
n
e
w th
e
n wh
a
t
I
know no
w
,
I
would h
a
ve
n
e
v
e
r l
e
ft
I
d
a
ho.”

“
Th
e
n we
would n
e
v
e
r
h
a
ve
met.”
J
im
squ
ee
z
e
d
h
e
r h
a
nd.
S
he
sm
i
led mo
d
e
st
l
y
a
t h
i
m
.

“
And
I
wouldn
’
t ha
v
e
g
o
t
y
ou m
i
x
e
d up in all of this.”

I
t s
e
e
med str
a
n
ge
last night wh
e
n he
h
a
d l
i
e
d to
B
i
l
l about the
c
r
a
sh. At the
t
i
me
he h
a
dn’t thou
g
ht about i
t
,
b
ut w
h
y
h
a
d
h
e
done
i
t
?
T
od
a
y
, look
i
n
g
in
t
o
P
a
ula
’
s
e
y
e
s
, it s
ee
med p
e
r
f
e
c
t
l
y
r
e
a
so
n
a
ble. Th
i
s
g
o
r
g
e
ous wom
a
n
w
a
nt
e
d to spend the
re
st of h
e
r
l
i
fe
with h
i
m.

“
P
a
ula, l
a
st n
i
g
ht
I
r
e
a
l
l
y
didn’t m
ea
n th
i
s but th
i
s
morning I
do.
I
w
a
nt
y
ou
to s
ta
y
with me. M
a
y
b
e
t
h
in
g
s
won
’
t
wo
r
k out for
u
s
.
I
w
a
nt
t
h
e
m
t
o
a
nd
I
th
i
nk th
e
y
wil
l
.”
He
rubb
e
d
h
e
r b
ac
k.

S
he
turn
e
d h
e
r
e
y
e
s
a
w
a
y
f
rom
J
i
m
’s.

“
I
’ve
on
l
y
known
a
c
oup
l
e
of p
a
nt
i
n
g
hi
g
h
s
c
hool
b
o
y
s in
t
h
e
ir b
a
c
k se
a
ts
a
nd Tino.
I w
a
nt
t
o know
w
h
a
t
t
rue
l
ove
is.
I
w
a
nt
t
o know
w
h
a
t
i
t’s l
i
ke
with someone
I
c
hoos
e
.
I
w
a
nt
t
o know
w
h
a
t
i
t’s l
i
ke
to be
in
l
ove
with
y
ou.”

S
he
thr
e
w h
e
r
a
rms
a
ro
u
nd
J
im
a
nd buri
e
d h
e
r
fa
c
e
in h
i
s shou
l
d
e
r.
S
he
sque
e
z
e
d
him
a
s t
i
g
ht
l
y
a
s
s
he
c
ould.

“
L
ook,
P
a
ula
y
ou’ve
b
e
e
n pr
e
t
t
y
,
w
e
l
l
,
a
pp
e
a
l
i
ng
t
his
m
o
r
nin
g
. You don
’
t
h
a
ve
to do
t
h
a
t just
b
eca
use
y
ou th
i
nk it
will
g
ive
y
ou a
pl
a
c
e
to
l
ive
f
or
the
n
e
x
t f
e
w months.”

P
a
m qu
i
c
k
l
y
moved
a
w
a
y
f
rom
J
im
a
nd spoke
wi
t
h sho
c
k in her
voic
e
.
“
Y
o
u don
’
t
l
ike me like thi
s
?
B
eca
use
I
l
i
ke
me like thi
s
.
I
l
i
ke
f
e
e
l
ing
se
x
y
.
I
c
hose
to be l
i
ke
th
i
s with
y
ou.
I l
i
k
e
d taking
a
b
a
th wi
t
h
y
ou talking
to
m
e
, that w
a
s
m
y
c
hoi
c
e
a
nd
I
l
i
k
e
d i
t
. On
l
y
pro
b
l
e
m w
a
s
y
o
u wouldn’t look. Oh
J
i
m
,
y
ou w
e
re
such
a
g
e
nt
l
e
man.”
P
a
m shot a s
e
x
y
s
m
i
le
r
i
g
ht
t
h
r
o
u
g
h him
a
nd th
e
y
g
i
g
g
led. P
a
m
t
hou
g
ht at le
a
st
t
his
w
a
s not a
d
e
c
e
pt
i
on.

J
i
m w
a
s
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
r
e
a
d
y
to
spe
a
k wh
e
n t
h
e
ra
dio
c
ra
c
kled
to
l
if
e
.

“
J
i
m
. This
is
B
i
l
l,
y
ou
c
op
y
?
”
Th
e
y
didn’t
n
ee
d
a
n
y
sp
e
c
ial
a
bi
l
i
t
ies to know th
i
s w
a
s p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
not
g
ood.

“
J
i
m
. You the
r
e
?
Ov
e
r.”

J
i
m hur
r
ied ov
e
r to the
ra
dio. “
T
e
n
-
fo
u
r,
B
i
ll
.
I
c
op
y
. O
v
e
r.”
P
a
m s
l
ow
l
y
w
a
lked ov
e
r to the
f
ir
e
pl
a
c
e
a
nd st
a
r
e
d
a
t
t
he
f
lam
e
s.