Part 289 (1/2)

Public Secrets Nora Roberts 11500K 2022-07-22

with me next weekend.”

”It is serious then.”

”Semi. Emma, what is so fascinating out there?”

illt's just this man. It's almost as if he's looking right at me.”

”Sounds more like vanity than paranoia.” Pus.h.i.+ng herself up, Marianne

walked to the window. ”Probably waiting to make a drug deal,” she

decided. She moved away again to pick up her long-neglected coffee cup.

”In the serious vein, what about Michael? Are you going to give the man

and his dog a break?”

”I want to take my time.”

”You've been taking your time with Michael since you were thirteen,”

Marianne pointed out. ”What's it like to have a man carry a torch for

you for over ten years?”

”It's not like that.”

”It's exactly like that. In fact, I'm surprised he managed to stay on

the Coast when you told him you were going to visit here for a couple of

days before flying back.”

”He wants to get married.”

”Well, you could knock me over with a twenty-foot crane. Who'd have

guessed it?”

”I suppose I haven't wanted to think about what happens next.”

”That's only because you've blocked the M word out of your vocabulary

for a while. So what are you going to do about it?”

”It?”

”The two Ms. Marriage and Michael.”

”I don't know.” She looked out the window again. He was still there,