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.People tell you all their troubles and you let them, you listen and you nod and make understanding noises.You hold their hands.Which is fine.Most of the time.But this time, well, it’s kind of backfired on you.You held Carly’s hand and you heard her long, sad story and now she trusts you.When you tell her the truth, she’ll probably be very angry with you.”“And hurt.She’ll be so hurt.”“She’s already hurt.And I hope she gets past it.But you’ve got a problem of your own here and your problem is that you haven’t been honest with her.”Angela had it right.And Megan knew it.The kids came down for breakfast.Megan went back over to her place and got ready for work.But she didn’t go to work.At nine, she marched over to Carly’s and rang the bell.There was no answer—at first.But then, just as she was about to ring the bell again, the door opened a crack and Carly peeked through.“Megan!” She sounded so happy.The knife of guilt in Megan’s stomach twisted deeper.Carly pulled the door wide.“Come on in….”Grimly resigned to get the truth out once and for all, Megan stepped inside.Carly shut the door and let out a soft, nervous giggle as she patted her sleep-mussed golden hair.“Well, as you can see…” She retied the sash of her silk robe.“I’m not up and about yet.Lately, I just seem to be a hopeless slug-abed….”“Carly, I really need to—”“But you…” Carly’s eyes had gone wide.“Megan.You look terrific.You should wear bold colors all the time.This bright turquoise does wonders for your skin—not to mention those pretty green eyes of yours.It’s, well, Megan, this is a whole other you.”“Thanks.I was just, um, on my way to work….”Carly took her by the shoulders.“Well, I am serious as a heart attack here.Get yourself some casual clothes in bright colors.Be as gorgeous at home as you are when you go to work.”“Um.I will.I’ll do that.”“Good.Now, how about some coffee?”“Ah, no.Thanks.I’m fine.”A line had formed between Carly’s smooth brows.“Megan.You seem…are you all right?”She blew out a hard breath.“No.Not really.I have something to tell you.Could we maybe sit down?”In the den, Carly took the recliner.“Now, what? Tell me what’s bothering you.”Megan realized there was no way she could sit down.So she stood a few feet from Carly’s chair and made herself say that certain dangerous name.“It’s about Greg.”Carly put a hand to her slim throat.“What? Tell me? Is he…did he say something after all, on Monday? Did he tell you he’s been missing me? Did he hint that he wanted to try—?”“No.” The word came out harsh, abrupt.Carly cringed and shrank back into her chair.“Oh.Oh, well, then…?”“I’m sorry.” Megan put up both hands in a placating gesture.“I didn’t mean to be so curt.”“It’s okay.But…oh, Megan.What did he say?”Lord.Where to start? How to tell it? “He, um…” She decided she’d better just lay it out there.“He asked me out.”Carly made a tight, strangled sound.Her face went chalky-pale.“I…excuse me?”“He asked me out.I, um, turned him down.But I didn’t want to turn him down.I’m very attracted to him.I didn’t expect that, to be so attracted.And I never in a million years thought that he’d be attracted to me.But, well, he is.He said so.And he, um, well, did you know that he owns a house right here in Rosewood?”Carly was staring at her as if she’d just committed murder—or worse.“I don’t… A house?”“Yes.It’s a few blocks away from here.It’s empty now, but he says he really does like Rosewood and he’s hoping someday to move back here.”“A house? What are you talking about? Greg doesn’t need a house.He has a house.Our house.This house…”Megan shut her eyes, sucked in a fortifying breath and made herself continue.“No, Carly.He says it really is over, between the two of you.That you’re divorced and that’s how it’s going to stay.”“No…”“Yes—and that house I just mentioned? Well, he showed it to me.”Carly’s fine nose wrinkled in an expression midway between sheer horror and disgust.“You? He showed you his house….”“Yes.And…and he kissed me, Carly.I mean, we kissed.Each other.He kissed me and I kissed him back.”Carly blinked several times in rapid succession.“I don’t…I can’t…” She paused, collected herself, said with an awful kind of calmness, “You know what? I heard, from Irene Dare, that she and Rhonda had seen you with Greg.I didn’t believe Irene.I thought she was just carrying tales, telling lies, stirring up trouble the way she and Rhonda like to do.I would never, ever have believed that Greg would…” She seemed to run out of words.She shook her head, tried to continue.“That you could…” The words ran out again.She swallowed.And then, with great care and a terrible, wounded dignity, she rose to her feet.She drew herself up tall and straightened her robe.“You kissed my husband?”Megan put out both hands in a placating gesture.“Carly.No—I mean, yes.I did kiss him.But he’s not your husband anymore and you really have to come to grips with that, I think.”Carly was shaking her head, backing away.“You…you pretended to be my friend.”“No.Carly.I am your friend…” Megan let her hands drop limply to her sides.“Or I was…”“You stole my husband from me.”“No.I hardly knew him.I swear.And until the third of July, when I went up to his office for that first interview, Greg never showed an interest in me.He’d even forgotten that he’d told you he’d see me.It was just pure luck that I caught him at his desk.”“Pure luck…” Carly made the words sound like a curse.“Carly—”“You said you told him you wouldn’t go out with him.”“Yeah.I did.”“And then you kissed him?”Megan didn’t even try to defend herself.“Yeah.And then I kissed him.”Carly tipped her chin high.“I don’t know what to believe.All this you’re telling me, it could be just lies.”“Oh, no.Please…”“But the one thing I do know now is that you are not my friend, Megan.You are not my friend and I will never speak to you again.”“Oh, Carly.Please don’t—”“Shut up.” Carly put both hands to her temples and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.“Just shut up
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