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plate to each of them.
Carly took a bite and moaned.  God, that tastes fantastic. Liz
and Sue were busy consuming their own slices, but both nodded in
agreement.  Do you two eat like this every day?
 Desserts are usually a weekend thing, Liz answered,  when I
have more time to prepare them. During the week we usually eat
things that are easily re-heatable. She glanced at Sue, who wiggled
her fingers in a mock wave.
 Let me guess, someone doesn t keep regular hours? Carly
chided, getting a smile from Liz.
 It s not my fault, Sue defended.  I m a DA, for heaven s
sake. You know the workload they put on us.
 I know, hon. We re just teasing you. Liz placed her plate on
the coffee table and leaned back against the cushions she had piled
into the corner.
Carly enjoyed the last morsel of cheesecake before doing the
same on her end of the sofa.  So, Liz, tell me some more about the
Chinese astrology.
This got a look from Sue, who stretched her arms and yawned.
 When did you two get into that topic?
 This afternoon, before you came home. Carly was fascinated,
weren t you?
Carly nodded.  Yes, quite fascinated. I still want to know
where the twelve animals came from?
Sue excused herself, after giving Liz a kiss on the top of her
head as she exited the room. She had several papers to go over for
the case in the morning, so she retired to her office upstairs to get
some work done. Liz told Carly the tale of how Buddha, before he
left this world, invited all the animals to join him at a great feast.
 Of all the creatures in the land, only twelve came. For their loy-
alty, they were rewarded by having a year named after them in
order of their arrival to the feast.
 I wondered how the order was determined, Carly admitted.
 Liz, can I ask you a personal question?
 Sure.
 When you met Sue, did you know she was the one?
 Yes, I think I did. It s hard to explain, but there was a strong
connection that I d never felt before. Carly felt relieved, and it
92 D. L. Pawlowski
showed as her face relaxed upon hearing the answer.  Is that how
you feel about Nic?
Carly shook her head in bewilderment.  It s the craziest, most
wonderful thing I ve ever felt. At the same time, all I keep thinking
is that I barely know this person, yet I feel like she is whom I
belong with.
Liz moved closer to Carly, placing a gentle hand on her knee.
 Carly, have you ever been romantically involved with another
woman? She knew this was an awkward question, but she needed
to know. Carly seemed perfectly comfortable around her and Sue,
so she guessed that maybe she had.
 Yes, I have. It was a college fling that lasted a little over a
year. Carly felt at ease talking about this with Liz, so she contin-
ued,  I had my share of boyfriends in high school and even some in
college, but when I met Sarah, it was very different. The emotional
connection was much more intense.
Liz nodded, knowing precisely what Carly was talking about.
 And what happened?
 Sarah s parents found out and pulled her out of school. I
never saw her again, Carly answered sadly.  As much as I felt for
Sarah, what I already feel for Nic seems so much stronger.
 So have you said anything to her, yet?
 We really haven t had time to talk. With Jimmy and then the
break-in, it s been crazy. Besides, I wouldn t know what to say. I
mean, Jimmy talks about Nic all the time, so I feel like I know her,
but we really only met yesterday.
 How long you know someone is not the issue.
 Well, emotionally, I feel like I ve lived a lifetime in the past
two days.
 I strongly believe in destiny, Liz said.  And I believe that
when you meet the person you are destined to be with, you ll know
it.
Carly was pondering that statement when the phone rang.
THE PLAN HAD been to go from Sammy s to Lorenzo s to see
what she could dig up there, but she had picked up an obvious tail,
so she decided to drive around town for awhile. After fifteen min-
utes of toying with the other car, Nic decided to pull into the
Burger King drive-thru to grab a bite to eat. A few minutes later, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]