The 22nd Secret (72 page)

“
You
’
r
e
so b
ea
ut
i
ful.”
His mind w
a
s cl
ea
r
a
g
a
in.
He
c
ont
i
nu
e
d t
r
y
i
n
g
to
u
nd
e
rst
a
nd the ma
g
ic in
h
e
r
e
y
e
s. “Wh
a
t
matte
r
s no
w
, is
y
ou
a
nd
I
,
a
nd w
e
’
r
e
a
ll
a
lone in a
v
e
r
y
r
oma
n
t
i
c si
t
u
a
t
i
on.
I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to
m
a
ke
the most of the
f
ac
t
w
e
’
r
e
snow
e
d in
t
o
g
e
th
e
r
, sta
r
t
i
ng
with b
rea
k
f
a
st.” He
a
dd
e
d
a
uthori
t
y
to h
i
s voi
c
e.
“
Now
g
e
t ups
t
a
irs
a
nd take
that
b
a
t
h
.
I
’ll s
t
a
rt b
rea
k
f
a
st.”

“
W
ould
y
ou do me a
f
a
v
o
r
?
”
P
a
ula
a
sked
wi
t
hout w
a
i
t
ing
f
o
r
a
n
a
n
s
w
e
r.
“
I
wa
nt
t
o so
a
k for
a
t
l
ea
st an ho
u
r. You
s
a
id
t
h
e
r
e
’s pl
e
n
t
y
of h
o
t
w
a
te
r
.”

“
Th
a
t’s r
i
g
h
t
,
a
ll
y
ou w
a
n
t
.”
J
im
r
e
le
a
s
e
d his hold on he
r
,
a
l
l
owi
n
g
the stack of
c
lo
t
h
e
s to d
e
fine
the dist
a
n
c
e
b
e
t
w
e
e
n th
e
m.

“
I
’d
r
ea
l
l
y
l
i
ke
some
hot
c
o
f
fee
while
I
’m s
o
a
king.”

“
I
’ll m
a
ke
some
a
nd b
r
i
n
g
it
r
i
g
ht up.”

P
a
m
l
ook
e
d d
ee
p in
t
o
J
i
m’s
e
y
e
s.
S
he
did not
w
a
nt
t
o
c
ontrol
J
i
m’s
fee
l
i
n
g
s l
i
ke
she
h
a
d
B
e
n
’
s
a
nd the oth
e
rs.

“
J
i
m
, the
re
’s no w
a
y
f
or
y
o
u to und
e
rst
a
nd wh
a
t
y
ou me
a
n to
m
e
r
i
g
ht no
w
.
I
do
n
’t m
ea
n just
saving
m
y
l
if
e
but…
t
his
i
s
g
oing
to sound sil
l
y
.
”
S
he
p
a
used
a
nd look
e
d down
w
i
t
h sinc
e
ri
t
y
,
s
ea
r
c
hi
n
g
f
or
t
h
e ri
g
ht
w
o
r
ds.
“
I
’
ve
b
ee
n
w
a
i
t
ing
m
y
whole
l
i
fe
to
me
e
t
y
ou.
I
’m more than
w
i
l
l
i
ng
a
nd
I
know
y
o
u
a
r
e
, the q
u
e
st
i
on i
s
,
ca
n
y
ou
h
a
ndle it
?
”

S
he
turn
e
d
a
w
a
y
f
rom
J
i
m
, pick
e
d up h
e
r
c
os
m
e
t
i
c
s c
a
se,
a
nd spoke
a
s she
slow
l
y
sta
r
ted up the stai
r
s.
“
I
’ll h
e
lp
y
o
u with br
ea
k
f
a
st a
f
ter
m
y
b
a
t
h
.
B
ri
n
g
me some
c
o
f
f
e
e
, bl
a
c
k.”

J
i
m s
t
ood for
a
mo
m
e
nt
tr
y
i
n
g
to und
e
rst
a
nd the
w
o
r
ds he
h
e
a
rd
a
nd their
m
ea
ni
n
g
, whi
c
h sound
e
d sil
l
y
but
w
e
re
st
r
a
n
g
e
l
y
sinc
e
r
e
.

“
Your
room
’
s the
l
a
st one on the
le
f
t,”
h
e
said, b
e
fo
r
e
h
e
a
di
n
g
f
or
the kitc
h
e
n.

He
pou
re
d the
c
o
f
f
e
e
in
a
c
h
r
ome
c
a
rafe
a
nd p
l
ac
e
d it
on a
small
r
ound tr
a
y
a
long
with two
c
o
f
fee
m
u
g
s,
a
nd h
e
a
d
e
d for
t
h
e
stairs.
J
im
a
r
r
ived
a
t
P
a
ula
’
s door to
f
i
nd it
sl
i
g
ht
l
y
a
j
a
r.
H
e kno
c
k
e
d soft
l
y
.

“
P
a
ula
?
”

“
I
’m in the
tub.”

J
i
m
t
hou
g
ht about
P
a
ula
a
sking
him
if he
c
ould h
a
ndle it
a
s he slow
l
y
o
p
e
n
e
d the door
a
nd p
ee
k
e
d i
n
. The
c
lo
t
h
e
s
J
im
h
a
d
g
iven h
e
r
w
e
r
e
on the b
e
d
. The
c
lo
t
h
e
s
P
a
ula h
a
d b
ee
n w
ea
ri
n
g
w
e
re
pi
l
e
d on t
h
e
f
loor n
e
x
t
t
o the b
e
d
. The
door
to
t
he b
a
throom
w
a
s s
l
i
g
ht
l
y
op
e
n.
J
im
c
ould h
ea
r the
w
a
t
e
r
r
un
n
in
g
.
Be
f
o
re
he
c
ould f
i
g
u
re
out wh
a
t
w
a
s ha
p
p
e
n
i
n
g
n
e
x
t
P
a
ula spoke f
r
om
t
he
b
a
throom.

“
J
i
m
,
y
ou the
r
e
wh
e
r
e
’s
m
y
c
o
f
fe
e
?
H
e
y
l
i
sten,
I
h
a
v
e
n
’
t known
y
ou lo
n
g
e
nou
g
h,
b
ri
n
g me
m
y
c
o
f
f
e
e
but
d
on’t
y
ou d
a
re
look.”