The 22nd Secret (75 page)

P
a
m set the
c
lo
t
h
e
s down
on the l
ea
ther
c
ou
c
h
a
nd
w
a
lked to the kitch
e
n.
T
he
smell of h
a
m and
f
r
e
sh bis
c
ui
t
s fil
l
e
d the
r
oom.
Th
e
r
e
w
a
s
a
r
e
d t
i
led
f
loor
a
nd
stai
n
less st
ee
l
e
v
e
r
y
w
h
e
r
e
,
t
y
pic
a
l of
a
c
om
me
r
c
ial
k
i
t
c
h
e
n
.
J
im
turn
e
d f
r
om
t
he
griddle.

“
How
do
y
ou w
a
nt
y
o
u
r
e
g
g
s
?
”

“
S
c
r
a
mb
l
e
d, but
i
t r
e
a
l
l
y
do
e
sn’t matte
r
.”

“
S
c
r
a
mb
l
e
d it
is.
I
’ll
h
a
v
e
the s
a
me.”
J
im
said
a
s he took a
stainl
e
ss s
t
ee
l
-
m
i
xing
bowl f
r
om
t
he
shelf
a
nd st
a
rt
e
d
br
e
a
ki
n
g
e
g
g
s in
t
o it
with one h
a
nd.
“
W
h
y
a
r
e
n
’
t
y
o
u
w
ea
ri
n
g
the
c
lo
t
h
e
s
I
g
a
ve
y
ou
?
”

P
a
m
l
ifted
h
e
rs
e
lf up
a
nd
sat
w
i
t
h h
e
r l
e
g
s ha
n
g
i
n
g
o
f
f the
e
d
ge
of a
l
a
rg
e
s
tainless st
ee
l p
re
p tabl
e
.
S
he
ma
d
e
su
r
e
the op
e
ni
n
g
in
t
he
r
obe
b
e
low the tied b
e
lt
e
x
posed
h
e
r
r
i
g
ht up
t
o the top of h
e
r
c
ros
s
e
d l
e
g
s.
“
Th
e
y
w
e
r
e
too
l
a
r
g
e
,
a
t
le
a
st
t
he
p
a
nt
i
e
s and
j
e
a
ns w
e
r
e
.
I
d
ec
i
d
e
d
y
ou
c
ould help me pi
c
k out some
a
ft
e
r
b
r
e
a
k
f
a
s
t. A
n
y
w
a
y
, i
t
’s just the two of
u
s
.”

J
i
m
t
u
r
n
e
d to
l
ook
a
t
P
a
ula
a
s he
b
e
g
a
n sc
r
a
mb
l
ing
the
e
g
g
s with a
wire
w
hip. “
Y
ou look
g
r
ea
t
. Do
y
ou
f
ee
l bett
e
r?”

P
a
m could
fee
l h
i
s
e
y
e
s
t
r
y
i
n
g
to
l
ook up h
e
r
l
e
g
s
p
a
st
t
he
point
wh
e
re
the
r
obe
c
ov
e
r
e
d h
e
r. She
would h
a
v
e
a
cc
om
m
od
a
ted him but
she
c
ould
t
e
ll
he
w
a
s
just
c
u
r
ious. Ev
e
n so she
fe
lt s
e
x
ier
than
a
n
y
t
i
me she
c
ould r
e
memb
e
r. She
a
l
m
ost
s
hive
re
d with anticip
a
t
i
on.
S
he
ju
m
p
e
d
o
f
f the t
a
bl
e
,
g
rima
c
i
n
g
f
rom h
e
r so
r
e
b
ac
k
a
nd
l
e
g
s
.

“
C
a
n
I
h
e
lp
?
” she
a
sked.

J
i
m
g
e
stur
e
d to
w
a
rd a
t
r
a
y
c
on
t
a
in
i
ng
platt
e
rs piled hi
g
h with ham
a
nd
h
a
sh bro
w
ns a
n
d a b
a
sket of
biscuits.

“
You
ca
n
t
a
ke
that to
t
he
table
b
y
t
h
e
b
a
r.
I
’ll bri
n
g
the
e
g
g
s in a s
ec
ond
.
”

“
A
r
e
y
ou pla
n
ning
on me
b
e
ing
a
ble to
ea
t
a
ll
th
i
s
?
”
P
a
ula
a
sked.

“
No,
I
’m just
used
to co
o
king
f
or
a
lot
of p
e
ople.
I do the
same
th
i
ng
w
h
e
n
I
’m
a
lone.
I just
save
it
f
or
the n
e
x
t d
a
y
. T
h
a
t w
a
y
,
I
on
l
y
h
a
ve
to cook a
fe
w
t
i
mes a
w
e
e
k. On
l
y
th
i
n
g
is b
rea
k
f
a
st
i
s not
rea
l
g
ood
le
f
t ove
r
.
W
e
c
a
n make
s
a
ndwi
c
h
e
s with the h
a
m.
I
ho
p
e
y
ou l
i
ke
trou
t
. I
g
ot a
c
ouple of
r
e
a
l n
ic
e
ra
inbows
I
c
a
u
g
ht
l
a
st
s
um
m
e
r th
a
wing for
dinn
e
r
.”

“
I
love t
r
out.” Paula
w
a
l
k
e
d out of the ki
t
c
h
e
n w
i
th
t
he
tr
a
y
.

The
pictu
r
e
of P
a
u
l
a
’s b
e
a
ut
i
ful thin le
g
s w
a
s b
u
r
n
e
d in
J
i
m
’s
m
ind. He
wond
e
r
e
d how she
c
ould s
ee
m so
uninh
i
bi
t
e
d.
He
kn
e
w how
h
e
f
e
lt
a
bout
P
a
ula
f
rom the
mo
m
e
nt he
f
irst looked into her
e
y
e
s
a
t
t
he
c
r
a
s
h
.
He
w
a
s b
e
g
inn
i
n
g
to r
e
a
l
iz
e
that she
fe
lt
t
he
s
a
me thin
g
.
He w
a
nted to b
e
l
i
e
ve
t
h
e
log
i
c
of the
si
t
u
a
t
i
on.
W
a
s he
fa
l
l
ing
in
l
ove
with h
e
r,
wa
s she
w
i
t
h hi
m
? His mind said no but his
h
ea
rt s
a
id
y
e
s.

Do I just
t
a
k
e
h
e
r after
b
r
e
a
k
fas
t
? Sh
e
’d o
bv
ious
l
y
let me,
or do I wait, sp
e
nd the day g
e
t
t
ing
t
o
k
now ea
c
h other;
bui
l
d the anticipat
i
on in bo
t
h of us unt
i
l
ton
i
g
h
t.
W
hat’s the hur
r
y
?
L
e
t’s
e
njoy the
mo
m
e
nts as
they
happ
e
n.
I
’ll
w
ait
but sh
e
’s so da
m
n b
e
a
ut
i
ful
and s
exy
.
H
e
l
l
, there
isn’t a
w
ord this o
l
d sailor knows to des
c
ribe what
she is but
w
hate
ve
r it
is
s
h
e
’s got all
of it.