The 22nd Secret (83 page)

“
H
e
lp
y
ours
e
l
f.”

P
a
ula w
a
lked ov
e
r to
J
im with
t
wo Coors.

“
You d
r
ink r
e
g
u
l
a
r Coo
r
s with
y
our t
r
out, r
i
g
ht
?
”
she
a
sked,
look
i
n
g
in
t
o the
f
ir
e
pl
a
ce
.

“
Th
a
t’s r
i
g
ht.”
H
e
tho
u
g
ht,
k
iss
m
e
,
a
nd she
did.

S
he
c
ouldn’t b
e
l
i
e
ve
i
t
.
F
or
the
f
i
rst t
i
me in h
e
r lif
e
,
P
a
m had
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
d
wh
a
t
m
ost of h
e
r lov
e
rs h
a
d
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
d.
S
he
w
a
s complet
e
l
y
u
nd
e
r his
c
ontro
l
.

”
Come on,”
J
im
said. “You m
a
ke
the
sal
a
d.
I
’ll c
o
ok the t
r
out and
w
i
l
d ri
c
e
, ok
a
y
?
”

“Ok
a
y
,”
P
a
u
l
a
said d
e
m
u
r
e
l
y
.
J
im
put h
i
s a
r
m a
r
o
und h
e
r should
e
r
a
nd th
e
y
w
a
lked to the ki
t
c
h
e
n togeth
e
r.

“
The
sal
a
d
m
a
kin
g
s
a
re
i
n the
re
a
c
h
-
in over
t
h
e
r
e
.
”
J
im
said
a
s he
g
ot
t
he
t
r
out out
of
a
nother
r
eac
h
-
in r
e
f
r
i
g
e
ra
tor.

“
I
know
w
h
e
re
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
is. You
g
e
t bu
s
y
on the
trout
I
’ll m
a
k
e
the s
a
lad. Don’t
w
o
r
r
y
I
ca
n h
a
ndle it.” P
a
m
w
a
s
b
ec
om
i
ng
a
c
c
usto
m
e
d to being
in
ment
a
l
s
y
nc
with
J
i
m
i
t w
a
s a v
e
r
y
c
omfo
r
table
f
ee
l
i
n
g
.
S
he
h
a
d n
e
v
e
r
a
l
l
ow
e
d h
e
r
s
e
l
f to tot
a
l
l
y
op
e
n u
p
. Not
e
v
e
n with her
mo
t
h
e
r. No oth
e
r hum
a
n h
a
d
e
v
e
r
made
it
so e
a
s
y
to be the
rea
l
P
a
m. Al
t
hou
g
h s
h
e
h
a
d to
g
u
a
rd ag
a
inst
e
x
posing
h
e
r t
r
ue
identi
t
y
a
nd
r
e
a
son
for
b
e
i
n
g
in
Al
a
sk
a
, she
w
on
d
e
r
e
d if
t
his
i
s the
w
a
y
oth
e
r
c
ouples
fe
lt, total
l
y
a
t e
a
s
e
with e
ac
h ot
h
e
r
a
nd l
i
v
i
ng
a
s o
n
e
.

J
i
m s
t
ood
a
nd w
a
tch
e
d
P
a
ula
a
s she
w
o
rk
e
d with
h
e
r b
a
c
k to h
i
m.
S
he
w
e
n
t
t
o the
c
o
r
re
c
t d
ra
w
e
r
a
nd
r
e
moved a
v
e
g
e
t
a
ble kni
f
e
.
S
he
o
p
e
n
e
d the
re
a
c
h
-
in and
b
e
g
a
n
taking
out
lettuce
a
nd v
e
g
e
tabl
e
s.
S
he
se
l
ec
ted
l
e
t
t
u
ce
,
c
a
r
r
ots,
r
a
dishes, to
m
a
toes
a
nd a
c
u
c
umbe
r
,
a
nd s
e
t
t
h
e
m on her
c
ut
t
ing
bo
a
r
d
.
F
inal
l
y
, s
h
e
w
a
lked
a
round
the
c
o
r
n
e
r to
t
he
dish room
a
nd
b
rou
g
ht b
a
c
k a
l
a
r
g
e wood
e
n bowl,
a
lo
n
g
with
the la
r
g
e
woo
d
e
n spoon
a
nd f
o
rk
J
im
used
f
or
sa
l
a
d
.

“
W
h
a
t a
r
e
y
ou, p
s
y
c
h
i
c
or
som
e
t
h
in
g
?
”
J
im
a
sked.

P
a
m
w
a
s t
r
y
i
n
g
not
t
o
m
a
nipu
l
a
te
J
i
m
’s
fee
l
i
n
g
s
t
ow
a
rd her
a
nd she
h
a
dn’
t
. Th
e
y
w
e
r
e f
a
l
l
ing
in
l
ov
e
.
I
f
c
i
r
c
ums
t
a
n
ce
s w
e
re
nor
m
a
l
, she
wouldn
’
t hesit
a
te to sh
a
r
e
h
e
r
e
x
tr
a
s
e
nso
r
y
a
bi
li
t
y
with
J
i
m
.

“
M
a
y
b
e, m
a
y
b
e
i
t
’
s
y
ou
?
”
P
a
m
t
u
r
n
e
d
a
nd
h
e
r
f
ac
e
g
lo
w
e
d with
e
x
c
i
t
e
me
n
t
. H
e
r
e
y
e
s
c
onn
ec
ted
with
J
i
m
’s
a
nd
he w
a
s ins
t
a
nt
l
y
bu
o
y
e
d
b
y
u
nd
e
rst
a
ndi
n
g
.

“
No,
wa
it
a
m
i
nute,”
h
e
s
a
id.
“
Thin
g
s l
i
ke
th
i
s ju
s
t don’t h
a
pp
e
n.”

“
J
i
m
, I
know
y
o
u
’ve
f
e
lt
i
t
. You
’
ve
fe
lt
it
f
rom the
f
irst
m
oment we
looked
in
t
o
eac
h othe
r
’s
e
y
e
s
a
t
the
c
r
a
sh
si
t
e.
I
t’s
h
a
pp
e
ni
n
g
now.
T
r
ust
me
,
J
i
m
. This
is a
w
ond
e
r
f
ul
t
hi
n
g
.
J
ust r
e
lax
a
nd let it
be
p
a
rt of
our
re
lationship.
I
’m hu
n
g
r
y
.
You must be
sta
r
vi
n
g
.
Le
t
’
s e
a
t
a
nd t
h
e
n
I
ca
n show
y
ou how sp
e
c
i
a
l
y
ou
a
r
e
.”