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"How did you hurt your leg, Cathy?" my father asked with a tone of concern.

Because the sun was directly behind him, I couldn't see his face that well. I squinted, my heart suddenly pounding like a prisoner would pound on a wall.

"What are you doing here?" I asked instead of answering.

"Walking on the beach. It's a public beach. What are you doing here, Cathy?" he countered, now with a note of amusement.

"Leave me alone," I moaned, cringi

ng back.

"You didn't tell me how you hurt your leg?"

"I fractured my ankle."

"How?"

"I fell."

"I wouldn't let you fall, Cathy. I'd always take better care of you. I always did," he said, and turned away to walk up the beach just as Stuart was returning.

"Who was that?" he asked, handing me my cold lemonade.

"Nobody," I said quickly.

"Nobody?"

"Someone asking me directions to someplace. I couldn't help him," I added. I watched my father turn off the beach and head for the street. Stuart stared after him as well.

"Are you all right?" he asked, kneeling down beside me again.

"I'm just getting tired I guess," I said.

"Sure. Let's head back. I want to stop at a grocery store and pick up a few things for our dinner. Okay?"

"Yes," I said.

"I hope you had a good time."

"Oh, I did, Stuart Thank you."

"Great," he said, helping me to my feet. We started for the car. I tried not to watch my father walking away, but it was difficult to just ignore him.

Stuart gazed at me curiously when he opened the car door for me. Then he looked toward my father, too, squinted with suspicion, and got into the car. We drove in silence for a while.

"I really enjoyed myself today," he said finally. He smiled at me. "Thanks for coming along."

"Thanks for asking me."

"That was the easy part," he said. His smile had a way of wiping the anxiety out of my eyes and my heart.

He reached down for my hand and held it a moment. I moved closer to him and we rode on in a softer sort of silence as if both of us were afraid of ending a magic moment.

After Stuart bought some groceries, we returned to my house. I half expected to find either Star or Jade there, but the house was empty. I went upstairs to freshen up while Stuart started on the dinner. He wanted to make a pasta sauce and prepare some shrimp.

While I was upstairs, I phoned Jade, who was so breathless when she answered, I thought she might have been on a treadmill.

"Oh, Cat," she cried, "I've been calling you all day. We've got to get you either an answering machine or an answering service ASAP. Where have you been?"