Dancing Tides (136 page)

“
W
e
ll it sounds
y
um
m
y
.
A
n
y
thi
n
g I
ca
n do to h
e
l
p
?
”
she
a
sk
e
d
a
s she
took
in the
r
oom.
T
he
wa
lls
we
r
e
p
a
n
e
l
e
d,
w
hi
c
h d
a
t
e
d the
e
nti
r
e
p
l
ace
.
I
t look
e
d like
so
m
e
thing
out of
th
e’
70s.
A
g
r
ee
n-
a
nd-
t
a
n st
r
ip
e
d so
f
a
domin
a
t
e
d
w
h
a
t
c
ould
on
l
y
be
d
e
s
cr
ib
e
d
a
s a
p
u
re
l
y
m
a
le
e
nvi
r
onm
e
nt. A
we
ll
-w
o
r
n
rec
lin
e
r
sp
o
r
t
e
d a
pi
e
c
e
of
du
c
t t
a
pe
p
r
oud
l
y
w
o
r
n on one
ar
m
a
s if
c
ov
er
i
n
g
up a
wa
r
w
ound
to
the
l
ea
th
er
.
T
h
er
e
w
e
r
e
spo
r
ts m
a
g
a
z
in
e
s st
ac
k
e
d n
ea
t
l
y
on
a
c
o
f
f
ee
t
a
ble
th
a
t
re
mind
e
d h
e
r
o
f
a
do
c
to
r’
s
wa
iting
r
oom.
I
f
not
f
or
the
5
5
-
in
c
h
f
l
a
t-s
cree
n
T
V
a
nd
t
h
e l
a
ptop
c
omput
e
r
sitting
o
n the
ottom
a
n, she
mi
g
h
t
’
ve
thought sh
e’
d
g
one
b
ac
k in time
to
Arc
hie
B
unk
e
r
’
s living
r
oom.

B
ut the
a
r
e
a
w
a
s ti
d
y
a
s a
nun
’
s
c
onv
e
nt.

Co
r
d
wa
v
e
d his
ar
m in a
b
ac
kh
a
nd motion
a
nd s
a
i
d,
“D
on
’
t ju
d
g
e
me
b
y
t
h
e
d
éc
o
r
.
E
v
e
r
y it
e
m is a
l
ef
tov
er except for the flat-screen
,
c
ourtesy of
the
m
a
n
w
ho liv
e
d h
ere
.
”

“T
a
g
g
e
r
t.”
She
didn
’
t
f
ee
l the
n
ee
d to t
e
ll him the
m
a
n h
a
d also di
e
d in this v
e
r
y
r
oom so she st
ar
t
e
d moving
into the
d
ining
r
oom.

B
ut Co
r
d h
a
d oth
e
r
i
d
ea
s
.
H
e
nipp
e
d h
e
r
ar
ound t
h
e
wa
ist
a
nd b
r
o
u
g
ht h
e
r
u
p
a
g
a
inst his
c
h
e
st.
H
e
sni
f
f
e
d h
e
r
n
e
c
k.
“Y
ou sm
e
ll g
rea
t
b
y
t
h
e
w
a
y
.”

“
I
kno
w
.
I
took a
sh
o
we
r
a
nd
e
v
e
r
y
thi
n
g
.”
A
mus
e
m
e
nt d
a
n
ce
d in h
e
r
e
y
e
s.
“
F
or
o
n
c
e
I t
r
i
e
d to sm
e
ll like
a
fe
m
a
le
a
nd not the
a
nim
a
ls
I
w
o
r
k
ar
ound
.
”

H
e
c
ouldn
’
t h
e
lp it, he
l
a
u
g
h
e
d.
H
e
c
o
c
k
e
d his h
e
a
d, s
w
u
n
g
h
e
r
out
g
ivi
n
g h
e
r
a
lo
n
g look.
“Y
ou
’r
e
a
lot t
a
ll
e
r
toni
g
ht.
Y
ou
a
lmost
c
ome
up to
m
y
should
er
s.
A
lmost.”

“
I
t
’
s the
boots.”

“T
h
e
y
m
a
ke
y
o
u
r
l
e
g
s l
o
ok lon
g
e
r
.”

“
I
’
m no
fa
shionista
but
I
’
m p
re
t
t
y
su
r
e
th
a
t
’
s the
i
d
ea
.”

“H
mm.
Y
ou
a
r
e
the
most unp
re
t
e
ntious
w
om
a
n
I
’
ve
e
v
e
r
m
e
t.”

He
r
e
y
e
s
we
nt
w
id
e
.
T
h
o
se
blue
sph
ere
s s
p
ea
r
e
d
s
t
ra
i
g
ht into
w
a
r
m b
r
o
w
n.
“
R
ea
l
l
y
?
W
h
y do
y
ou s
a
y
t
h
a
t
?
”