Peyton's Pleasure (10 page)

“
J
ust don
’
t hu
r
t h
er
,
R
y
k
er
.
S
h
e’
s like
f
a
mi
l
y
to
u
s.”

He h
a
d
no
pl
a
ns
to
hu
r
t
h
er
.
I
f
he
h
a
d
his
w
a
y
,
sh
e’
d
e
v
e
ntu
a
l
l
y m
ar
r
y
him.

G
ra
d
y
told
him
she
wo
r
k
e
d
two
jobs
a
nd
n
e
v
e
r
miss
e
d
a
d
a
y
,

whi
c
h
m
a
de
h
e
r
t
r
ustw
or
t
h
y
a
nd
d
e
p
e
nd
a
ble
to
h
i
m.
S
he
didn
’
t
put
o
n

a
i
r
s
a
nd
she
b
e
li
e
v
e
d
in
t
rea
ti
n
g
p
e
ople
e
qu
a
l
l
y
.
Ev
e
r
y
thi
n
g
a
bout
h
e
r sound
e
d like
the
wom
a
n
of
his d
rea
ms.

The
r
i
n
g
ing
o
f
his
ce
ll
phone
r
ous
e
d
him
fr
om
his
musin
g
s.
He p
a
dd
e
d
b
ac
k
into
his
b
e
d
r
oom
a
nd
g
ra
b
b
e
d
the
o
ffe
ndi
n
g pl
a
sti
c
.
He
c
h
ec
k
e
d
the numb
e
r
a
nd
g
r
itt
e
d
his
t
ee
th.
I
f he didn
’
t
a
nsw
e
r sh
e’
d on
l
y
ca
ll
b
ac
k
until
he
did.
He
would
h
a
ve
c
h
a
n
g
e
d
his
numb
er
,
but
a
ll
his
busin
e
ss
c
ont
ac
ts
h
a
d
this
numb
er
.
Hissing
out
a b
r
e
a
th,
R
y
k
e
r
a
nsw
e
r
e
d the
c
a
ll.

“
Do
y
ou h
a
ve
a
n
y
id
e
a
w
h
a
t time
it i
s
?
”

“
H
e
llo
to
y
ou,
too,
d
a
r
lin
g
.
I
s
th
a
t
a
n
y w
a
y
t
o
a
nsw
e
r
y
our phon
e
?
”

“
S
h
ar
on,
I
’
ve
told
y
ou
to
stop
ca
lling
m
e
.
I
’
m
g
e
t
t
ing ti
re
d
of
y
our
g
a
m
e
s.”

“
I
’
m
so
r
r
y
a
bout
e
v
e
r
y
t
h
in
g
,
R
y
k
er
.
I
t
’
s
just
th
a
t
y
o
u
took
me
b
y su
r
p
r
is
e
.”

“
Not
a
noth
e
r
wo
r
d. Don
’
t
ca
ll me
a
g
a
in.”

“
R
y
k
e
r
, pl
ea
s
e
, just h
ea
r
me
out.”

“
Th
e
r
e’
s
nothi
n
g mo
r
e
t
o
s
a
y
,
S
h
ar
on.
W
e’r
e
th
r
ou
g
h.
W
e
n
e
v
e
r should h
a
ve
st
ar
t
e
d in the
f
i
r
st pl
ace
. Good n
i
g
ht.”

He dis
c
onn
e
c
t
e
d
the
ca
ll
th
e
n
c
h
ec
k
e
d
his
m
e
ss
a
g
e
s.
H
e
’
d
tu
r
n
ed
his
phone
o
f
f
while
h
e
’
d
b
ee
n
in
the
b
ar
.
His
f
u
c
king
m
e
s
s
a
g
e
box w
a
s
f
ull.
No
doubt
with
h
e
r
m
e
ss
a
g
e
s,
but
he
c
o
uldn
’
t
t
a
ke
a
c
h
a
n
c
e th
er
e
wouldn
’
t
be
one
c
o
n
cer
ni
n
g busin
e
ss.
F
o
r
t
he
n
e
x
t
h
a
lf
ho
u
r
he w
a
d
e
d t
h
r
o
u
g
h m
e
ss
a
g
e
s
, most of
whi
c
h
h
a
d
b
ee
n
fr
om
S
h
a
r
on. Th
e
r
e h
a
d
b
e
e
n
two
fr
om
his
b
usin
e
ss
m
a
n
a
g
e
r
a
nd
o
n
e
fr
om
his
a
tto
r
n
e
y
. He
m
a
de
no
t
e
s on th
e
m
a
nd d
e
b
a
t
e
d
ca
lling
his b
u
sin
e
ss m
a
n
a
g
e
r
n
o
w or not.
F
in
a
l
l
y
,
h
e d
e
c
id
e
d
it
c
ould
w
a
it.
H
e
c
h
ec
k
e
d
his
w
a
t
c
h.
I
t
w
as
on
l
y
f
our
in the
mo
r
ni
n
g
.

W
ith
a h
a
lf l
a
u
g
h,
R
y
k
e
r
c
limb
e
d
into
b
e
d
nu
d
e
a
nd
s
e
t
his
ce
ll
to w
a
ke
him
b
y t
e
n.
H
e
w
o
uld
n
ee
d
to
t
a
ke
c
a
r
e
of
s
ome
busin
e
ss
b
ef
o
r
e too
l
a
te
in
the
d
a
y
.
Th
e
n
he
n
ee
d
e
d
to
t
a
lk
to
G
ra
d
y
a
g
a
in.
He
w
a
nt
ed
to
know
e
v
e
r
y
thi
n
g th
e
r
e
w
a
s
to
know
a
bout
Pe
y
t
on.
I
n
c
ludi
n
g w
h
a
t she
a
te
f
or
b
rea
k
fa
st.
H
e
hop
e
d
to
be
c
ooki
n
g
f
o
r
h
e
r
the
n
e
x
t
time
he