" No, you're not. Please, Ned, I need to do this alone. I need to be absolutely sure I'm sensing his feelings properly. With too many people around, I... have trouble discerning one from the other. Especially someone who has strong feelings for me all the time."Ned slowly smiled. "Ya can sense that from me all the time? Really?"Cassie smiled faintly and squeezed his hand. "Really. I rather like it."Richie rolled his eyes. "While you two lovebirds go making everyone sick, I'm gonna get some chow.. Ryan immediately starts the car and drives away. After they’ve driven a block Charlotte straightens out of the slumped position. Another block later they pull into a small strip mall and wait. Within five minutes Stanley Patterson pulls up to Charlotte’s side of the car and they both lower their windows.Stanley asks, “Missus Alexander, what’s this all about? Does it have to do with Kyle?”“Yes, and please call me Charlotte. With my permission Ryan got into my husband’s computer and found out. And she had no one to help her. It was actually herpre-calc professor that saved her. Frustrated with the class, she decided thattoday they would experiment with a new form of learning that didn?t involve theteacher. They would all pair up and answer each other?s questions while theteacher ?observed?. Most people either knew everything andjust spent the time socializing. The rest, well, there weren?t so many ofthose. Most of the girls had to somehow find a way to convert a nerds. ”“What?” Deborah asked.“At one party, when I was smoking, my daughter announced that it was bad for me. I get the evil eye now if she sees me smoke my pipe or a cigar. I don’t do it very often, and I make sure she doesn’t see me.”“Birgit or your wife?”“Who do you think?” Eve laughed. “Everyone who knows Steve well enough knows who runs his life, and it’s not either of the doctors he’s married to!”“She only THINKS she’s in control,” I objected.“Uh-huh,” Eve replied. “Of all the women in your.