When the knock came, she mentally counted to twenty then reached out and turned the knob. He stood just outside the door, his eyes roaming over the pi...cture she made. "Wow," he breathed. "You look absolutely stunning." His eyes took in every detail, including the bare feet. He handed her the single white rose he'd brought her. "I thought I'd be slightly more traditional this time. Maybe we won't have a murder investigation interrupt our evening."She smiled, accepting the rose and reaching up on. “Hey, I don’t wanna sound nasty: it a real shame and all – but, I mean, he was overage, and an Undesirable, and even though he’d been expelled, he sneaked back into the Union illegally. I mean, he must have known that if he was caught he’d be culled. Anyway, that hospice has been shut ever since, so they must be holding an investigation: if something bad happened, they’ll sort it out. Besides, what’s that got to do with that book of yours?”“Claire, Eva loved her parents so much…”“‘Loved’? Jesus. "Hey Jer... remember that window we found in your room?" Freddie asked his best friend."Yeah, what about it?" I wonder if we can get it to open and close. It would sure be a cool 'emergency escape hatch' if we could get it to work." Yeah! Let's take a better look at it!" Jerry agreed, and with that, the two teens got dressed again and went up to the garage. They looked around and finally got a couple of flashlights. It was only a couple minutes later that they were back under the deck with the. "Paul. You have had a trying life. You have faced, and overcome, challenges that would have broken lesser men. You have even 'failed', and come back if not stronger, then at least better equipped to deal with life," Fithian said to me.I could feel warmth radiate from him towards me, and I basked in it. Wow, this was an incredible feeling. I looked at him, and he smiled a smile that would have outshone the sun, if I had been able to see it. Lord, but I was going to have to get used to things.