Of course, she had noticed and felt the big man's flinty eyes raking over her, but for some reason the act hadn't bothered her too much. Most girls we...re used to the lecherous glances of older men, passing them off as harmless gestures of wishful thinking; besides, Max Keele had a position to maintain and she doubted that he was about to gamble with that but his severely striking wife, she was another story!All the same, Jean knew there was nothing she could do about it and decided to keep her. I handled the popcorn, candy, and ice cream perfectly fine, but the chips aisle was difficult. Whenever we reached that aisle in the past, I always went for the same thing: Roll Gold pretzels, the small ones.They were his favorite food, and he had, of course, gotten me completely hooked on them. They were one of the only chips I could handle.So I had to go for second best, my mother's favorite. Barbecue chips with sour cream. Yeah, it sounds disgusting, but it's actually really good.So I got. “Captain Cassius Dawson. Sir?” A male voice echoed from down in the hold. The officer must have come on board while Cas was still trying to make sure that the girls were protected.“I’ll deal with this.” It was the most reassurance he could offer. Barely even thinking, he kissed Mercedes and Roxy one after the other. It seemed appropriate, somehow. Mercedes’ green eyes were sharp as a knife to the kidney. She kissed him back, firm and lingering. Like she was fully prepared for it to be the last. In point of fact, it was a whole world and a lifetime of pain gone by! Damn the waste and loss! Damn you Bradford Garrison for the lost joy, the lost love, and the lost dreams for a bright, happy future!A movement from inside the kitchen caught Angie’s ever observant eye. A man clad only in an oversized bathtowel was stirring embers in an enormous stone fireplace. Recognition came instantly along with remembrances of times past. Indeed it was Brad and the man was performing a ritual which.