Were they guests or did you hire them?" I inquired boldly. "Entertainers. Hired to get people into the spirit of my party. The way I like them to be"... he said. "And who might you be my lovely lady?" "My name is Dee, and I am with James and Kathy Sanders. Kathy is my best friend, and James invited me to your wonderful party tonight as my husband is away camping with my kids. I hope you don't mind?" I asked. "On the contrary my dear. It pleases me greatly to host such beauty in my home. Please. . we make ... not open cans.” That was a trifle accusatory.Things progressed as things do, “Recipe?”Krys said, “4 to 5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced, 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 large carrots, sliced, ½ cup chopped fresh green onion, 6 cups chicken bone broth...”“Wait. Canned broth?” asked Cynthia.“No,” Krys said, “I made it last week. You were at the beach.”She launched into the remainder, but Zoe stopped her, “You made it? How?”“In the pressure cooker,” Krys. "Hi Gail, yes, the trip is going fine, I keep seeing lots of new and interesting things" he replied, deliberately evading her second question."Where are you now?" she enquired."I'm in Winton, having spent today on the dinosaur trail and I have just had my dinner." Do you have someone with you?" she asked and he could hear the quivering in her voice."No, I'm all alone here." Maybe I should come and join you then?" she asked hopefully, adding "I've broken up with Sam now." I'm sorry to hear that,. Liz and BenLiz couldn't explain to herself why she didn't tell Ben about the afternoon's events. Maybe it was the way that he leapt in to tell her all about his day without asking about hers. Maybe she was just a bit embarrassed about it all. And maybe, just maybe, she felt it was her secret and it really wasn't anything to do with Ben.Whatever the reason she hadn't said anything and when Ben finally did get around to saying, "So how's your day been?" while they were having a late night cup of.