” “Sounds like a win, win situation. I like that.” Then she told me how she just broke up with a man she thought she would marry and how he brok...e her heart. I listened and nodded then acknowledged how hard that must have been. She was quiet for a few moments, as if swallowing the pain, then smiled at me. “It was,” she said. “But that was then and this is now. Now, I just want to live in the present and have fun.” She leaned forward and smiled. “I want fun.” Her smile when she said she wanted. "Arthur and I agreed that was a great idea, so we called everybody together and asked Cicero and Augusta if they would like to move into the main house with the rest of us. They would, so we got to work. The bedroom was ready for occupancy by supper time and they moved in.We returned to the training complex that night and spent some time in what Venta called a "hologram simulator." This was a monster room which could be configured to be exactly like the place we were to attack. We rehearsed our. .basement...minute." Regaining my composure as best I could, I half-ran across the library, concealing my semi and dodging tables as I passed.A cupboard door swung open, and she pulled me inside, pushing me to the wall with a forceful kiss against my lips. I tasted the sharp, sweet cherry of her lip balm and could feel her chest heaving against mine as her hand groped down the front of my jeans and her tongue wrestled with mine.She pulled away from my lips and began unbuckling my belt and. Even the carved table legs were the same . . . Lisa raised her hand to knock the pieces of the puzzle apart. She didn't want to finish THE STRANGEST JIGSAW PUZZLE IN THE WORLD; she didn't want to find out what the hole in the middle of the puzzle might turn out to be. But then she lowered her hand. Perhaps it was worse not to know. Perhaps it was worse to wait and wonder. Lisa sank back down into the chair at the table. She fought off the fear that crept into the sore muscles of her back..