分节阅读_59

  > eyes flickered up at me from under his lashes, the hint of a smirk on his
  face.
  ”.”
  ”but that's the easiest one,” i objected.
  ”ed.
  i looked down, frustrated. i unrolled my silvericked up my fork,
  and carefully speared a ravioli. i put it in my mouth slowly, still
  looking dohile i thought. the mushrood. i
  swallowed and took another sip of coke before i looked up.
  ”okay, then.” i glared at him, and ued slowly. ”let's say,
  hypothetically of course, that… someone… ole are
  thinking, read minds, you kno exs.”
  ”just oioed, ”hypothetically.”
  ”all right, with ohen.” i was thrilled that he laying
  along, but i tried to seem casual.
  ”how does that work? what are the limitations? how would… that someone…
  fi exactly the right time? how would he know she was in
  trouble?” i wondered if my voluted questions even made sense.
  ”hypothetically?” he asked.
  ”sure.”
  ”well, if… that someone…”
  ”let's call him 'joe,'” i suggested.
  he smiled wryly. ”joe, then. if joe had been payihe timing
  wouldn't have o be quite so exact.” he shook his head, rolling
  his eyes. ”only you could get into trouble in a town this small. you
  would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know.”
  ”we were speaking of a hypothetical case,” i reminded him frostily.
  he laughed at me, his eyes warm.
  ”yes, we were,” he agreed. ”shall we call you 'jane'?”
  ”how did you know?” i asked, uo tensity. i realized i
  was leaning tain.
  he seemed t, torernal dilemma. his eyes locked
  with mine, and i guessed he was making the de right theher or
  not to simply tell me the truth.
  ”you trust me, you know,” i murmured. i reached forward, without
  thinking, to touch his folded hands, but he slid them away minutely, and
  i pulled my hand back.
  ”i don't know if i have a ore.” his voice was almost a
  whisper. ”i was wrong — you're much more observant than i gave you credit
  for.”
  ”i thought you were always right.”
  ”i used to be.” he shook his head again. ”i was wrong about you on one
  , as well. you're not a mag for ats — that's not a
  broad enough classifiagrouble. if there is
  anythihin a ten-mile radius, it will invariably find you.”
  ”and you put yourself into that categuessed.
  his faed cold, expressionless. ”unequivocally.”
  i stretched my hand across the table again — ign him when he pulled
  back slightly oouch the back of his hand shyly with my
  fiips. his skin was d hard, like a stone.
  ”thank you.” my voice was fervent with gratitude. ”that's twiow.”
  his faed. ”let's not try freed?”
  i scowled, but nodded. he moved his hand out from under mine, plag
  both of his uable. but he leaoward me.
  ”i followed yeles,” he admitted, speaking in a rush. ”i've
  o keep a specifi alive before, and it's much more
  troublesome than i would have believed. but that's probably just because
  it's you. ordinary people seem to make it through the day without so many
  catastrophes.” he paused. i wo should bother me that he was
  followiead i felt a strange surge of pleasure. he stared,
  maybe w why my lips were to an involuntary smile.
  ”did you ever think that maybe my number the first time, with the
  van, and that you've beeh fate?” i speculated,
  distrag myself.
  ”that wasn't the first time,” he said, and his voice was hard to hear. i
  stared at him i he was looking down. ”your number
  the first time i met you.”
  i felt a spasm of fear at his words, and the