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Show All the Variables & Other Love Stories 66 stemmed and the petals still glistened with spray. The valet didn't know who they were from, he was only an errand runner, but when she cocked an eyebrow he averted his eyes and confessed he was sworn to secrecy. She found Zach in the arcade playing ski ball. "Here's the thing," she told him before he realized she was at his shoulder, "I don't think you really like me. Nothing's changed about me. If you'd been able to see back then things might be different. You just want what you can't have and once you have it, you won't want it anymore. So why rain it for you? I've always been this girl and I've always had these legs." And she was gone as quickly as she'd appeared, before he could collect a decent argument. Cara skied alone after that. She didn't want to be with Zach and she couldn't ski with her parents because they would know something was wrong since she avoided them ruthlessly. She thought it would be nice to ski a day with the Hutson's but it would be impossible to extract them from her parents. She'd always preferred Zach's parents to her own and cherished their advice which seemed so much wiser. She especially liked Mr. Hutson. He doted on his wife. He was an old cowboy at heart but his coarseness quickly softened under Mrs. Hutson's eyes. He loved her-you didn't have to ask, it was obvious to watch him look at her-he was attuned to her every inflection. Not like her father who was barely a man at all. Zach changed after the incident in the arcade. His advances received fervor, as if what she'd said encouraged him in some way. His earnestness was gone; he was absolutely lighthearted and each of her denials enchanted him. He smiled, laughed, made |