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Show 171 He glanced once more around the room, again with that alert cock to his head. It had been a Golden Retriever, she suddenly remembered, a neighbor's dog. And Steve! That had been the dog's name. "So how's your schedule this week?" She already knew, it was posted along with everyone else's on the back of the storeroom door, but she was determined to hold his attention. "Every day. I'm on every damn day this vacation except Christmas." "I'm off Christmas, too." "Christmas Eve?" "Yes. All that day." She had a date with Roger on Christmas Eve. "Two whole days in a row." He frowned. "I work that night. I didn't want it, but it was that or Christmas day." "Well, I worked it last year. It's really not that bad. Not busy at all." "The store might not be. But the prescription load will be as heavy, I bet." "I suppose so. I guess people get sick on Christmas Eve too." In a large corner booth a half dozen business men began standing, their lunch concluded; they caught his attention. He watched with close eyes-hard blue eyes, she had never seen such pure blueness. Having him across the table like this, at last, she was exhilarated inwardly. But not nervous-she momentarily wondered at this. It was the dog, she decided, she hadn't thought about him in years. That dog had been one of the delights of her childhood. His thick, fine fur-she could still feel it |