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 Have you figured out how old the boy would be now?
 About Nate s age, actually.
 Do you think you ll ever meet him?
 I doubt it. But if ever I do, Nate has certainly been good practice.
She withdrew her hand.  Practice?
Jack saw the expression on her face and said,  That s probably not the right
word.
 No. In fact, I d say it s a pretty lousy word.
 I m sorry. All I meant was that Nate s a typical mischievous boy who has
prepared me for just about anything.
 Which sounds a lot like practice.
 Kelsey, come on. You know how much Nate means to me.
She got off the swing and walked to the porch rail. Jack jumped down and went
to her, but she didn t turn around.  Hey, he said, speaking to the back of
her head. She kept looking toward the lawn, no response.
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 Nate isnot practice, he said.
 Am I?
 What?
She turned and faced him.  Timing is so important in a relationship, don t
you think?
 Of course.
 Jack, be honest. How many women have you dated since your divorce?
 I ve been fixed up a few times.
 So I m the first woman you ve really pursued?
 Pursued? he said, his voice with a little more edge than intended.  In all
fairness, Kelsey, this was really more your idea than mine.
 Well excuse me for putting a gun to your head.
 You didn t  he stopped in mid-sentence, then brought a hand to his
forehead, confused.  What just happened here? One minute we re sitting on the
porch swing holding hands, the next I don t know what.
The front door opened just wide enough for the baby-sitter to stick her head
out and say,  I m really sorry, Kelsey, but if I m not home by eleven-fifteen,
my parents won t let me sit for you anymore.
 Don t apologize. If Mr. Swyteck leaves now, you ll be home in plenty of
time. You ready, Jack?
He d agreed earlier to drop off the sitter on his way home.  I guess so.
The girl tiptoed past them and continued down the steps. Jack looked at
Kelsey and said,  Can we talk more about this, please?
 I ll call you.
 When?
 Soon.
They were standing just a few feet apart, but neither one moved, as if it now
seemed awkward that just moments earlier they d been headed toward a good
night kiss. Kelsey gave him a tight smile and said simply,  Good night, Jack.
She went inside, and Jack waited for her to look back, catch his eye, and
telegraph some sign of encouragement. It didn t come. He turned away as the
door closed, then caught up with the baby-sitter in the driveway, who was
peering out impishly from beneath her bangs.
 Sorry I spoiled your moment, Mr. Swyteck.
He scratched his head with the car key as he glanced back at Kesley s house.
 Don t worry. About the only thing I m sure of is that it wasn t you who
spoiled it.
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Twenty-nine
I m going to Africa with you, said Theo.
Jack had taken a detour after dropping off the baby-sitter. Theo and his band
were playing their Friday night gig at a jazz club on Washington Avenue. Jack
caught him on his midnight break seated at the end of a long bar, though he d
almost walked right by him in the dim lighting. It was the perfect ambience
for the after-midnight crowd, scores of flickering candles in a variety of
shapes and sizes in one elaborate candelabra after another. Theo was picking
at a blob of wax that had dripped and hardened onto the bar top.
 You arenot coming to Africa, said Jack.
 Look, you re a hopelessly white lawyer headed for a country of sixteen
million Africans whose average weekly wage wouldn t pay for the bowl of
peanuts I just finished. You should be jumping up and down to have a guy like
me at your side.
 All right. We ll talk about it.
 That s what you said yesterday. It s done. If you go, I go. He raised his
glass in a toast, and after several long moments of consideration, Jack
reciprocated with his beer bottle.
 But I m not paying for your plane ticket, said Jack.
 Got that covered for both of us. Friend of a friend flies a company jet for
oil executives twice a month. It s never more than half full. We leave this
Tuesday. All you have to do is pay for our tickets to Houston.
 What kind of plane we talking about? Jack asked with obvious skepticism.
 Jack, really. Would I treat you like anything less than the rock star you
are?
 That s what they told Buddy Holly.
Jack s cell phone rang, and he recognized the incoming number as Kelsey s.
 Be right back, he told Theo, and then he hurried across the crowded bar to a
relatively quiet spot near the back staircase.
 Hi. He had the phone on one ear and his finger pressed to the other to
drown out the drone of nightclub noises from the next room.
 I m sorry about the way I overreacted, she replied.
 It s okay. I m glad you called.
 Nate loves you so much. He s never had anyone like you in his life. His
father and I divorced when he was three.
 Like I said before. He s the best.
 That s why I m just not sure about us.
Jack stopped pacing.  That s what I told you in my car when you suggested we
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