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"Nothing" The car engine roared to life and he drove out of the church parking lot, eager to put the entire episode behind hi Evelyn to shut up was probably the rudest thing you’ve ever done"

"I wasn’t talking to Evelyn"

"If not Evelyn, then who?"

Phil exhaled sharply "The blonde"

Sandy was quiet for a long h to suit Phil "What blonde?"

"The one standing in front of me Actually, there were two blondes No, three, only I didn’t see the third, only heard her"

Once rew quiet "Phil, there wasn’t any blonde standing in front of you," she finally said "No blonde singing first soprano"

"Yes, there was" He didn’t kno Sandy could be so blind Did she honestly think he’dsent the? Your brother?"

"Who else would do anything so underhanded?"

Silence again Sandy didn’t seem to believe hi was behind this He’d put those wo him in front of his wife and all these other people--and then disappearing This was exactly the type of stunt his brother would pull, but Phil wasn’t going to stand for it Oh, no If Greg was planning to make trouble for hi have to do with any of this?" Sandy asked

"He’s paid them to spy on me"

"Oh, Phil, that’s crazy"

"They had to be spies to know the things they did Only so’s loan application on my desk Further forward to turning him down" He hadn’t meant to say all of that, but it was too late now

"You’re rejecting Greg’s loan application" The accusation in his wife’s voice stung

"He’s a bad credit risk"

"Phil, this is your brother"

"My selfish arrogant brother" Apparently his wife needed to be re excuses for him Don’t you start"

"You’re jealous, aren’t you? Both your parents are long dead, and you still think they loved your brother more than you"

"They did" It was a fact he’d lived with his entire life

"Greg has co for help It couldn’t have been easy for hiet any easier, either," Phil snapped

"You sound…happy about it"

Phil entered the ra the accelerator all the way to the floor

Sandy waited until they were ’s your brother," she said again "And you have the power to help hi wheel "You’re beginning to sound just like those blondes, singing their solos, hu ?" Sandy sounded worried

"You mean to say you didn’t hear them, either?"

"No," Sandy said "Should I have?"

"Yes…no" Maybe it wasn’t as bad as he’d first thought "You’re not just saying that, are you?"

"Saying what?"

"That you didn’t hear them"

"I didn’t," Sandy assured him "But I still want to knohat they said"

He sighed "According to theood son and I wear a cloak of decency while plotting againstlike that" Phil checked the speedolanced at his wife, only to discover that she was staring intently at hirees with them!"

Sandy didn’t answer, but her silence said it all

"Go ahead and be angry," he said, and noted he was speeding again He seeet houot there

"I can only i to come to Pacific Union," Sandy said not for the first time "Especially when he knew that you’d be the one who’d ultimately accept or reject his loan application"

Phil refused to dignify her co to you for help"

Despite hihter

"Oh, Phil, how could you?"

"Easy"