"Don't let me interrupt whatever you were doing," Dean said, equally polite.

Kent grinned. "Okay," he replied and immediately slid to the floor, where he'd

been playing with small racing cars on a track that wound around the couch.Lynette came hurrying in a few minutes later. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting. I just got home from picking up the boys at school and it was time to feed Emily."

"No problem."

Lynette immediately began picking up toys, coats and shoes. "I'd apologize for the

way the house looks except it would be a waste of time, since this is the way itlooks more often than not."

"I won't keep you. I dropped by to see if you've talked to Jodie in the last dayor two."

Lynette straightened and looked at him, obviously puzzled. She sat down in thechair recently vacated by her son. "She was here Friday night."

"Did you talk to her yesterday or today?"

"No. What's wrong? Has something happened to her?" she asked, making no effort tohide her alarm.

"That's what I'm trying to find out. She quit her job today, used accrued vacationtime as her notice and left."

Lynette placed her hand on the side of her neck. "Good heavens. I had no idea shewas considering such a thing."

"Neither did I. We went out Saturday night and she seemed to be fine when I left.I thought you might have some idea why she quit and where she might be."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't. Have you tried her apartment?"

He nodded. "And I've left several messages on her machine."

"I'll call Chuck and have him check out her apartment. I hope nothing's happenedto her."

She picked up the phone and made the call. When Chuck answered his cell phone, shetold him what she'd just learned. After she hung up, she said, "He'll go check. Doyou want to wait here for him to call back?"

He stood. "That won't be necessary. I'd appreciate your calling me when you findout anything." He gave her his cell phone number and left.

His phone rang as he parked his car at his condominium. "Logan."

"Hi, Dean, this is Lynette. Things are getting more and more curious. Chuck saidher apartment looks okay but most of her clothes and personal things are gone."

Numbly he replied, "Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem. I'm sure I'll hear from her soon. She isn't one to want people toworry about her, which is why all this is such a surprise. This isn't like Jodie atall. Anyway, I'll have her call you when I hear from her."

"Thank you."

He pocketed the phone and walked to the elevator.

Was it something he'd said Saturday night? Or done? Or did her disappearance have

nothing to do with him?He had no way of knowing.

Friday morning Lynette's phone rang. When she answered, Jodie said, "Hi, sis.Thought I'd let you know I won't be there for dinner tonight."

"Joanna Louise Cameron, where in the world are you? I've been frantic since Mondaywhen Dean told me you'd quit your job."

"Dean told you?"

"Yes. When he couldn't reach you at home, he came over here to see if I knewanything. Chuck went to your apartment to see if you had been hurt or worse. Whydidn't you let anyone know where you were going?"

"Because I wasn't sure where I intended to go when I left Chicago."

"Where are you?"

"I showed up here at Mom's late last night. I plan to stay a while and will

probably look for a job down here.""Have you lost your ever lovin' mind? What's wrong with the job you had here? You loved it. You were excited about it."

Lynette heard Jodie sigh. Finally she said, "It's a long story."

"I've got time to hear a long story. The boys are in school and Emily just went

down for her nap. Tell me."

Jodie wasn't ready to talk about Dean to anyone, but she knew she owed Lynette anexplanation. Finally she said, "I had to get away from Dean."

Silence greeted her admission. Finally in a horrified voice Lynette asked, "Whatdid he do? It must have been serious for you to run like this. Did you call thepolice?"

"It's nothing like that, Lynette. I did a really stupid thing and it's so triteI'm embarrassed to admit it. I fell in love with my boss."

"So? He appears deeply enamored of you, as well."

"Not really. He decided he wanted for us to date and I agreed. I truly thought Icould handle my response to him, but I can't. Whenever he's nearby, all he has todo is look at me and I go up in flames."

"Oh, honey. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Is that what scared youaway?"

"Partly. The thing about Dean-and he's the first to admit it-is he isn'tinterested in a long-term commitment. And that's the only kind I want. I've beencareful not to tell him how I feel, but now he's going to guess that I'm crazyabout him. Once a woman tells him she's in love with him, he practically leavesskid marks getting away from her.

"So I decided that it would be better for me to leave before I had to go throughthat. I've tried to make a clean break with him, but somehow I end up going outwith him again. I have no willpower where he's concerned. None. So I realized thatI would have to go someplace where there was no chance of running into him. So Iresigned."

"Maybe you're different. Maybe he'd be willing-"

"No. It's our ego that tells us that we can cause a person to change if we justlove them enough. That's our fantasy, but the reality is that Dean knows what hewants and has no reason to change."

"Maybe so," Lynette replied. "But he was very concerned about you. I told him I'dhave you call him. I guess that's not going to happen."

Jodie rubbed her forehead where a headache loomed. "I'll admit, I didn't expecthim to contact you. If you should hear from him again-which I very much doubt-tellhim whatever you want, but don't tell him that I'm in love with him. I want that tobe our little secret, Lynette, okay?"

"I don't keep secrets from Chuck."

"All right. Tell Chuck. That's all."

"Well, honey, you have to do what you have to do, I suppose. I can't bear the ideaof you living so far away. How's Mom taking all this?"

"I haven't told her. She had to leave early to go to work at the diner. She'll behome a little after two."

"Maybe you can convince her she doesn't have to work. Each of us is contributingto her support. It's not as though she has to work."

"She knows that, but she said she'd miss visiting with the locals who stop inevery day. You know Mom. She loves people. I'm sure she's in her element there."

"Try to get some rest. That's a long trip from here."

"Tell me about it. I'm going back to bed. I'll talk to you later."

Lynette hung up the phone and immediately called Chuck. As soon as he answered,she told him about the call.

"So she ran away," Chuck summed up.

"Yes."

"That's too bad."

"I promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone but you about her feelings for Dean."

"Okay."

"However...you didn't make her any promises. So if you wanted to let Dean know..."

"No way am I going to get involved in any matchmaking. I don't need both of them