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  “Based on Calvin the Beast’s say-so,” Liza said.

  “I have ways of telling,” Min said. “I know how to handle him.”

  “Yeah, I saw you handling him,” Liza said. “You’re weak.”

  “Oh, come on,” Min said, guilt making her exasperated. “I heard the bet. I know what’s going on. I’m not seeing him again. Especially since you yelled at him and called him names.” She thought about Cal leaning close, how hard his chest had been against her hand, how hot his mouth had been on hers, how good his hand had felt on her breast. “I found out how he gets all those women, though,” she said brightly. “Turns out it’s not just the charm.”

  “Maybe you should see him again,” Bonnie said, sounding thoughtful. “I think sometimes you just have to believe.”

  That might be good, Min thought.

  “Bonnie,” Liza said. “Do you want her to get mutilated by the same guy who broke your cousin’s heart and made that bet with David?”

  That would be bad, Min thought.

  “No,” Bonnie said, doubt in her voice.

  “Then no more pep talks about believing in toads,” Liza said.

  “Don’t they turn into princes when you kiss them?” Bonnie said.

  “That’s frogs,” Liza said. “Entirely different species.”

  “Right,” Min said, trying to shove Cal out of her mind. “Toad not frog. Beast. Absolutely.” Then she sighed and said, “But he really had great doughnuts,” and lay back down on the seat again to recover her good sense.

  David was settling down in front of the television on Sunday afternoon when the phone rang. He picked it up and heard Cynthie’s voice.

  “Cal and Min were in the park today,” she said. “He kissed her. That’s joy, it’s a physiological cue, that could push them into—”

  “Wait,” David said, and took a deep breath. It was that damn bet. Cal would do anything to win that bet. “He fed her doughnuts,” Cynthie said. “He took her on a picnic and—”

  “Min ate doughnuts?” David went cold at the thought. “Min doesn’t eat doughnuts. Min doesn’t eat carbs. She never ate carbs with me.”

  “And every time he fed her a piece, he kissed her.”

  “Sonofabitch,” David said, viciously. “What do we do?”

  “We have to work on their attraction triggers, create joy, make them remember why they wanted us,” Cynthie said. “Take her to lunch tomorrow. Make it perfect. Make her feel special and loved, give her joy, and get her back.”

  “I don’t know,” David said, remembering Min’s face when he’d dumped her. The idea was for her to come crawling back to him, not for him to go to her.

  “I’ll have lunch with Cal,” Cynthie said as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’ve been lying low, hoping he’d come back on his own, but there’s no time for that now. I’ll have him in bed before dessert, and that should finish the whole thing.”

  “Min’s mad at me,” David said. “I think it’s too soon for a lunch.”

  “Oh, that’s very aggressive.” There was a long silence and then Cynthie said, “Her family. Did you say she needs them to approve of her lovers?”

  “Yes,” David said. “Her mother was crazy about me.”

  “There you go,” Cynthie said. “Call her mother and tell her the truth about Cal and women.”

  “No,” David said, remembering Nanette’s lack of focus on anything not involving calories or fashion. “Her sister’s fiancé. Greg. I’ll call him tonight.”

  “How will that help?”

  “He’ll tell Diana right away,” David said. “He sees her every night. And she lives with her parents, so she’ll tell her mother and father. Her father is very protective.”

  “That’s good,” Cynthie said.

  “He fed her doughnuts?” David said, wincing at the thought.

  “One piece at a time,” Cynthie said.

  Bastard. He was doing it for that damn bet. After all that big talk about being cheap but not slimy, he was going to seduce Min with doughnuts and then come back to collect his ten thousand bucks. The great Calvin Morrisey wins again.

  Not if I have anything to do about it.

  “David?” Cynthie said.

  “Trust me,” David said, grimly. “Min just ate her last doughnut.”

  On Monday, Roger came in late to work. Bonnie, Cal thought, which made him think of Min, which was ridiculous.

  “What is this?” Tony said. “I’m the last one in to work. It’s tradition.”

  “Bonnie.” Roger yawned as he sat down at his desk. “We talked pretty late last night.”

  “Talked,” Tony said, sitting on the edge of the work table. “The least you could do is get laid.”

  Roger narrowed his eyes.

  “Okay, now that we’re all here—” Cal said.

  “I’m going to marry Bonnie,” Roger told Tony. “You don’t talk like that about the woman you marry.”

  “Sorry,” Tony said. “I’m never getting married so I wouldn’t know.”

  “—we need to block out the Winston seminar—”

  “You’ll know when you find the right woman,” Roger said.

  “No such animal,” Tony said.

  “—and get the packets done,” Cal said, raising his voice.

  “She has a perfect kiss,” Roger said, looking out the window, probably in what he thought was Bonnie’s direction. “Did you ever kiss like that, where everything was exactly right and it just blew the top of your head off?”

  “No,” Tony said, looking revolted.

  “Yes,” Cal said, Min coming back to him in all her hot and yielding glory. They both turned to look at him, and he said, “Can we go to work now? Because we’re about a minute away from breaking out the ice cream and talking about our feelings, and I don’t think we can come back from that.”

  “I’ll get on the invoices,” Roger said and went to his desk.

  Cal leaned back in his desk chair, opened a computer file, and thought about Min. He’d had no intentions of kissing her and then he’d jumped her, some insane impulse shoving him into her lap. And she’d been no help. She should have slapped him silly and instead there she was, saying “More,” egging him on—

  The phone rang and Tony picked it up. “Morrisey, Packard, Capa,” he said and then rolled his eyes at Cal. “Hey, Cynthie.”

  Cal shook his head.

  “He’s not here,” Tony said. “I think he’s gone for the morning.” He scowled at Cal, who sighed and leaned back in his chair to look at the ceiling.

  “Lunch?” Tony said. “Sorry, he’s got a lunch date. At Emilio’s. With his new girlfriend.”

  Cal sat up so fast that his feet hit the floor hard. No, he mouthed at Tony and made a slicing motion across his throat with his hand.

  “So you don’t have to worry about him being depressed over losing you,” Tony said. “He got right back on the horse.”

  Cal stood up, rage in his eyes, and Tony said, “Gotta go,” and hung up.

  “Are you insane?” Cal said.

  “Hey, it got rid of her, didn’t it?” Tony said. “I did you a favor.” He frowned. “I think. The whole thing sort of came to me in a flash.” He looked at Roger. “Was that a bad move?”

  “I’m not sure,” Roger said. “You might want to stay away from flashes in the future.”

  “I don’t want to see Min again,” Cal said, and thought about seeing Min again.

  “So? Cynthie doesn’t need to know that,” Tony said.

  “So now I have to take Min to Emilio’s because Cynthie will check,” Cal said.

  “I don’t see why,” Roger said. “If Cynthie asks, you can say you went someplace else.”

  “I try to tell as few lies as possible.” Cal sat down again, trying to feel exasperated about the whole mess. He picked up the phone and dialed Min’s company, tracking her down through the switchboard operator, but her phone was busy and voice mail was not an option. Nobody ever talked anybody into lunch on voice mail.