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her, but Jill shifted, blocking her view, and rammed the fistful of paper strips into her purse. “I just came back to pick up my lunch order. Headed back to the office.” She flipped her hair in an indignant manner. “Some of us work, you know. Even on Saturdays.”
    “Yes, well…” Jill pressed her lips into a tight smile. “Don’t let us keep you from it!”
    Cassandra obviously wasn’t ready to leave them in peace. “I could have sworn I heard you two arguing… Was that Hunter’s name I heard mentioned? The infamous Hunter Delaney? ” She cocked her head at Brad. “Don’t tell me your sweet fiancée has a roving eye?”
    Brad answered her stoically. “This is probably one of those times when it would be good for you to mind your own business, Cassandra.”  
    “Oh, but this is my business. It could be very big business indeed. Salacious details about breakups and infidelities sells copy.”
    Instead of offering up a biting comeback, Jill held her tongue.
    Cassandra gave Jill a slow once-over, then shrugged at Brad. “Fine. You two keep your little secret. But mark my words, I’ll get to the bottom of it. Where there’s smoke there’s fire, as they say, and there are big puffy clouds going up everywhere.” Her lips twisted in an evil grin. “My spidey senses are tingling.”
    Jill turned to Brad as Cassandra sashayed away, her short skirt swishing. “Spidey senses?”
    “I know. The woman’s touched.”
    “Worse than that, she’s wicked,” Jill said. “She’ll do anything in her power to destroy me.”
    “Maybe you shouldn’t have won that tenth-grade spelling bee,” Brad teased.
    She wanted to stay mad at Brad, she really did. But when he gave her those darned puppy dog eyes, he made it impossible. Susan was putting the screws to him, and he’d tried to find a solution. So what if it was an abysmal one? She should at least give Brad points for trying. “Shut up. That was years ago.”  
    Brad reached toward the floor, then handed Jill her racket. “Don’t want to forget this.”
    “You’re being very trusting,” she told him, taking the racket. “I was thinking about using it to kill you only minutes ago.”
     
    Jill stepped into the sunshine, recalling for the first time in an hour what a gorgeous June day it was. She’d been so caught up in those storm clouds of thinking about Hunter, she’d nearly forgotten. She addressed Brad, who walked beside her, hanging his head. None of this mess was his fault and she knew it. It would be good of her to let him off the hook, so he and Susan could move forward in repairing their relationship. “Don’t worry about it, okay?” she told him. “I’ll think of something else. I have to.”
    Brad raised his eyes to look at her. “Maybe if you just talk to Hunter?”
    “Don’t think so.”
    “It’s still possible you could reach a compromise.”
    Across the parking lot Jill spied Cassandra setting her lunch bag on the backseat of her shiny sports car. Was it Jill’s imagination or was Cassandra taking her sweet time getting away, just hoping to catch one more glimpse of them? “Truthfully, Brad? At this point in time, I’d rather die than see Hunter Delaney in person.”
    “Don’t look now, then,” Brad said under his breath. “Because here he comes.”
    Jill whipped her head around to spy a handsome, dark-haired man striding toward them and sporting a broad grin. He wore a blue polo shirt and khaki slacks, and was taller then she remembered, at least a good six inches taller than her. A heck of a lot buffer too. Muscles rippled beneath his shirt as he opened his arms wide. “Jill Jamison!” Hunter proclaimed effusively. “The woman of my dreams!”  
    Before Jill knew what was happening, he reached for her and clamped her against his chest in a big bear hug. His frame was rock solid and he smelled of musky cologne. Hunter’s arms wound around her, securing her at the waist. “Sorry, bud,” he whispered to Brad, “the