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Isabel's request to hire me."
    "Ah, yes. Miss Isabel. I think you did your best work on her, Cade. She has great faith in you, in spite of everything. Or perhaps because of everything."
    "Do you want to clarify that?" Cade asked patiently.
    Jamie looked at him narrowly. "Miss Isabel, to put it succinctly, does not believe her brother committed suicide. She wants you to find out what happened to him. She seems to feel that because you investigated him so thoroughly in the first place, you probably have more of an idea of how to find him than anyone else possibly could. I have to agree with her, Cade. You're a thorough man. You probably know just about everything there is to know about Hadley Fitzgerald's way of operating."
    "His way of operating?" Cade repeated. 'That sounds as though you may believe he was a little less than innocent."
    Jamie stirred uneasily, inwardly annoyed at her slip of the tongue. "The authorities seem to have found a great deal of evidence against him," she admitted austerely.
    "He was guilty as hell."
    Anger flared in Jamie. "I'm not here to discuss his guilt or innocence. I'm here to ask you if you'd like another investigative job. A simple 'yes' or 'no' will do."
    Cade gave her an unexpectedly affectionate smile. "Are you quite certain that's why you're here, Jamie?"
    "Of course I'm certain!"
    "Are you sure it's the only reason?" he prodded softly.
    "What other reason could there possibly be?" she challenged.
    "You don't have to fake it, honey. Not with me." He put out a hand and captured one of hers. "We got very close this past summer, you and 1.1 know a lot about you."

    "Such as?"
    His mouth curved in gentle amusement and he moved the pad of his thumb across the fragile veins of her wrist. "Such as the fact that you don't lie well."
    "Unlike you?" she couldn't resist saying recklessly.
    His fingers closed around her wrist. "I know you've got your pride, Jamie, but I think you've had your pound of flesh. There's no need to go on hurling accusations."
    Her mouth firmed as she met his eyes unwaveringly. "You're right. I'm not here to sling more accusations at you. It would be a pointless exercise, wouldn't it?"
    "I told you I know you very well, Jamie Garland. And I knew you'd be showing up sooner or later."
    "Your arrogance is rather charming in a way," she told him. "Somewhat outrageous and somewhat amusing, I suppose." Jamie pulled her hand free from his grasp and was surprised when he allowed her to escape. "But I don't have time to play games with you. I'm here to offer you a job. Take it or leave it."
    Cade drummed his fingers absently on the arm of his chair while he studied her intently. "I thought Miss Isabel was out of the country."
    "She is. She'd like you to work on finding her brother while she's gone. If you turn up anything, I can reach her by contacting her cruise ship. I have complete instructions on how to do so."
    "You're serious, aren't you?"
    "Miss Isabel's serious," Jamie corrected calmly. "I, personally, advised against hiring you for the job."
    White lies, Jamie assured herself, merely white lies. After all, in the end Miss Isabel had agreed to the idea.
    "You're claiming you're just here to carry out her orders?"
    "Since she was gracious enough not to fire me after that debacle six weeks ago, I figure carrying out her orders is the least I can do," Jamie snapped.
    Cade scowled. "You're still viewing what happened between us as a disaster?"
    "I'm trying to learn how to be realistic, just like you."
    Cade's expression softened. "Such sweet bravado. Charming. A little outrageous and rather amusing, I suppose," he added with a small grin as he threw her own words back at her. "But totally unnecessary.
    You're here and that's all that counts. If you want to pretend it's because you're offering me a job, go ahead. I don't mind."
    "I am not pretending! That's exactly why I am here. Now do you want the work or not?" Jamie glanced around meaningfully. "Perhaps your charter work