"There is a college here in Branson, where I can go to for a four-year degree. Instead of paying tuition, I will work in their hotel and restaurant. I...came down and got the job here, so I could start school when the January semester begins. I'll keep my job here and work there to pay for school. I'm excited! It's a great opportunity, and I'll be the first in my family to get a degree."Rebecca looked at me, waiting. Colleen and Rebecca exchanged looks, and even Millie got into the act. "Maggie,. ..in more ways than one. Nadine seemed to become more open and asked me if I had checked out Ed's bathing suit. "You mean you didn't notice his bathing suit?" she said with a devilish smile. I said "No. Why?". Nadine said "when he was watching you wiggle your ass all over my porch and strip down to that 'barely there' excuse for a bathing suit you have on he was in full bloom and blooming it was. He looked huge. I think he's bigger than James who has me sore from last night." . I moved up next to Kelly and did something that startled her: I took her hand in mine. Yes, we looked for all the world like teenagers in love, walking into the mini mart holding hands like that. I don't exactly know why I did it, except that I had never held hands with a beauty like Kelly Frost, and I guess a part of me just wanted to show off a little bit. I noticed the envious looks of the guys waiting in line at the cash register, and I reveled in it. Every one of them would have sold his. With all the work that had to be done, he never got to actually look at Jace’s office. As he got up to cross the room to take a better look, the face in the photo came into a clearer view. When he reached the photo, he saw the most beautiful face he had ever seen. And he had seen some. Her features were beautiful and her skin looked baby smooth even in the picture. He stood and admired the beauty in the picture for what felt like a long while. He was entranced. He couldn’t move away. He didn’t.