Harlan made a gesture and suddenly they were in a mahogany paneled officesurrounded by bookshelves and paintings, plush furniture and sculptures.They ...at across from each other at a beautifully polished mahogany table.Gretchen still stood in the column of light off to the left. Bob sat upstraight and grabbed the table, slightly disoriented by the sudden shift ofscene. "I wish you'd warn me before you do that," Bob said.Harlan ignored the remark. "The Continuum was the first intelligent. Actually, the sister was out of her freakin' mind, living with some sort of spiritual guru or guide or whatever on a farm or ashram or whatever scam he was running. She didn't even come in for her sister's funeral, and I'd seen her exactly twice in the years I was married to Jennifer.So that's where we were. Me. Nina. Sandy. There are crazier 'blended families' in the world today. This one is ours.Friday after work I visited the local rental emporium that gets a significant portion of business. Minutes later she arrived at W.I. A security guard approached her right window. He spoke through the widening gap as the pane slid smoothly down."Ma'am, security clearance?" he asked, stooping to the low car."Oh, I don't have any..." June paused, "but I'm here to see Alice Saunders, her husband has been hurt in an accident!" I'll just check, hold on," the guard replied, straightening up, and talking quietly into his radio."Fully cleared Ma'am, just drive up there, between the two buildings -. Finally she let go of a laugh and hit him on hisleg."Stop it Allen," she said sitting up straighter. Allen looked at her. Cynthia was the cutest girlfriend Allen had everhad. She was short, about 5'3", with a normal body size, not fat, butnot a skinny twig either, she had the cutest button nose and short lightbrown hair that she let hang free to her shoulders. Allen raised a handto her face, cupping her chin so he could look in her eyes."What?" Cynthia asked analyzing his gaze."Nothing, just.