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Kara sighed, then went to the sink. She didn't use hot water, but she did use soap. As she dried her hands, she said, 'Besides, it's not fair that you didn't get to go out with him tonight.' |
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'You can phone him from the kitchen. I'll take care of the popcorn.' |
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It would be nice, Denise thought as she walked down the hallway with Kara. Though she didn't regret her decision to babysit, she'd found her mind straying while she watched the videotape of the birthday party, found herself imagining how it would've been if she'd stayed home and Tom had come over. |
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With Kara here, she could spend the time with him and not have to worry about matters getting out of hand. |
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'Maybe I'll do it,' she said as they entered the kitchen. |
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'No harm in calling, anyway.' She lifted the handset of the wall phone. While she punched in Tom's number, Kara hurried to the popper and checked inside. As the phone rang, Kara scooped a cupful of kernels out of the jar. She dumped them into the pot. |
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A woman's voice said, 'Hello?' |
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'Hi, Mrs Carney. This is Denise.' |
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'Oh, how are you? Tom's right here. Hang on just a sec.' |
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Kara covered the popper, then turned around to watch. Is he there? she mouthed without speaking. |
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