Free Celia's Puppies by Claudia Hall Christian Page A

back.
    “ Wait,” Mike
said.
    He kissed her then moved to the mattress.
Concerned with his tone, Valerie sat up to look at him.
    “ That make-up guy? That
Michael Moore? He said… Well, then I talked to Alex and she agreed…
And...”
    Mike shook his head and looked away from
her. Valerie pressed his head back to look at her.
    “ He asked me what I was
hiding from. With the beard. He said the scar’s not bad and hardly
noticeable. Moore... He said I should...”
    “ Shave off your beard,”
Valerie said.
    Mike nodded.
    “ I’ve asked so much of
you,” Valerie said. “I... We can cancel Oprah. You don’t have
to...”
    “ I’ve practiced my
interview, Val. I’m ready. Plus command wants me to tell my story.
It’s important... I just...” Mike’s eyes scanned her face. “I’ve
been hiding a long time.”
    Valerie put her hand on his chin. Their eyes
held for a moment.
    “ Will you... I bought all
the stuff... John told me how to do it. His beard grows really fast
and Alex won’t kiss him with a beard. If he’s goes a week without
shaving, he has...”
    Valerie gave him a lingering kiss.
    “ I’d love to see your
beautiful face again,” Valerie said. “Scar and all. Tell me what to
do.”
    He gave her a cordless electric razor. She
yanked the sheet from the mattress and wound it around his neck to
catch the hair. By his instruction, she clipped an inch at a time
until only a quarter inch of stubble remained. She took his hand to
feel the stubble.
    “ You’re sure?” Valerie
asked.
    “ I can’t hide forever,
Val. They just win that way,” he said. “I’m... It’s over. I want to
live in the present with you.”
    Holding his face, she leaned forward until
their foreheads touched. She breathed in his scent, his warmth,
then kissed his forehead. Moving without hesitation, she sprayed
the foam into her hand. She worked with slow, gentle, delicate
care. The sound of the razor scraping over his skin seemed to
bounce off the walls.
    Finally, she was done.
    Letting out a breath, Valerie sat back. Her
hand went to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears. Her gorgeous
Mike had returned to her. Finally.
    “ That bad,
huh?”
    He hopped up and went to the pedestal sink.
Checking himself in the mirror, he washed off the last of the
shaving cream. He was rubbing some special ‘no bump’ cream over the
place where his beard had been, when Valerie came up behind him.
Her head peeked over his shoulder and their eyes held in the
mirror.
    In one movement, he spun around, lifted her
from standing and carried her back to the mattress.
     

Chapter thirty-two Who knew?
     
    Wednesday evening — 5:40 P.M.
Washington DC
     
    “ I’m sorry,” the
Undersecretary to the Secretary of State said.
    He flew out of his office and she gulped. He
was twice as handsome as his photo. Tall and fit, his long legs
took him across the waiting room in two steps.
    “ I know I’ve kept you
waiting out here a long time. But I’ve been called to the White
House.”
    “ Sir, if you don’t want
to…”
    “ Talk about Michael
Roper?” the Undersecretary said. “I know it looks that way, but
nothing could be further from the truth. Would you mind walking
with me?”
    “ Sure,” the freelance
reporter said.
    She had hoped to really nail this interview
so that maybe, just maybe, Oprah would give her more work. The
money from this assignment was rent and groceries for a month. She
wasn’t going to give up easily.
    He wanted to walk? She would walk.
    Looking up at him, she was pretty sure she’d
do anything he asked. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from
giggling.
    “ Oh great,” the man
said.
    With the Undersecretary’s palpable relief,
the reporter felt her confidence return. Smiling, she picked up her
handbag, turned on her hand held digital recorder, and followed him
out the door. The man glided down the hallway with purpose and
speed. The reporter almost ran to keep up with him.
    “ I was the last one