"Well, if you think smacking up two million dollars' worth of machinery is going to get you anywhere, you're wrong. That guy is looking for. . .for you, Lizzie. He knows you did it. And he hasn't made a peep in your direction." Ted knew he was losing her right that second. He had to try another tack. "Damn, if that guy isn't the ugliest man I've ever seen. I don't know what you see in him." Lizzie's eyes sparked. That was good, he had her. Maggie was going to be so proud of him.

"You're no prize yourself, Ted," Lizzie snapped.

"I know! I know! You see, now you're getting it! I'm almost as ugly as Cricket. Chicks don't like guys whose hair turns red in the sun. My ears, if I flap them right, allow me to fly. I have too many freckles, I'm skinny, and I don't have a spleen. But Maggie loves me anyway." Then the one word in the whole world that Lizzie detested shot out of his mouth faster than a bullet. "Coward!"

Lizzie's eyes burned so bad she thought she'd been caught in a sandstorm. Her head high, she marched into the bedroom, where she changed her clothes. Skintight leather pants, ankle boots with hooker heels, Harley-Davidson jacket, and a Chanel purse. She picked up her briefcase and marched out to the living room.

The vigilantes stopped what they were doing to stare at Lizzie. They all knew something was different, they just didn't know what it was.

Her voice wasn't brisk and professional, it wasn't lilting and melodious, either. It was dead flat when she said, "I have a few last-minute things to take care of, and with the traffic in this town, it's time for Ted and me to leave. I'll see you all back in D.C." She forced a smile. "I think your plan is awesome, and I wish you luck. See you."

"Something's wrong," Kathryn said, when the door closed behind Lizzie and Ted. "We should have done something. Hugged her, kissed her, something. She's always there for us, no questions asked."

Annie walked over to the middle of the circle where the women were sitting on the floor. She flopped down next to Myra. "Lizzie's in love, and she doesn't know what to do about it," she said softly.

Myra nodded. The others looked at each other in stupefied amazement.

"I probably shouldn't tell you this because Jack told me in confidence, but I don't think he'll mind if I tell you what happened last Christmas with Lizzie." Nikki talked softly, recounting Jack's experience at the cemetery. "And there you have it! There's nothing any of us can do. This is something Lizzie will have to work through."

The silence following Nikki's words was stunning.