Jane put her hands on her waist and curled her spine backwards. A soft bed sounded lovely about now. She wished she could take an afternoon nap like Genevieve. Or get a massage. That was a luxury she hoped to soon afford.

With a sigh, she picked up another newspaper clipping, this one detailing the best way to clean wood floors. She'd looked forward to finishing Vivian's boxes and moving on to Genevieve's, but discovered the two women had more in common than she'd been led to believe. She dropped the paper into a box for Lindy. Genevieve had approved tossing Vivian's clippings but insisted her own still held value. Lindy had come to Jane's rescue by declaring she desired all the housekeeping articles and inspirational stories. If they ended up in the hotel's trash bin, Genevieve would be none the wiser.

Jane threw away a brochure on applying for Medicare then picked up a University of Nebraska graduation program. She scanned the names and found Holly's under the Bachelor of Education listing. She stuck the program in Holly's folder, which held her high school graduation announcement and a handful of elementary school photos.

A letter from George and Lindy and a birthday card from Gavin and Celia went into their respective folders. Next in the stack was Adair's wedding invitation. Jane read it with sad foreknowledge before dropping it in Adair's folder next to her husband's obituary.

With a sense of anticipation, Jane picked up a Penn State graduation program. She searched though the pages for Val's name. However, when she found Marvel, her jaw dropped. She flipped to the front of the booklet. She checked the name again, then the degree conferred. Stunned, she slapped the program on her lap, staring at the French doors. Then she jumped up and stomped to the kitchen.

She found the graduate kneeling in front of the kitchen sink, using a wrench to loosen the leaky drain pipe's retaining nuts. She kicked the bottom of his boot. "P. James Marvel."

He shot her a look over his shoulder. "Am I in trouble?"

"You have a master's in architectural engineering?"

"Now who you been talking to?"

"I found a Penn State graduation program." She flapped it so he could see. "With your name in it."

"Guess I can't deny it, then."

"A master's. In architectural engineering."

"You make it sound detestable." Prett unscrewed the loosened nuts with his fingers and water spilled into the bucket below.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Never came up."

"You told me you quit school at sixteen!"

"I told you I quit high school at sixteen."

"And then worked for your dad, making furniture."

"I did."

"But you didn't tell me you attended college. That you got a master's. In architectural engineering."

"Again, you make it sound like a bad thing." He dropped the detached j-shaped pipe into the bucket and pointed to an identical piece next to the sink. "Hand me that new one, would you?"

Jane grabbed the pipe and handed it to him. "Not a bad thing, just a...a surprising thing."

"Why surprising?"

"Because you didn't tell me! You said you did carpentry after you left home. Worked for some expert carver."

"I did," he said, screwing on the new pipe. "It's how I paid for college. That and student loans."

Jane shook her head. "You're impossible. Why didn't you tell me that? And why aren't you using—Wait. Just what do you do for A.J. Marquis?"

"I make sure his fancy buildings won't collapse."

Jane threw up her hands. "I feel like I don't even know you! I mean, I can understand not wanting to talk about your family and your childhood, but why wouldn't you mention you were educated? That you design buildings! I thought all you did was woodworking."

Prett grabbed the edge of the counter and stood. "For a while I did neither. Sometimes I do both."

"But why aren't you doing it full-time? The engineering."

He turned on the faucet then squatted back down to check his repair. "I did once. Right after I graduated. Got a job at an engineering firm. Did carpentry on the side."

"Why on the side? Why not quit?"

"Had a wife and new baby. Needed the money."

"And then what?" As soon as Jane asked it, she remembered. She softened her tone. "You moved to Nebraska."

He gave a nod and stood again. "A.J. hired me." He shut off the water and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms. "He was running his daddy's engineering company back then. I worked there a couple years. Then Danny got hurt. I took a couple weeks off, but when I saw Danny needed me longer than that, I quit. Focused on his recovery."

"How did you live? Did you have money saved up?"

Prett shifted and looked at his boots. "I used the blood money."

Jane was taken aback. "Blood money?"

He glanced at her. "MeriLee's life insurance. Hadn't used it till then."

"Oh."

"Spent two years in Texas. Then I decided Danny needed to be around more family, so we moved back here."

Jane stared at him with expectation. When he said nothing more, she prompted, "And then?"

Prett let out a breath and continued. "And then A.J. was getting ready to move to Prairie Creek. Before he built his house, he asked me to look over the plans. Said he was going into business for himself and would I like to contract on jobs. Then Jill convinced me to buy the hotel. Said it would be a good project for us." He shrugged. "And here we are."

"See?" Jane replied. "Now was that so hard to tell me?"

Prett placed his hand on his chest. "I'm feeling emotionally drained now."

"You're incorrigible."

"That's Vel."

"Fine. You're infuriating. It takes a crowbar to pry information out of you."

"What information are you looking for?"

"Anything! I have to find out the most basic things from other people." She flapped the graduation program again. "Or from memorabilia. I get that you don't like to talk about yourself. I get that you've had a lot of...of tragic things happen. But this is getting ridiculous. What else am I going to learn? That you're—you're an airline pilot? An international spy? A time-traveler?"

"Not anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"Gave them all up."

Jane crossed her arms. "Really."

"Didn't find them fulfilling."

"You're infuriating."

He pointed to the program in her hand. "If you find anything more, let me know. I'm as curious to learn about my life as you are."

"I'm almost afraid to find out more." She uncrossed her arms. "But you'll be happy to know I might not have as much time to dig around in your past, anyway."

"Oh?"

"I have a job interview Monday."

Prett raised his eyebrows. "You're leaving us?"

"I'm just getting a job."

"We're not paying you enough?"

"You're more than generous. But I need something more stable. Something with benefits. Health insurance. One of them four-ah-one-kays. I'll still sort Genevieve's documents. On the side."

"Fair enough. Good luck with your interview."

"Thanks."

"Who's it with?"

"The hospital. Administrative assistant."

"I'm sure you'll do well."

"Yeah, I'm good at landing jobs. Not so good at keeping them."

"I think your luck has changed."

"I hope so." Jane smiled. "I'm also hoping you'll let me keep renting Dona's house."

"Of course."

"Because I can't afford anyplace else right now."

"Stay as long as you need."

"Thanks." She pointed at the sink. "I'll let you get back to it. Holly's been complaining about that leak for a month."

Prett gave a nod, his arms still crossed, still leaning against the counter.

Jane took a step to leave.

In one motion, Prett pushed off from the counter and caught her arm. "Miss Jane?" He leaned towards her, his head mere inches from hers.

Her eyes widened at his unexpected touch.

"You'll always have a home here," he said.

Jane's lips parted, but no reply came to mind. Heat seemed to radiate from his touch and across her body. He was so close he could kiss her. She quivered. What if he did? Genevieve was napping. Holly was grocery shopping. No one to interrupt. Not even his brothers. Was he thinking about it too? Should she let him kiss her? What about Alex? Her relationship with him was going well. Besides, Prett wasn't her type. Was he? No, she could never date anyone with such long hair. Or a scraggly beard. At this moment, though, those features faded away as she gazed into his eyes, noticing for the first time the golden rays shooting through the warm brown.

"Miss Jane?"

"Yes?" Her voice came out expectant and breathless.

"Intriguing."

She blinked. "What?"

He let go of her arm. "I'd rather be thought of as intriguing." He crossed his arms again and leaned against the counter.

Jane stared at him. "Okay." She took a couple breaths to calm her pounding heart. "You're intriguing. I'll give you that. But...also irritating." She turned away, the heat of his touch creeping up her cheeks. "And intractable. And...and frustrating."

"That starts with an f."

She fled the kitchen to escape her foolishness. "Master's degree," she sputtered. "In architectural engineering."

"Also," he called after her, "former international time-traveling spy pilot."

*****

"The Marvels are behind us," Alex said, looking in the rearview mirror.

Jane turned around to see the brothers' truck looming closer. "Danny's driving. Is he wanting to pass you?"

"Looks like it." Alex eased his Mazdaspeed to the side of the gravel road. The truck blew past, a cloud of dust in its wake. Alex grinned. "All that to arrive ten seconds before us."

The truck's brake lights lit up before the vehicle turned into Jill Marquis' driveway. Alex slowed and made the same turn, pulling up next to the pickup just as the brothers opened their doors. Val walked to the car's passenger side and opened Jane's door. He offered his hand.

"She's n-n-not here yet." Val glanced up the drive. "Any m-m-minute, though."

"Are you excited?" Jane asked.

His smile showed a mixture of pleasure and shyness. "It's b-b-been a year."

Jane still knew little about Val's psycho ex-wife and young daughter, but that would soon change. Both were visiting Nebraska, something they apparently did once a year. Jane was unclear why Jill agreed to host them. Even Alex didn't know, though he assured her Val's ex held no family connection to his aunt.

Prett strolled around the Mazdaspeed. "Nice car."

"Thanks," Alex replied. "Just bought it."

"Sorry about the dust. Vel here didn't recognize it was you."

"Nah," Danny interjected with a sly grin. "I knew. Thought it looked too clean. Needed bweakin' in."

"I need to take it off-roading to really break it in," Alex said.

"All wheel drive?" Prett asked.

"Front wheel. But it has two hundred sixty-three horsepower. Zero to sixty in less than six." Alex grinned at Danny. "It'll beat your Ford, hands down."

Danny's eyes lit up. "Let's twy it."

Prett held up his hand. "Later, maybe."

"What's the engine?" Danny asked.

Alex rattled off the specifications and popped the hood. Jane rolled her eyes at the men crowding around to examine the components. She was glad to see Jill and A.J. emerging from the house to greet them.

"They had to take a potty break in Aurora," Jill replied to Val's inquiry about the travelers' status. "Another twenty minutes."

A.J. convinced the men his home theater's new surround-sound would be more interesting than a turbo engine, so they all went inside. The two women took up the rear.

"I'm glad we have a few minutes till Will and Jamie arrive," Jill said to Jane as they entered the foyer. "I need your consultation on something." She glanced at the men headed towards the basement stairs. "Unless you're really interested in hearing explosions and sportscasters in high-fidelity."

"Not at all," Jane said with a laugh. "What do you need?"

"Help with archiving." She led Jane to the library. "Turns out I don't have enough time to scan all my family documents. I've been paying the kids to do some of the work. And now Sydney Mackley gave me these." She held out her hand toward several stacks of school notebooks on the library table. "And I'm at a loss. I'm not sure how to preserve them." Jill picked up the top notebook. "This is a diary." She twitched her head at the stacks. "It's all a diary."

"A diary?" With astonishment, Jane accepted the notebook. Black ink labeled the front cover: March 12, 1988 - July 1, 1988. "Whose?"

"Angie Chapman's." Jill pulled out a chair and indicated Jane should do the same. "Angie was a friend of mine. Well, sort of. She was younger than me. But she grew up in Prairie Creek like I did. I was better friends with her husband, Hank. He and I were in the same grade. Anyway, after they died, Sydney closed up the house." Jill sighed with a shake of her head. "That place has sat empty too many years. But now Decker and Michelle will live there. They're the ones who found the diary. Maybe they'll be the ones to finally break the curse."

"Curse?" Jane asked.

"Too many who've lived in the Mackley house have come to violent ends." Jill briefly raised her hand. "But never mind that. What I wanted to know is, what's the best way to preserve these? I hate to rip the pages out, but maybe that's the only way to prevent the acid from eating it all to dust? Put each page in a separate sleeve?"

Jane flipped open the notebook and glanced at the ink-pen writing. "Yes. Each page will have to be preserved separately. I'm having to do the same with old letters."

"That's what I was afraid of. I don't suppose I could hire you to do it? Alex said you have a job now."

"Yeah, I just started this week."

"But you're still doing preservation work on the side?"

"Yeah. But Genevieve has so much to go through, I don't know when I could do these." Jane motioned the notebook.

"I'm in no hurry." Jill grinned. "I'm still reading them. I might write a book based on her life." She shook her head. "Angie was so quiet. I'm discovering so much about her I never knew. She had me pegged though. A bossy loudmouth." Jill slapped her knee and laughed.

"She writes about you?"

"She wrote about everyone in town."

"How did she die?"

"She—" A chime interrupted Jill. "Oh! Someone just entered our driveway. Must be Will and Jamie already. I'd better make sure the guys heard." She stood and hurried out of the room.

Jane also stood, eager to meet the newcomers. She started to close the notebook when a familiar name caught her attention.

May 15, 1988. Sydney Dexter Mackley is back from the dead. This morning he showed up alive and well and sitting in the Prairie Creek Baptist Church.

Jane almost laughed out loud. Sydney Dexter Mackley? She'd met him a couple times. A middle-aged man with silver hair and pale blue eyes. His wife, Sherry, had helped Jane clean out Dona's house. Back from the dead? She shook her head as she returned the notebook to the stack. She would accept this job from Jill. Who wouldn't pass up the chance to read a decades-old diary? One that might shed insight into the residents of Prairie Creek...

She joined Jill and the men in the driveway as a green Honda Accord pulled up. As soon as the car stopped the back door opened and a pixie-faced girl jumped out. "Dada!" Her long strawberry blonde hair flew as she ran towards Val. She leapt into his embrace, wrapping her gangly arms and legs around him. After a protracted, tight squeeze, she leaned back to look at him.

"You need to shave," she said, her tone one of disgust.

"You d-d-don't like it?"

"No. Wait. You talked! You talked!" She twisted in his arms. "Momma! Momma! He talked!"

The passenger door opened and her mother stepped out. Jane had never seen a woman so tall, willowy and incredibly beautiful. Wrapped in skinny jeans, Jamie's legs stretched on forever. Her simple white t-shirt clung in all the right places, emphasizing her curves and flat stomach. Nondescript sunglasses couldn't disguise her straight nose, high cheekbones and flawless, ivory skin.

Jane gazed at her in awe. No wonder Val had fallen for her.

As Jamie turned to shut the car door, a slight breeze fluttered her luxurious raven locks.

"Well," Jill said, the word coming out as a sigh behind Jane. "I was having a good hair day." She put on a smile and stepped forward.

Jane understood the sentiment. She herself had picked out her capri pants and chiffon blouse with care. In less than a minute she'd gone from feeling fashionable to frumpy.

"I'm nine now," Val's daughter chirped, still in his arms.

"I kn-know. I s-s-sent you a p-present." He winked. "But I've g-g-got another for you."

"Give it to me!"

"Manners, Kylie," her mother chided.

Kylie tilted her head with a coquettish smile. "Give it to me, please?"

Jane had seen that expression before. She tried to remember where.

"L-l-later tonight," Val replied.

"Why do you talk like that?" Kylie asked.

Val set her down. "I stutter unless I sign my words like this."

Once again Kylie cocked her head at him.

Jamie's husband had exited the car. With an easy friendliness, he introduced himself to Alex before shaking hands with the Marvel brothers. He now introduced himself to Jane. She was struck by the contrast with Jamie. Will Zawaki was a couple inches shorter than his wife and had pleasant, but average-looking features. He waved Jamie over to introduce her.

Jamie had stuck her shades on top of her head. She took Jane's offered hand, her eyes piercing as if intent on assessing Jane's very soul. The top of Jane's head barely reached the statuesque woman's breasts.

She felt like a midget.

"You have the same hair color as my daughter's," Jamie said with an almost shy smile. "So pretty."

Jane flushed. Before she could think of a reply, Jill called to the group.

"Come in, come in. No need to stay out in his humidity."

Jane's blouse was already damp. She watched Jamie climb the porch steps with a lithe gracefulness. The woman probably never broke a sweat.

"I'll help with luggage," A.J. said. The men all pitched in, carrying the suitcases inside and right up the grand staircase.

"Third floor," Jill called. "Butterfly room."

"Me, too?" Kylie asked.

Jill bent down. "Butterfly room with your parents or with April in her room. Your choice."

Kylie glanced around. "Where is April?"

"Swimming."

"Swimming? I want to swim!" She jumped up and down. "Momma, Momma, can I swim now? Pleeese..." She batted her eyelashes along with her coquettish smile.

Now Jane remembered. She'd seen the girl's face in Jimmy Marvel's wedding photo. SueAnn. Val and Prett's murdered mother. She was Kylie's grandmother. Other than the coloring, the resemblance was uncanny.

"Angel is serving as lifeguard," Jill assured Jamie.

Jamie gave Kylie a nod. The girl stripped off her shirt as she ran towards the kitchen.

"No undressing in front of people!" Jamie called after her.

Kylie stopped long enough to twirl around. "I have my swimsuit on already, see?"

Jamie shook her head as her daughter disappeared out the back. "We're still working on these things," she said to Jill.

"It'll take time. She's already come a long way. I can tell." Jill twitched her head. "Come with me. I'll show you the diary." She led them to the library.

Jamie picked up the top notebook. "She really talks about my mother in these? And Uncle Dexter? How much did she know?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet. But I think you'll find it interesting. Perhaps even healing."

Jamie sat in the chair Jane had vacated, flipping through the pages. "Maybe."

"You can read as much as you want while you're here." Jill pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table. "I'm hoping Jane can help me disassemble them and get it all scanned in."

"I can," Jane offered, also taking a seat.

"Jane's the resident expert on preserving documents around here."

"Oh, I'm not an ex—"

"She also helped the Marvels paint the interior of the hotel."

"Oh?" Jamie looked up from the notebook. "They're finished with that now, aren't they?"

"Yes," Jill replied. "The Gingerys have opened their B and B. Michelle's family is staying there for the wedding."

"Uncle Dexter mentioned that. Thanks for letting us stay here again. The consistency is good for Kylie."

"Anytime. You're always welcome here."

Jamie lowered her eyes and seemed to blush. Jane found this odd. In fact, everything about Jamie seemed odd. She didn't fit Jane's idea of a psycho ex at all. Jane had imagined someone like Celia Turney. Abrasive. Arrogant. Condescending. Not someone like...

Like Cadence.

Thumps and voices announced the men's return downstairs. A.J. stopped at the library entrance. "What time are we eating?" he asked Jill.

"Another hour yet."

"We have an hour," he said to the men. "There might be a pregame on."

"Daddy!" Kylie skidded into the foyer, her hair hanging in wet clumps. She grabbed Will's hand. "Come swim with me!" She looked at Val. "You too, Dada."

"Ky, where's your towel?" Jamie called. "You're dripping all over!"

Kylie's eyes grew big, and she scurried out of sight, but she didn't go far. Her pleas echoed in the entryway. "Come on, Dada, Daddy. Come swim with me. Pleeese."

"All right, all right," Will said. "Let me change first. Now go. You're making puddles everywhere." He turned to Val. "Looks like I'm swimming. You in?"

Val grinned. "I have my suit in the truck." He exited out the front door while Will jogged up the stairs.

"Or we could watch the kids swim," A.J. said to Alex and the remaining Marvel brothers.

"I'm up for that," Prett answered.

Alex and Danny agreed, and they headed towards the back.

"It's great that your husband and Val get along," Jane said to Jamie. "So many split families don't."

Jamie's eyebrows raised briefly. "I still have my reservations. Val is hard to read. Not like his brothers."

"Val's a sweetheart," Jill said.

Jamie looked at her. "So you say. I find him a little too...calculated." She watched as Val reentered the house and crossed the foyer. "But he's been good with Kylie." She returned her focus to Jill. "I have to remember the bitch married only the nice ones." At Jill's slight tsk, Jamie added in a bitter tone, "I know I'm supposed to forgive her. But I'm not there yet. I don't think I ever can get there. Not after what she did. To me. To Ky."

This conversation had lost Jane. The other women fell quiet, and she tried to think of something to ask that didn't seem rude or prying. "Sydney Dexter Mackley is your uncle?"

Jamie gave a nod. "My egg donor was his sister."

"Egg donor?" Jane repeated the term before she could stop herself.

Jamie shifted in her seat. "Mother. She never deserved that title."

"Oh." Jane decided not to wade any further. However, Jill noticed her confusion.

"The boys never told you about Suzanne?"

Jane shook her head.

Jill tsked again. "I need to remind them you aren't a mind reader. Suzanne is one of the reasons why I thought you'd be interested in Angie's diary. So you'd learn more about her. In her younger years." Her eyes widened. "But if you don't know about Suzanne, who do you think Jamie is?"

"Val's ex-wife?" Jane asked in a timid voice.

Jamie let out a guffaw. "Never in a million years."

Jill smiled. "Jamie's—"

Jamie interrupted. "No, let me. It's my story." She looked at Jane. "Suzanne was my egg—my mother." She took a deep breath and glanced away as if thinking of what to say next. "She used people like most people use toilet paper. With similar results. She married Val. He says he was young and stupid and drowning his sorrows in a bottle when he met her. It wouldn't have mattered. Suzanne charmed everyone, men and women alike."

"Jamie bears a striking resemblance to her."

Jamie gave Jill an angry look. "I'd rather burn my face with acid than be compared to her."

"Sorry. I meant only a physical resemblance."

"Yeah," Jamie conceded. "Unfortunately I look like her. Anyway, she married Val. She was already married. Sort of. She never used her real name for anything, so that one wasn't legal either. Once she got what she wanted from Val, she dumped him. He never knew who she really was. Never knew about Kylie. I think that was her plan all along. Get pregnant and pass it off as her other husband's. He was rich. And old. That's when I tracked her down. When she was eight months pregnant. She got spooked and disappeared. She thought I was going to expose her for the fraud she was."

Jamie took another deep breath. "We didn't find her again till four years later. Dexter and me. He planned to bring her in, but my half-brother shot her in the face. A better ending than the bitch deserved. That's when we found...Kylie." Sudden tears seemed to take her by surprise. She covered her mouth. Suppressing a sob, she swept her hand toward Jill in a bid for her to continue in her stead.

"They found Kylie locked in a box," Jill said. "Abused and neglected. After the investigation was over, Jamie was granted legal custody. No one knew who her father was. Until Sydney decided to have Suzanne's ashes interred at the Prairie Creek cemetery."

"I only went along to spit on her grave," Jamie muttered. She said nothing further, so Jill continued.

"Tommy was there to close the grave afterward. He saw Jamie and called his brothers."

"Because I look like her. I so wish I didn't." Jamie ran her fingers down her cheek. "But that's how we found out Val was Kylie's dad. That and DNA. He agreed she was better off with me. I give him credit for that. "

"Tommy wasn't in a position to raise a child," Jill said. "And Kylie would require intense therapy. So he made the difficult decision to—"

"To relinquish his parental rights," Jamie said. "Willie and I had gotten married by then. We adopted her. But we allow contact since that's in her best interest right now."

"She adores him," Jill said.

"And there's that. She adores her uncles, too." Jamie looked towards the empty foyer. "She's got them all wrapped around her little finger. What a spoiled brat she'd be if they had raised her."

Jill laughed. "I think you're wrong there. They get to be the chaos-bringers because they don't have her full-time. They'd be a lot more strict as parents. P.J. especially."

"Maybe. Though I wonder how well he'd handle her behaviors. He probably needs intense therapy himself."

"P.J.?" Jill leaned back in her chair with bewilderment. "Why?"

Jamie looked at her with a surprised certainty. "Because I think he was sexually abused, too."

"You think that of everyone, sweetie," Jill said in a gentle tone.

After a moment's hesitation Jamie retorted, "You think everyone's on the autism spectrum."

Jill laughed. "Touché. But you have to admit P.J. fits that profile."

"He fits mine, too. Maybe he's both. Then we can each be right."

Jill answered with a smile, "In this case I think we're both wrong."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please help me improve my writing by pointing out problems. And if you like what you read, please click the Vote button below. And comment! I love comments! 😊

Fun Fact 1: I introduced a ton of new characters in this next-to-the-last chapter. 😁 Adair isn't really a "new" character--she's been mentioned before, and she'll be mentioned again. (If I remember to do so. LOL) Her story is one I plan to write someday. (If you check out my book Story Covers you'll even see my working title, cover, and blurb.) 

Likewise, Will and Jamie get their own story. I also have a cover for it, but no blurb. I don't have a cover or title for Michelle and Decker, but they have a story, too. And of course, if you read my work-in-progress Seasons in the Sun, you'll learn more about what Angie wrote in her diary. 😉 

Fun Fact 2: My husband refers to this chapter as "the car chapter." He's a car enthusiast, and I decided to make Alex be the same. So it was fitting that I enlisted Monte's help in picking what car Alex would purchase once he paid off all his debts. I was going to have him buy a BMW, but Monte said that was too cliche. He presented me with several options and I ultimately picked the Mazdaspeed 3. 😊 Then I realized I needed a car for Will and Jamie so I gave them the Honda. 😄

Fun Fact 3: I've dedicated this chapter to @AhsokaJackson because two of her comments on previous chapters inspired some of Prett and Jane's dialog. 😁

In Chapter 25, Prett mentions he had children. @AhsokaJackson's comment: Okay, is there anything else I freaking need to know, Prett? Got a cancer diagnosis to casually drop during a cup of tea? Maybe you're wanted by Interpol? You can bring that up during the barbecue. Or while we have lunch you can nonchalantly drop in that you're a time traveler but just hadn't gotten around to telling us. ^_^  

I put this into Jane's dialog: "What else am I going to learn? That you're—you're an airline pilot? An international spy? A time-traveler?" 

And in Chapter 47, Jane wonders if Prett is purposely letting others tell his stories for him. @AhsokaJackson's comments: It's probably a combination of the two approaches. But yeah, that does sound like Prett—why bother telling Jane his secrets when everyone is apparently having so much fun doing it for him? 😆 Now I'm picturing Prett listening to someone else tell a story about him, and asking questions about the events like he doesn't already know the answers. "And what'd I do then, Miss Holly? 😳"😄 

I had Prett say:  "If you find anything more, let me know. I'm as curious to learn about my life as you are."

😂😂😂

Be sure to vote and comment! ⤵