Goodbye, Mr. Regret

When he was a kid, he'd been a little troublemaker-snipping off the pigtails that little girl had worked so hard to grow. Mrs. Zimmerman had been furious, ready to give him a good scolding, but it was the girl herself who pleaded on his behalf. She'd insisted it didn't matter; she was pretty enough that even losing her pigtails wouldn't make a difference. She wasn't upset at all.

She was such a sweet, clever little thing. He'd always spoiled her like a kid sister -until, sadly, she disappeared one day.

Vince's enthusiasm for Jessica probably stemmed from the fact that her gentle nature reminded him of his own little sister.

Yates took a drag from his cigarette just as Timothy arrived. "Why aren't you inside?"

Yates raised his hand, cigarette pinched between his fingers. "Didn't you see I'm out here smoking? Want one?"

He pulled out his pack, shook one loose, and offered it to Timothy.

Timothy took it.

The night was seductive, the outdoor lights casting a dim glow. Two striking, distinguished men stood cloaked in pale blue smoke a sight for sore eyes. "You know, Timothy, I've noticed you seem to have a soft spot for gentle girls." Timothy blew out a stream of smoke, his sharp brows arching, voice cool. "Do I?" "When we were kids, you were pretty fond of Vince's little sister. Remember when we played house? You even dragged her over to divorce me. Forgotten that?"

"That was ages ago. Does it even count?"

not as kids. But

lady in the Howard family, her

thought, that was all learned. Vince's little sister-she'd been a

point dwelling on

eyes were cool, betraying

the recent past doesn't

lips together

didn't press. "Your wife's inside. I just bumped into your sister,

of a talker. If someone bullies her, she doesn't fight back. Looks

"Don't talk nonsense."

nearest trash can, tossed his cigarette, and came back to clap Timothy on the shoulder. "The way a man treats his wife sets the tone for how everyone else does, Timothy. I'm not blind, you know. As your friend, let me give you a little advice-don't go too far,

took a deep drag from his cigarette. "You talk like you're some kind of

face lit up with confidence. "I may not be married, but I haven't exactly been

been in the film industry for a while, and if there was one thing that place didn't lack, it was women. Girlfriends came

"Timothy, Yates."