Terms of Surrender by Leslie Kelly Page A

small device, almost catching it in midair. His fingers actually brushed against the thing. But he didn’t quite make it.
    The phone fell with a plop into the murky waters of the marina.
    “Hell,” he muttered, watching it sink beneath the surface. The phone wasn’t terribly new, or expensive, so for the first second, he was only mildly annoyed.
    Then something sunk in. Something that was a whole lot more important to him than spending a couple of hundred bucks on a new phone.
    Mari. The woman he was rapidly becoming addicted to. The woman whose last name he didn’t even know.
    Her number—the only way he had to get in touch with her—was in that phone.
    Which was right now resting in several inches of silt at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay.

5
    Monday 5/9/11, 07:00 a.m.
www.mad-mari.com/2011/05/09/whataday
    Don’t you just love spring?
    I do. I swear, all day yesterday, I walked around with a smile on my face, sure I’d never seen such a beautiful day. The sky was more blue, the sun more bright, the air more clean…okay, well, scratch that. You guys know I live in Baltimore. The air’s not really that clean. Ugh.
    Then today, I woke up, and it was raining. Pouring. Cats and dogs and Noah’s ark type stuff.
    But you know what? It’s still absolutely gorgeous! I’m still smiling!
    I’m still very happy.
    Okay, before I go on, I’ll admit, I met someone pretty spectacular. Yes, this is still me, still Mad-Mari, the man-hating shrew (or so says John L. from Wyoming, who wrote me that nice, chatty email last week. John, if you ever break into my house to teach me a lesson, as you threatened to, be prepared to come face-to-face with my .22. I’m an army brat and my dad taught me to shoot when I was ten).
    Back to the subject—I’ve never said I hated men. And I don’t hate men. Remember, people, a sense of humor is your friend! Sarcasm does not equal hatred.
    I’ve had some crappy relationships and known some real jerks and that might have started this whole Mad-Mari thing. But if you’ve been around here for a while, you know that’s not what I’m all about. I have known some really great guys. In fact, I have two fantastic, wonderful younger brothers. I just haven’t had much luck in the romance department.
    My luck, it appears, has changed.
    But (to quote Forrest Gump) that’s all I’ve got to say about that. The rest of the story is strictly Noneya…as in none ya bizness. I’m not one of those kiss-and-tell types who’ll spill my guts all over the internet.
    Suffice it to say, I met a nice man. In fact, maybe a perfect man.
    And this rainy day is suddenly looking a whole lot brighter.
    Wednesday 5/11/11, 07:00 a.m.
www.mad-mari.com/2011/05/11/humpday
    It’s hump day!
    Don’t you just love that even mature, adult people use that term? Whenever I hear it on the radio, it always makes me giggle. Some people who know me in my real life would probably be horrified, but, yes, apparently there’s a ten-year-old-boy’s sense of humor lurking inside this grown-up exterior. Shh! Don’t tell.
    There’s this great writer I read (actually, it’s two writers, a husband-and-wife team.) They produce these supersexy Harlequin books that have definitely tided me over during some romantic dry spells. (Ahem. Uh, sorry, TMI!)
    Anyway, they have a Facebook page, and every Wednesday, for hump day, they offer up a naughty quote, often by Mae West. Like, “Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.” Or “A dame that knows the ropes isn’t likely to get tied up.” (My addition: Unless she wants to!)
    But here’s my absolute favorite of Ms. West’s words of wisdom. Might be a little too romantic for hump day (and, to be honest, for Mad-Mari). But I’m in that kind of mood.
    “A man’s kiss is his signature.”
    You got that right, Mae.
    Thought for the day: Would hump day still be as much fun if it were called middle-of-the-week day?
    Or, I guess for you traditionalists, we could