Rachel sat back in her office chair and tossed her pen down on the desk. Another Saturday morning spent catching up on paperwork. It was drudgery even when she wore civvies, like today. Daddy was right – filling out forms was the one thing that could drive a law enforcement officer to some other line of work. The problem was that anything else she could do with her life would require a similar amount of paperwork.
Nobody ever won a war fighting against a bureaucracy.
She pushed her hair back over her shoulder and smiled. It was really longer than she thought a sheriff’s hair should be, but she also hoped that Clark would like it longer when he came back. She knew she was more tomboy than princess, but even a tomboy likes to be pretty at times.
Maybe she’d get her hair styled, maybe have some highlights put in. And if it was shoulder-length or longer when Clark got back, she could put it in a fancy up-do and take him out for dinner at a really nice restaurant. Oh, he knew she was a woman and she knew that he knew that she loved him, but it wouldn’t hurt to remind him how feminine she could be if she put her mind to it.
She glanced out the window and saw Jonathan Kent’s truck across the street at the Kramer building. She smiled and decided to drop in on Martha. Clark’s mom had taken it upon herself to keep Clark’s office clean while he was gone. Of course, there wasn’t much cleaning to do, and Rachel occasionally went there herself to think about Clark. Twice she’d dropped in on Martha while she puttered around the room, and they’d had some long talks about Rachel’s possible future.
Martha had always encouraged Rachel, had always told her to trust Clark, but had never given up one single hint about what Clark had told his folks about the Rachel-Clark-Lois love triangle. Sometimes Rachel felt bad about disliking Lois so much, but then she remembered how deeply the woman had cut Clark’s heart and she stopped feeling bad about the disliking part.
She stood and made a decision. She’d go see Martha and invite her to lunch. They could swap stories, talk about how well her dad felt nowadays and how glad he and Mom were that Rachel had to work on Saturday mornings so they could be alone together and how good her reelection prospects were. Rachel could even catch Martha up on Lana and her new job in Tulsa.
And she wouldn’t ask about Clark at all.
*****
Clark sat in his office chair in the Kramer building and cursed himself for being a coward of the worst sort.
He’d made the decision to stay in Metropolis. Despite his desire to come back to Smallville and to Rachel, this wasn’t his home. He needed to go home to Metropolis.
Not home to Lois, though. That avenue wasn’t open. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Things were far better between them than they had been for months, but when it came to his heart he still didn’t know how much he could trust her.
He would let his folks close out his office lease with Sam Kramer – he’d pay any rent or fees remaining, of course – and he’d drive his truck to Kansas in a week or so to pick up his stuff and take it back to Metropolis. He’d already put down a deposit for a new apartment not far from the Planet. Perry had congratulated him on finding a place he liked, then had thanked him for making his return permanent.
Then he’d told Lois he was staying in Metropolis.
She’d taken a deep breath, let it out slowly, then said, “Thank you for telling me in person. I have some idea how hard that decision has been. I hope I haven’t gone down in the ‘Go back to Smallville’ column on your pros-and-cons worksheet.”
He’d smiled a little at her attempt at humor and shaken his head. “You’ve kept your word. I can’t find any fault in the way you’ve behaved toward me. I want to thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” Her mouth had moved as if she’d been about to say something else, but whatever it was didn’t come out.
He’d nodded once and walked away from her. And that was where he’d left it with Lois.
Now he had to tell Rachel about his decision. The only problem was that he was scared to face her.
She’d be disappointed, maybe devastated, maybe hysterical, although that last wasn’t very likely. Rachel was level-headed and self-controlled and not at all given to emotional explosions. He just hated to tell her that he wasn’t coming back. He’d thought about putting his goodbye in a letter, but that would be even worse and neither Rachel nor Lois would respect him for being a total chicken. Besides, she’d specifically asked him to come back and let her know what he’d decided. He had to tell her face to face—
His office door opened and Rachel walked in. “Hey, Martha, thought I’d come—”
He saw her eyes widen when she realized it wasn’t Martha in the office.
She stumbled and held herself up with the doorknob.
He stood and stepped around his desk. “Rach, I’m sorry I didn’t call first. I need to talk with you but I don’t know how to begin.”
“I – you – it ain’t been six months! Just three!”
“I know. You told me to come back and tell you my decision in person. That’s why I’m here.”
Her face paled as she slowly straightened, turned, shut the door, and leaned her forehead against the jamb. “You ain’t comin’ back, are you?”
“Wha – how did – did Lois call you?”
“I ain’t heard one word from that – from Lois. Nobody called me about you. I come over cause I thought your mom was here tidying up.”
“I’m sorry. I flew in early this morning and borrowed my dad’s truck. I came here because I – I wasn’t sure what to say to you. Or how to say it.” He stopped and shifted his feet. “How did you know that – what I planned to say?”
She turned and faced him. “If you was here to tell me you were coming back, you’d’a found me wherever I was cause you know I’d’a been real happy. You don’t want to tell me that you’re stayin’ in Metropolis cause you know I won’t be happy.”
He took a step toward her. “Only partly. I really thought – nuts. I care about you, Rachel, and I don’t want to hurt you. I know you want me to stay here with you.”
“Yeah. I do.”
“This doesn’t mean we have to stop seeing each other. Long distance relationships aren’t a problem for Superman.”
She shook her head. “And how we gonna explain you poppin’ up her all the time without you livin’ close by? Or do you want me to disappear with you for hours at a time? I cain’t do that, Clark, I have a job to do and I have to be here to do it. And you can’t just fly here when you decide you want to see me. You can’t make that – that difference in the world you have to make if you’re holed up here with me. It’s why you do all those super things you can do.”
She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again. “I cain’t have no affair with Superman, neither, and that’s what it’d be. Lana’s a good gal overall, but she made a real bad mistake beddin’ a man who couldn’t be her husband. I ain’t Lana.”
He frowned a little, then deflated. “You’re right. It would be stupid for me to fly here every few days. Dangerous for both of us, actually.”
“It’s – I understand. You have to leave and I have to stay. Same thing if I’d went to Metropolis with you. I’d have to leave and come back to Smallville and you’d have to stay there.”
“I’m sorry. I really am.”
She closed her eyes once more and pressed her lips together, then said, “I’m gonna miss you worse’n Miss Piggy misses Kermit.”
The comparison startled a brief smile from him and he took two more steps in her direction. “You’re a much better person than Piggy is a pig.”
She ducked her head and almost smiled. “Ain’t I prettier, too?”
He finished the journey to her side and took her hands in his. “Next to you, she looks like the hog that came in last in the Miss Universal Swine pageant.”
Rachel’s head came up and she lunged at him. Her arms went under his and around his torso and she buried her face in his chest. She tried to speak without sobbing and succeeded only partially. “Last time I – I get to hold you like this. Gotta – gotta make it last the rest o’ my life.”
He returned the embrace and held her close. “I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry. I’m really going to miss you too.” He stroked her hair and noticed it was longer, but thought that this would be a bad time to mention it. “A big part of me wishes things were different.” She didn’t say anything – she just burrowed deeper. “Or that I had that twin brother you mentioned who could go to Metropolis in my place.”
She spluttered what sounded like a forced chuckle and tightened her grip again. That big part of him wanted to stay, to tell Rachel that he loved her, to ask her to marry him, to buy a house here and set up housekeeping with her and live and work in Smallville for the foreseeable future and hold her close to his heart for the rest of his life. That part of him hated him for hurting her like this, for leading her on and then crushing her heart.
The rest of him wasn’t all that pleased with himself either.
But just like Rachel had said, he wanted to make a difference in the world, and the opportunities to do that were limited in the middle of Kansas. If he asked her – if he asked her the right way – he thought she’d marry him and go back to Metropolis with him. She’d insist that she’d be happy wherever they were as long as they were together. And she’d mean every syllable.
But she wouldn’t be happy in a huge city. She needed to be close to the people she served, and even if she joined the MPD, she wouldn’t receive the interactive feedback from the people she protected that she truly needed. If anyone were born to be a rural sheriff, it was Rachel Harris. The people here knew her and trusted her. They needed her as much as she needed them. It would be a criminal disservice to Smallville – and to Rachel – to ask her to leave.
So he bound up his heart with duct tape and safety pins and didn’t ask.
It was several long minutes before she wound down and slipped back from his arms. He dug in his pants pocket and came up with a clean handkerchief. She took it and gently head-butted him in the chest.
“Me, Lana, me. Again with the hankie for the weepy woman. Must be standard equipment for you.”
He answered with a soft forehead kiss. She moved back a half-step and turned to one side, then wiped her face and blew her nose. She pulled it down and crushed it in her hands. “Can I keep this? I wanna remember how much you live to help people.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Thanks.” She stuffed the kerchief into her pocket. “You mind if we say goodbye here? I don’t – I don’t think I could keep my dignity in front of other folks.”
He shook his head and felt the prickle of tears in his eyes. “Rachel, I – I’m so sorry. I wish I could—”
“No, Clark, it’s okay. Really.”
“But I – I feel like a heel and I don’t—”
She reached up and put her arms around his neck and kissed him and he shut up.
He put his arms around her and pulled her close and almost changed his mind. He almost pulled her even closer so he could deepen the kiss and tell her he loved her. He very nearly said that Metropolis would have to get along without him.
He almost did all those things and more. But not quite.
Clark let Rachel end the kiss. As soon as she drifted back, he said, “Leaving Smallville – leaving you – is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Harder than breaking up the Nightfall asteroid. I’d do almost anything to keep from hurting you.”
She put her hands on either side of his face. “You got to do what’s right, Clark, and it’s the right thing for you to go back. Much as I wish you’d stay with me, you can’t live your life to please me. You do the right thing and I’ll love you for it even if it takes you away from me.”
Boy, she wasn’t making this any easier.
“I’m not sure Lois would be as noble as you’re being.”
She shook her head. “Don’t matter. And I ain’t bein’ noble, just sensible. I can’t live my life according to Lois Lane’s standards any more than she can live her life by mine. I don’t wanna say goodbye to you, Clark, but I have to. You have to go back to Metropolis and be the best Clark Kent you can possibly be.”
He nodded slowly. “I can do that. I think.”
“You can and you will. And don’t take my hurt out on Lois, y’hear? And if you – if you get back with her – like, romantically – I want to know about it from you. Okay?”
He tried for a smile. “You’re the best, you know? You’re – you’re incredible.”
She gave him a teary smirk. “I know.”
This time he did smile. “Now who’s doing sci-fi tropes? You stole that from Han Solo.”
She shrugged. “I ain’t about to be froze in carbonite, though. That wouldn’t hurt this bad.” She pulled away. “You go on back now. And – and if you decide you love me and wanna come back to me, call me. You won’t never know if I’m available if you don’t.”
He held her hands, then lifted them and kissed them. “Any man you decide to love will be so very blessed.”
She blinked and snatched her hands back, then turned and threw the office door open.
He watched her run down the stairs and stop at the first floor to gather herself. After a moment, she calmly opened the door and walked across the street to her office.
She might prefer to be frozen in carbonite to watching him leave.
He already missed her. He thought he’d always miss her.
*****
Lois walked into the office on Monday morning with some trepidation. She knew that Clark had gone to Smallville to tell Rachel Harris that he planned to stay in Metropolis. She also knew that an honest and sincere woman’s love could sometimes persuade a demon to turn saint.
Her motto these days was “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Even though Clark had told her he was staying, she refused to consider it a done deal until he came back and told Perry he was back to stay – not just planning to stay.
She hung her jacket on the back of her chair and put her purse in the bottom drawer, then walked to Perry’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
She stuck her head in and looked around, then said, “Just wanted to see if Clark was in here waiting to startle me again.”
Perry chortled for a moment. “Nope, not in here. You checked the men’s room yet?”
She slipped all the way in and closed the door. “Funny man. I just wanted to see how his weekend went.”
Perry fixed her with a sympathetic gaze. “You know what he planned to do, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes. I just – I wanted to – to see if he’d hit any roadblocks.”
“You mean you wanted to know if that lady sheriff had made him change his mind.”
She knew her eyes changed because Perry’s expression softened. “Yes,” she said. “I’m sure Rachel Harris is a wonderful person and an amazing sheriff for Smallville and if anyone could make Clark change his mind about staying in Metropolis she could do it.”
Perry shook his head. “Not this time. Clark’s moving into his new apartment this morning. He’ll be back in the office after lunch.”
Relief flooded her mind and loosened her knees. She grabbed the door jamb for support. “Oh.” She forced herself to stand unaided. “That – that’s good. I mean it’s good that he won’t be living next to the tap-dancer with toe amplifiers now.”
He smiled a little. “That’s how Clark described her to you?”
Lois nodded. “He said it was a little like being in his Smallville office with the typist down the hall typing with a jackhammer instead of her fingers.”
Perry chuckled and Lois smiled back. “Okay, Lois, you’d better get to work. Those stories won’t write themselves.”
She shut her boss’ door and turned toward her desk.
You’ll write better because you feel better about Clark now, Snarky whispered.
Just don’t turn into some old lady lonely hearts columnist.
No chance of that, Lois thought back. Mad Dog Lane was back – albeit a little kinder and gentler than before. Maybe a little less apt to bite, but no less tenacious when she did.
And Clark was back. Maybe he’d have the time to finish that novel he was writing.
Lois wondered what his novel was about, then decided she’d wait and find out like the rest of the public. No more pushing into Clark’s life. It wasn’t worth the heartache.
Being invited into his life? Priceless.
*****
Lunch the Monday after he’d told Rachel he wasn’t going back to Smallville had been – surprisingly okay. Clark had gone to Mike’s Deli in the middle of the midday rush, almost hoping that Mike would recognize him and also kind of hoping he wouldn’t. He didn’t yet know how he felt about Lois, much less how he’d react to reminders of their wrecked relationship. He counted himself lucky that Mike apparently didn’t notice him.
He also counted it lucky that eating there didn’t upset his stomach. The meal was surprisingly tasty and filling. Any ghosts that might be hanging around the place decided not to appear in his beverage glass or in the opposite chair today.
Clark had yet to drive to Smallville for the bulk of his clothes, but he’d retrieved his belongings from the Metropolis storage facility and moved his furniture into his new apartment, had successfully dodged the woman clerk’s attempt to flirt with him, and had put all his boxes in the appropriate rooms. He still had to arrange all of his things to his satisfaction, especially in the kitchen, but he could take his time doing that. His new apartment wasn’t laid out like his old place with an open floor plan. This one was a two-bedroom space on the top floor of a four-story building with a balcony that overlooked Centennial Park. The building was under new management, had just been through a major remodel, and he’d gotten a break on the first year’s rent for being one of the first new tenants.
Clark could step onto his balcony and see the big Superman statue. He’d almost passed on the apartment for that reason, but after due consideration he decided that he would let his past inform and guide his present but not rule it. And that included his choice of restaurants or recreation or residence.
He hadn’t gone back to the park since the disastrous date with Lois. Maybe he’d take a walk through it now and then just to get away from the city noise. He’d gotten used to the country quiet of Smallville, and getting used to the sound pressure level in Metropolis again was more difficult that he’d thought it would be.
He’d always planned, way in the back of his mind, to take a walk in that park with Rachel and show her the Superman statue. He’d been certain that she’d pretend to be impressed as she tried to suppress her giggles. He’d even thought, again way in the back of the back of his mind, that they’d come to Metropolis on their honeymoon to see the park.
None of that would happen now.
And he still wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or relieved.
He walked through the stairwell door across from the newsroom and told himself that personal feelings were to be left out of the workplace, that he should take his first employer’s advice and hang his mood and emotional state on an imaginary coat rack outside the office door and pick it all up when he left. He needed to ignore his mixed feelings and focus on the job, focus on getting the story, focus on being the best reporter he could be.
That was hard to do with Lois sitting one desk over from him. She was a constant reminder of the pain he’d experienced when she’d forced him out of Metropolis. She was also a constant reminder of the pain she’d caused when he’d come back. Both Clark and Rachel had gone – and were still going through – intense heart agony because of her actions. He didn’t like his own reactions to seeing Lois, his gritted teeth and narrowed eyes and shortened breath. Maybe he needed to talk to Dr. Friskin about it. Maybe she could help him figure out if he still loved Lois or if he’d come to hate her or if it was something in between.
He sat in his chair and glanced at Lois’ desk. She wasn’t there, so he started his computer with the intention of opening his email. Maybe Rachel had sent him something at work.
They hadn’t spoken at length since he’d told her of his decision to stay in Metropolis. Rachel hadn’t answered his few emails or his even fewer letters, except for one brief missive last week saying that she still cared deeply for him but that his repeated efforts to stay in contact were hurting her and not helping. She’d wished him all the happiness in the world and reminded him that they weren’t together, that he was the one who’d left even though she was the one who’d sent him away, and that it wasn’t his fault but hers and she hoped he’d do the right thing and stay gone.
He realized now that if he’d reacted to Lois’ surprise arrival in his office in Smallville with indifference, or even mere mild irritation, he’d still be back there making a living as a freelance travel writer. It would have meant that his emotional entanglement with Lois had not only dissipated, it hadn’t transmuted into antipathy or dissolved into bitterness. Rachel would not have deduced that he had unresolved issues between himself and Lois.
And if he didn’t stop thinking of his emotions in such high-minded terms, he’d forget how to care about people entirely.
He clicked on his email client and scanned his inbox. There were no messages from Rachel, which was a little disappointing but not surprising.
He opened a message from Human Resources about his remaining vacation time. Huh. He still had nineteen days of paid time off, even with his morning out of the office. Perry must have twisted a few arms for him.
Someone reached past him and put a small box wrapped with ribbon on his desk. He looked up to see who his benefactor was and saw Lois. Her small smile and nod both pleased and perturbed him.
“This is for you,” she said quietly. “A housewarming gift for your new place.”
As mildly as he could, he answered, “Thank you. Should I open it now or wait until I get home?”
She shrugged. “Up to you. It’s nothing embarrassing or too personal.”
He put it in his jacket pocket. “Then I’ll wait.”
Her smile didn’t flicker. “Okay. You can let me know what you think about it tomorrow.”
She turned to her desk without waiting for a reply. She didn’t look at him as she unlocked her workstation and began scanning something on the screen he couldn’t quite see.
He needed to talk to Lois, to settle things between them, to define the parameters of their new relationship. The problem was that he wasn’t sure what their “new relationship” actually was. Were they friends? Were they simply co-workers? Were they prospective lovers? Were they – he detested the portmanteau but it fit – frenemies?
He didn’t know. And they couldn’t discuss it until he did.
Wait. Yes they could. He could ask Lois how she felt and what she expected out of their relationship.
It was a novel idea. And it just might help them both.
*****
Lois sighed and leaned back in her chair. Another Monday was done. Another mundane column was finished and submitted for editorial approval. Two more columns were in progress and moving forward pending further information.
And Clark had been nice to her for a number of weeks.
Well – not “nice,” really, just non-confrontational. He’d deferred to her at the coffee cart and let her take the last chocolate donut. According to Jimmy, who was coming around to being cautiously friendly with her, he’d passed up two separate opportunities in the past week to talk trash about her with some of his co-workers. He’d even given Pam Wilson from the rewrite desk a mild rebuke about a catty comment the girl had made concerning Lois. Overall, she was pleased with the day.
She stood to leave and found Clark in her way. Sort of. He wasn’t crowding her or forcing her to go around him. He just stood there and looked at her with some intensity.
“Do you have a few minutes to talk?” he asked.
“Uh – yeah, sure. Is this about work?”
He shook his head. “It’s personal. Can we grab the conference room?”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
A talk.
A personal talk.
In the conference room.
With no one to eavesdrop.
About subjects which she’d prefer to leave alone for the time being.
She didn’t know if this was promising or threatening.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good Monday after all. It could turn into yet another federal disaster in her life.
Or, she mused, maybe it could be a very good Monday. Maybe life could still give her a positive surprise.
*****
Clark opened the conference room door for Lois and let her enter, then followed her and shut the door behind them. The blinds were already drawn, so neither the evening shift early arrivers nor the day shift stragglers would witness this unless it got loud and dramatic.
He didn’t want excessive noise or drama. There was already plenty of both in all corners of his life.
He turned and faced her. “I don’t think this will take long.”
She nodded. “So I should stay on my feet then?”
“Your choice. I’m going to.” He stopped, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he said, “Lois, I don’t know just how you feel about me, so I’m going to tell you how I feel and we can take it from there.”
Her face paled a little but she stood straight. “Okay.”
“I don’t – look, I may be completely off-base on this, but I feel like you’re treating me in some special way because you don’t want me to get mad at you and run off somewhere. I’m not mad at you, not really, although I’m still learning to trust you again, and I don’t know that we’ll ever get beyond the point of being just coworkers.” He paused, and when she didn’t respond, he said, “For the record, I don’t plan to leave again any time soon.”
He waited. She nodded but didn’t speak. “Is that how you feel too? Or is it something different?”
She put her left hand on her right elbow and leaned a little to her left. “If I’m treating you in some special way, I’m not doing it deliberately. I know that my anger and my insecurities ran you out of town once, and they alienated me from my other coworkers. I’ve made a concerted effort to rein in my temper because it’s destructive, both to me and to those around me. What I’m doing is for my own good and it’s not directed primarily at you.”
Ah. That made sense. And it lined up with the way the other reporters had thawed a bit in their attitude toward her in the weeks since his return.
He nodded. “I see.”
Her face changed and implied that she was a bit exasperated, but her voice remained level. “You’re special, Clark, but you’re not that special. I’m not living my life to please you.”
“Good. And thank you for clarifying that. I was concerned that you were walking on eggshells around me on purpose.”
She lowered her hand and almost smiled. “Nope. Just the new Lois Lane. I’m now the kinder, gentler version, one that snarls a little less and listens a little more but still doesn’t let go when she clamps on.”
“Good to know. Well – that’s all I wanted to talk about. Thank you again.”
He turned to the door but she stopped him. “Wait. We’re not done yet.”
He recoiled in surprise. “We’re not?”
“No. You got to tell me how you feel, so I should be able to tell you how I feel.”
He tilted his head and considered that for a moment, then nodded. “That’s fair. Please, go ahead.”
“Okay.” Now she took a deep breath before speaking. “I ruined a perfectly good date with you last spring and it’s still preying on my mind. I want to make it up to you.”
“What? You – a date? Me and you?”
“Actually, my thought is that we’d pick up where we left off.”
He blinked. “Where we left off?”
“Yes.”
“At the Superman statue?”
“Yes, Clark, at the Superman statue.”
“And do what?”
“I want a do-over.”
He blinked twice. “A do-over of what?”
“You telling me your secret. I want to react the right way.”
He bit his lower lip and turned to one side. “I had just told you I loved you. You had just told me you loved me. I don’t know if either of those two things is true anymore.”
Still calm, she said, “Neither do I. That’s why I want the do-over. I want to react to you telling me the secret the way I should have reacted.” Now she bit her lip. “However we move forward from there is up to you.”
His first thought was that she was nuts. Totally, completely, somewhere-over-the-rainbow nuts. Did she really expect him to go to Centennial Park with her and reenact the end of that horrible date? Did she believe he was that stupid?
Then he looked into her eyes, something he’d avoided doing for any length of time since he’d returned. Her eyes were hopeful. They almost begged him to agree. And what could it hurt? She was trying to heal a rift – no, an asteroid crater – in their relationship. In fact, that might be a good idea for both of them.
He wondered if she’d come up with the idea herself or if someone had suggested it to her. Dana Friskin was a very good candidate for that role, since she knew both of them professionally and personally.
He shook his head. Didn’t matter. If he didn’t want to be around her socially after the – the do-over – then he wouldn’t and she’d just have to accept it. And maybe, just maybe, they could be cautious friends again. He missed her love, he missed her kisses, he missed holding her hands, he missed their embraces, but most of all he missed their friendship.
As he thought more, he realized that the worst thing that had come from that terrible night had been the loss of Lois’ friendship. If he could get that back with little or no risk to his own heart, it would be worth the gamble.
He finally nodded. “Okay. When do you want to perform this arcane ritual?”
Her mouth quirked on his last words. “How about tonight? I know it’s early December, but it’s not too cold out. And I have it on good authority that the bench we – that I desecrated with my attitude is still in place.”
Tonight. Might as well get this over with.
“Okay. Do we eat first?”
She shook her head. “We go right to ‘Lois, I have a secret you need to know.’ We’ll play it by ear after that.”
He nodded again. “Meet you there in twenty minutes?”
“That’s fine. See you soon.”
He turned, opened the conference room door, and followed her out into the bullpen. Then he wondered what Rachel might think of Lois’ plan.
For that matter, he wondered what he thought of it.
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