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"A parallel assignment is when multiple groups of participants in a clinical trial each receive different treatments or interventions. A two-arm parallel assignment involves two groups." She points at me and then herself. "You and I are the two arms."
"We're not treating ourselves with drugs." If she's on drugs, that would explain some of her behavior, but I don't believe she's high.
"That was an analogy, and admittedly, not a great one. I say goofy things when I get nervous."
"So do I, apparently. At least when I'm with you."
Madeleine smiles again, and it's so disarming that I want to hug her. "That's so sweet. Thank you, Richard."
"You're thanking me for being nervous around you? That's not the reaction I expected."
She shrugs. "I usually do what everyone expects, but this vacation is my chance to do what I want. Being goofy is one of those things."
"Was sleeping with a stranger on your list of unexpected things to do?"
"Not at first," she says, and her smile becomes wickedly enticing. "But after I met you, yeah, I added that to the list."
"I'm, ah, flattered." Like an idiot, I offer her my hand to shake. "We haven't been formally introduced. I'm—"
"Richard Cornelius Hunter. Yeah, I know, it was on your driver's license." She accepts my hand, folding her fingers around it. "I'm Madeleine Louisa Solberg. The people I like the best call me Maddie."
"And what do the people you don't like call you?"
"Dr. Solberg, mostly."
"I see." I don't, and I want to ask what sort of doctor she is, but first I need to tell her something else. It seems vitally important that I do. "The people I like the best call me Rick."
"May I call you Rick?"
"Please do." I met this woman yesterday and only learned her identity this morning, but I want her to call me Rick. I loved hearing her say "Richard," but I love it even more when she speaks my nickname. "May I call you Maddie?"
"Absolutely. I mean, we had sex last night—lots of sex, in lots of different ways—so I think you've earned the right to call me Maddie."
"I'm glad." I shove my hands into my trouser pockets. "What sort of doctor are you? Sorry. It's none of my business, is it?"
"Sure it is. Why not? I know where you live, down to the street address, so it's only fair I give you a little info about me. I'm an epidemiologist, which means I study diseases and how they spread."
A realization hits me, and I rewind our conversation to a moment ago when she introduced herself. "Did you say your last name is Solberg? One of my mates, Dane Dixon, is married to Rika Solberg. Now she's Rika Dixon, of course."
Maddie flutters her eyelids like she can't believe what she's seeing—or hearing. "You know my little sister?"
"Apparently I do."
"That's an amazing coincidence. Not that I believe in things like that. It's pure chance." She puckers her lips, squinting like she's thinking hard. "Rika encouraged me to take a vacation. She and Dane paid for this trip and made all the arrangements for me. I remember my sister had wanted to set me up with some guy back before she and Dane got married, but it never worked out. You don't think…"
"They also tried to set me up with a woman, but the timing was never right." I groan as I realize what must have happened. "The Dixons all knew I was coming here to meet with a client. Dane and his brothers encouraged me to extend my visit and make it a holiday. I decided yesterday to cut my stay short, though, and go home. Until I changed my mind about that this morning."
"You've got to be kidding me. Did Dane and Rika arrange this?"
"Well, I doubt they arranged for us to spend the night together, but they certainly organized events so you and I would be at the same resort at the same time."
She throws her head back and growls. "My sister is in so much trouble."
"The Dixon brothers are in trouble too." I rub my jaw, thinking about the situation. "If Dane Dixon and his wife paid for your holiday here, why didn't they get you a luxury suite?"
"They did, but the resort overbooked. Some bigwig got first dibs on the suite I was supposed to have, so I wound up in this room. It's plenty nice."
"I hope you got a refund for the extra cost."
