What's Life Without the Sprinkles - By Misty Simon Page 0,27
under the word “manicure” and avoided looking at Claudia.
“Then I guess you don’t have any problem with the fact Dexter Zegray called and wants you to come in to go over some additional suggestions?”
“Sure. Not a problem. I’ll go see him next week.”
Trying to force Zoe to change the subject was not helping. Claudia was going to have to either buck up and do this or get rid of Zoe, and the getting rid of thing was not looking promising.
“I don’t even know why we’re discussing flirting with Nate, much less trying to sleep with him. I don’t want him to see me as some hussy.” Claudia rose from her seat and fussed with the knob of the silverware drawer to the left of her hip. “Besides, it’s not going to work, and I don’t want to waste any time doing ridiculous things. I have that luncheon Sunday at May’s house.”
“Oh, no, you’re not getting out of it that easily, sister dear. I spent time making this list, and I’m not going to throw it away simply because you’re getting cold feet. Now sit down, and let’s get moving.”
What followed was too agonizing to describe. Claudia would have nightmares for years about making kissy faces at herself in the mirror and turning her head just right so her hair fell over her shoulder. And in the end she only felt like more of a failure. Not that she’d tell Zoe that, if she valued her sanity.
She went to bed counting down the hours until she could see Peter and get him out of her hair. If she seriously wanted to pursue Nate, she would have to do it her own way.
****
“Emergency girl meeting,” Claudia called out the next morning as she streamed through the front door of Decadence with her heart racing and her palms damp.
May looked up from her kneeling position in front of a dress dummy covered in silk. Pins dangled from between her lips, and her hair was up in a sloppy bun.
Claudia kept on toward the back, knowing May would follow close behind, pins or no pins. Zoe called out she’d be right there after she stuck something in the refrigerator.
When Zoe showed up, she grabbed one of the other chairs from the wall and pulled it in close, then took Claudia’s left hand in hers. May did the same thing with the last chair and her right hand.
“What’s going on?” they said in stereo.
“Nate just called, and he has the plans for Decadence ready. He said he wanted to come over and go through them with me, but I can’t do it. I need one of you to stand in for me.”
“Absolutely not,” Zoe said, while May sat with a smile on her face.
“Why is it absolutely not? I’ve done plenty for you. You could do this one thing for me. And, May, you can stop smiling. I believe you just pulled the friendship card the other day about this lunch tomorrow. I can’t do this knowing that he might know I’m attracted to him but he’s too nice to tell me it’s not going to happen. He completely turned me down for dinner and a movie at home the other night, just to go grocery shopping!”
“Don’t be so difficult, Claudia,” Zoe said. “You’re trying to look for reasons not to get involved with a man you find attractive but are afraid to test the waters with.”
But what if that fear was very valid and could end the most important relationship in her and her son’s life? “That’s fine for you to say.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you don’t even date seriously. How can you be any judge?”
“I date, and that’s not the point.”
May leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. Claudia caught the motion and gave her a sharp look. “I’m just saying you don’t have much experience to go on other than being a serial dater. You haven’t exactly got a track record for long-term commitments.”
“Again, so not the point. The point is that you are ready to finally give the guy who’s lusted after you for years a chance to once and for all convince you he could be more than a friend. Don’t screw it up by hiding.”
Claudia’s heart stuttered as she frowned. That might be all too true, but there was more at stake here than just riding the baloney pony. This was her life.
“I’m sorry,” Zoe said. “That didn’t come out the way I’d meant