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“What’s that?”
“You have to tell me secrets, too.”
“Of course.” She clinked smugly. Her secrets were easy to tell. Her parents didn’t want or love her, she married a much-older man who was a controlling jerk and she left him to become a stripper. She could tell the truth but leave out the pertinent details. Like growing up rich. Like being disinherited. Like the pain she carried around from being denied a real family by parents who treated her like the mistake she was, spending money on her when she wanted their time and affection. Like her brief foray into drugs, and the one night she’d come dangerously close to prostituting herself that officially counted as hitting bottom. Her battle to get clean and begin a new life supporting herself.
She’d bet a glass of Don Julio Real that Erik had never shared much with his hot young things besides bodily fluids. Feeling vulnerable to and validated by someone could be powerful stuff. And if things didn’t work out between them and she failed to land his lovely lifestyle permanently, she’d still be teaching him to value women outside of a sexual capacity, a gift to her gender.
“When do we start?”
Sandra lifted her glass. “Another day. Tonight we just have fun.”
“Okay.” Erik grinned eagerly. “What kind of fun? Skinny-dipping? Naked Twister? Strip poker?”
Sandra sent him the exasperated look he was undoubtedly expecting. “This will be a new way of thinking about women, Erik.”
“Oh, no.” He looked distinctly ill. “We have to watch Bridesmaids? Play Monopoly? Alphabetize the CD collection?”
“All that and more.” She laughed at his expression and tossed back her remaining twenty dollars’ worth of brandy. “You’re about to embark on the adventure of your life.”
9
Dear Diary,
Mum and Daddy went out tonight to a party at the Gullivers’. Such a pity! Because it meant Walter and I were alone. Well of course Dorothy and David were here, but I very generously gave them the night off and a few dollars to enjoy themselves with. Walter is very interested in Egyptian history, lucky for me. I asked him about it because I wore the most fabulous Cleopatra costume to a party last year, and it’s been sitting around going to waste. The best part of the costume is the part no one ever saw, the undergarments. Walter will see those tonight. I’m thinking that one or two more nights of this should be sufficient. He leaves on the weekend. If I can get a proposal before he goes, I will count myself not only a successful seductress, but the luckiest girl in the country. He is a truly wonderful man, and my feelings are only growing stronger the more we talk.
Allie threw the Frisbee to Erik and managed a surreptitious glance at her watch. Was it broken? Ten minutes after the last time she’d checked it and only two minutes had passed. She was hoping for at least forty-five.
Her next “date” with Jonas would be in about an hour. Their little quartet had spent a quiet Sunday the day before, on the beach in the morning, then indoors during a rainy afternoon. Allie had passed the time in the attic. They had dinner together then watched a couple of movies—P.S. I Love You for the women and Fight Club for the guys. It had been late when the second movie finished, and Allie had been the first to announce that she was going to bed, followed by Sandra, while the guys looked forlornly after them.
Yes, Allie had wanted to be with Jonas, but she worried that spending every night with him would catapult them into what felt more like a relationship than a flirtation, and she wanted to make sure nothing serious developed. Already she was feeling too much.
Tonight, however, Erik and Sandra had plans to go into Glens Falls for dinner and to listen to music. Jonas had firmly declined the invitation for him and Allie, making it clear that Allie was not getting away from him. She grinned. Being desired was absolutely delicious.
The Frisbee came back to her. She caught it neatly and hurled it away. At least Erik was no longer flirting with her. He seemed to have switched quite happily to lusting after the sultry Sandra. Allie couldn’t blame him, though she’d bet Sandra put up with a whole lot less of Erik’s crap than most of the girls he dated. In any case, it meant that Allie and Erik could relax around each other, and their friendship had improved 100 percent.
Erik’s next throw came at her too high, causing her to back up in a hurry, stumble on the sand, then make a stupendous jump...and miss. She ran after the Frisbee, wondering at this strange habit humans had of throwing things at each other. Balls, spinning plastic disks, boomerangs, batons...
