[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.So she read.Bart fell asleep before she finished the book the second time, and Joss pulled his sheet up over his shoulders, the way he liked, and put the book away before turning off the lights and leaving his room with a real feeling of freedom for the first time that day.She went back to the computer and checked her e-mail.There was one from her mom, chatting about her dad's new project: a 1965 Mustang he was fixing up so they could drive across the country.There was also one from Robbie Blair, the guy she'd dated since senior year of high school.Joss had broken up with him last Christmas, but he still wanted to get back together with her.She read his note with a combination of dread and melancholy.joss, your mom told me you werent having such a great time there and I'm sorry to hear it maybe you should come home soon.me and my brother are starting our own plumbing company so I can support a wife ha ha.ceriusly come on back babe you know i still love you.robbieJoss sighed.Robbie was a nice guy, so her feeling of overwhelming horror at the very idea of going back to Felling and becoming Mrs.Blair felt really mean.But Robbie didn't want anything more than to be a plumber in Felling, with a nice little wife and a couple of kids, and to watch TV with a beer in hand every night and all day on the weekends.There wasn't anything wrong with that plan, but it wasn't what Joss wanted.What Joss wanted was to travel the world, to see things that she'd seen only in the out-of-date books in the Felling public school system.She wanted to have her own business, and to make a difference in the world she would explore.Being Mrs.Robbie Blair was so much like death in her mind that it made her stomach hurt for him even to suggest it like it was possible.She shut down the e-mail program and was about to turn off the computer when she noticed the Gregslist window was still up from the boys' little adventure.It seemed to be a virtual classified Web site full of local D.C.events.This could turn out to be lucky.She went to the search bar and typed in “Sunday meetings support groups” and pulled up a long list of hits.This was great!But when she browsed through the list, she saw that most of them were either religious groups or substance abuse groups.Joss was neither religious nor a substance user—heck, she hadn't even been able to try her first sip of champagne tonight!—and she was pretty sure that joining in with either group would be catastrophic.There was, however, a ski club that met in Dupont Circle at 3 P.M.on Sundays.With the Metro ride down and back alone, Joss could kill a couple of hours.And it wasn't like the group would be skiing anytime soon.After all, it was summer and still hot as blazes.She clicked the link and gave her e-mail address for more information.Then she typed the same information in for Tuesday nights.It was the usual assortment of sports groups—volleyball, badminton, softball, and bowling.There was also a grief group at the Episcopal church right down the road, but Joss had already tried one of those, and it was a lot more depressing than dealing with Deena Oliver.So she continued to click until she saw the weirdest, most quirky ad she'd run into yet.Shoe Addicts Anonymous.She read the ad with interest.The fact that her feet were six and a half might be a problem, but the likelihood that this was a bunch of women who would sit around talking about something other than depressing stuff was great.Therefore, Joss would make sure the shoe size wasn't a problem.There were vintage shops all over the place where she could find good shoes in the right size for not too much money.All it would take was a little research, and a little legwork.Fortunately, taking time for both would be time spent away from the Oliver house so, with that criterion alone, it was perfect.Chapter10Ms.Rafferty, this is Holden Bennington from MontgomeryFederal Savings and Loan.Again.There is a confidential matter that I need to discuss with you as soon as possible.If you could call me at 202-555-2056 as soon as possible, I'd appreciate it.”“I don't think so,” Lorna said lightly to the answering machine before pushing DELETE.Holden Bennington was always calling her when her balance was getting low and he thought she might have checks or charges coming in that would bounce.Granted, it seemed like a nice thing for the bank's assistant manager to take the time to do, but Lorna was convinced that he was simply angling for a raise by taking on the Big Debt Girl as his pet project.She'd met him a couple of times at the bank, and he struck her as a real prig.He was probably in his late twenties but had an air of seriousness about him that made him seem older.Although…his face was actually sort of handsome, and it looked like he might have a decent build under those stiff Brooks Brothers suits, but who could possibly tell for sure?Lorna could totally picture him forty years from now, still looking and sounding very much the same, wagging his finger at every customer who had the misfortune to dip a tiny bit lower than they should in their account.Like it really cost the bank so much as a dime when a person bounced a check.The phone rang.Lorna, who had always had a weakness for a ringing phone, answered it immediately, and to her regret.“Ms.Rafferty, I'm glad I caught you.”It was, of course, Holden Bennington of Montgomery Federal Savings and Loan.Caught, indeed.“I'm sorry?” Lorna asked, still unsure whether she was going to play this like it was a wrong number, or like she was a friend answering the phone while she, Lorna, was out—or if she'd bite the bullet and take the call for herself.“This is Holden Bennington from Montgomery Federal Savings and Loan in Bethesda.”In one of the stupider impulses she'd had since seventh grade, she decided to play it as a friend.“Oh, sorry, you must mean Lorna.” In her attempt to do a false voice, she ended up with an accent that sounded between Britain and New Jersey.There was a long silence
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
