Interior Designs Read Free Page A

She paused dramatically. "Ah, yes, I'll never forget dear Whatsisname," she said, breaking into a wave of giggles.
    Cathryn chucked a pillow at her. "At least you've had a Whatsisname. That's more than I can say for myself."
    "Your own fault," Susannah shot back. "You could have married anyone you wanted, Cat."
    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "If only you'd taught me to be a better flirt, maybe. And please give me back my pillow."
    "Anyway," said Judy, making peace by passing the pretzels, "I can't wait until the reunion. They say Elbert Stuckey is extremely good-looking, can you imagine? Remember how he looked in tenth grade? Like a balloon with hands and feet." Judy puffed her cheeks out with air, pantomiming the hapless Elbert.
    "Oh, but to balance him out, there's Molly Sherman. She was homecoming queen and now she weighs two hundred pounds."
    "So will I if I don't stop eating that Parmesan-artichoke dip," said Cathryn, pushing the potato chips toward Judy. "How dare you serve it? You know my weakness."
    "Your weakness isn't food, dear Cathryn. It's work. I haven't seen you in weeks. Neither has Amanda." She turned to Susannah. "Do you know that Cathryn almost never dates these days? She turns down everyone who calls and asks her out."
    "Do tell," said Susannah, licking dip off one dainty finger. "Are there any I'd be interested in? If so, send them my way. I'll be here for a week or so after the reunion."
    "It's an idea," admitted Cathryn. "I've been too busy setting up my boutique at the mall even to think about going out with anyone. Say, Susannah, would you be interested in Drew Sedgwick?"
    Susannah wrinkled her forehead. "Sedgwick, Sedgwick. You mean the guy who built up that chain of stores?"
    "He was in our high school class," reminded Judy. "He'll probably be at the reunion."
    "He asked me out for a nightcap late one night when I was working at the store," Cathryn said. As soon as she mentioned this, she regretted it. Somehow, her encounter with Drew Sedgwick, she realized too late, wasn't the kind of meeting she wanted to hold up to the scrutiny of her friends, even friends she trusted as much as Susannah and Judy.
    "Didn't you go?" chorused Judy and Susannah.
    "No," she said, and quickly she related the twisted-jacket incident, emphasizing its humorous aspects. She didn't refer to her inward physical response to Drew's touch, which was another story altogether.
    "If you'll recall," Judy said patiently, "I tried to arrange a meeting between the two of you a couple of months ago. Drew is one of the most eligible bachelors around. Ron knows him. They met at a chamber of commerce breakfast, and Ron thought he seemed lonely."
    Cathryn wrinkled her brow. "I don't remember your mentioning him." A succession of totally unsuitable blind dates had long ago convinced her to ignore Judy's perennial attempts at matchmaking.
    "If you're not interested..." began Susannah.
    "Of course she's interested," Judy said.
    "But I don't know him. And he's just been divorced, and..." Cathryn was aware that she was talking too fast, but she couldn't seem to help it.
    Judy's short auburn curls bobbed around her face as she shook her head in exasperation. "Don't you remember the story? About Drew and his ex-wife? I know I must have told you."
    "What story?" Cathryn asked blankly.
    "Talma—that's his ex-wife's name—suddenly decided to pursue a career as an actress and went off to New York City, taking their six-year-old daughter with her. Drew was devastated."
    Cathryn experienced a sudden, crushing sense of disillusionment that surprised her. It wasn't as though there had been any pretense. Drew had told her immediately that he was recently divorced. It was why she had made her exit so abruptly, running from him like a child. She'd been burned once too often, and she avoided newly divorced men whenever possible.
    "That's too bad," she said, hoping that she was successfully hiding her disappointment. But if he was devastated by the divorce, she