Jennifer Crusie Bundle Read Free Page B

what I want.”
    â€œWell, what do you want? Just tell me what you want. I’ll make it happen.”
    Lucy smacked her fork down. “You can’t. Or you won’t. I want to live my own life. I want to make my own mistakes. I want you to be my sister, not my keeper. You don’t have to take care of me.”
    â€œI know I don’t have to.” Tina frowned. “But I want to. I want you to be happy. You never have any fun.”
    â€œI don’t want to have fun.” Lucy took a deep breath. “Do you know what I want?”
    Tina shook her head, her eyes on Lucy.
    â€œI want to be independent. I want to take care of myself, without you racing to the rescue with money and lawyers. You always tell me what to do, and you’re always right, and most of the time I don’t mind it, but then I married Bradley, and he was worse than you are. Between you and Bradley, I haven’t made a decision on my own in almost a year because everything you told me to do was the sensible thing, and it would have been stupid for me to argue. Only I did all the sensible things, and now look at my life. It’s a mess.” Lucy stuck her chin out. “So, I’m changing. I want to make my own mistakes and mop up after them myself. I want to talk to my ex-husband without you threatening him with death. And if I want to dye my hair purple or adopt another ten dogs or…or…” Her eyes twitched to the man across the room. “Or go out with inappropriate men. I want you to stay out. It’s my life. I want it back.”
    â€œOh.”
    â€œI appreciate everything you’ve done for me. Just stop doing it.”
    â€œAll right.” Tina picked a cucumber slice out of Lucy’s salad. “Inappropriate men, huh?”
    Lucy slid down a little in her seat. “Probably not. That was just big talk.”
    â€œWhat about that guy across the room you keep looking at?”
    â€œOh, no.” Lucy closed her eyes. “I’m that transparent?”
    â€œWell, he doesn’t seem to have noticed.” Tina glanced across the room. “He really is attractive, though. Your instincts aren’t so bad.”
    Lucy looked at the two men across the room again out of the corner of her eye. The one in the black was talking, his fingers slashing the air while he spoke.
    â€œHe’s gorgeous,” Lucy said.
    â€œActually, he looks a little dull. But if that’s what you want, let me see what I can do.” Tina started to get up.
    â€œDull?” Lucy said. “He looks insane.”
    Tina stopped. “You’re talking about the one in the tweed, not the one in the black leather, right? You can’t be serious about the black leather.”
    â€œIt’s my fantasy,” Lucy said. “And sit down. You’re not going over there and embarrass me.”
    Tina sat down. “The black leather would not be good for you.”
    â€œI can’t tell you how tired I am of things that are good for me,” Lucy said.
    â€œI know.” Tina nodded sympathetically. “But that doesn’t mean you should commit emotional hari-kari. That guy is unstable.”
    Lucy’s eyes went back to the black leather. “Actually, you know, he’s just what you ordered. What I’m feeling for him is definitely spontaneous and irresponsible.”
    Tina looked at him and frowned. “Maybe if you just used him for the cheap thrill and then discarded him.”
    â€œI couldn’t do that.” Lucy tore her eyes away from him. “I could never do that. I’d better just concentrate on being independent without the inappropriate-man part.”
    But she looked back at the man in black leather one more time and sighed.

    â€œI CAN FEEL IT .” In the booth across the room, Zack tapped his fingers on the scarred table. “Bradley’s here. Or he’s been here. Or somebody he knows is here. Or…”
    Anthony