Nancy’s Theory of Style Read Free

hair. As they exchanged air kisses, Nancy noticed harsh aldehyde notes in Junie’s
perfume and saw the unevenness of her thick liquid eyeliner on her melty
chocolate brown eyes.
    “How have you been?” Nancy said. Over Junie’s shoulder, Nancy saw Todd mouth a
thank-god and move off.
    “Good!   Well, you know,” Junie said in her whispery
voice. The sleeveless blouse she wore now was too tight in the shoulders and
the arm-holes gaped showing a slice of beige bra. “Busy with work and I just
got named president of the Alumni Singles.”
    “Maybe you’ll meet someone!”
    Junie’s head shook as loosely as a
bobble-head doll. Then she looked around and noticed that Todd was gone. “The
guys I meet always want feminine girls, and I’m, well…”
    “You’re fabulous, Junie! I’d kill to be
as tall as you. I’d wear four-inch heels and stalk into rooms like an irate
dominatrix. Let’s spend a day together soon, okay? We’ll go shopping and to the
salon.” Nancy wanted
others to see how attractive Junie could be.
    “I’d love that,” Junie whispered shyly.
    Nancy heard shouted hellos and looked to see
a tall, sandy-haired man walking into the party. “Excuse me, Junie. I’ve got to
say hello to someone.”
    Junie followed Nancy ’s
glance and blushed so Nancy said quietly, “When we get together I’m going to give you some flirting tips,
too. Won’t that be fun?”
    She made her way over the sand to the good-looking
man in the jeans, white shirt, and light-weight blazer. “Why, Bailey, Todd said
you couldn’t make it.”
    Bailey Carson Whiteside III was
well-over six-foot and he bent to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I rescheduled
a few things so I could see you. This is for you. It’s heavy.” He handed her a
large glossy gift bag with a red ribbon tying the handles together.
    She took the bag and said, “Bricks for
the house?”
    “Books on Mies van der Rohe, Alvar
Aalto, and Jean Prouve. I thought you might like reading them while you work on
the house.”
    “You’re always so thoughtful, Bailey!” His
hazel eyes looked right at her in a way that made her feel shy. “You shouldn’t
have.”
    “Less is more, except where books are
concerned,” he said. “I envy you building a house.”
    “Why not buy one of the lots here?” Nancy said. “Wouldn’t it
be fun to be neighbors?”
    “It would be great, but I’m going to
study the housing market a little longer before making any decisions. Where’s
Todd? I want to tell him about a great opportunity with a sports medicine group.”
    “He’s somewhere nearby.” Nancy looked around, but
didn’t see Todd. She dropped her voice. “No doubt he’s hiding from Junie and
her monologues about city zoning law.”  
    After the party, Nancy and Todd drove
back to San Francisco and the condo that he’d bought as a bachelor. On the ride up the elevator, Nancy noticed a chip on
the baseboard, and as they walked down the corridor she saw the unevenness of
the paint on the walls. Someone (Todd) had spilled coffee on the carpeting
months before and a shadow of the stain remained.
    So many little things, but they had the
cumulative effect of making the world a tackier place.
    The interior of their condo was taupe,
black and gray, the default masculine color scheme. Whenever Nancy suggested changing it, Todd countered
that they were moving soon. It was true, too, that she could always escape to
the charming apartment she still kept in a family-owned property.
    While Todd showered, Nancy sat cross-legged on the bed with her
new design books, but mostly she was reveling in the success of the party.
    When Todd came out with a towel wrapped
around his waist, he saw the books and said, “Don’t get any more expensive
ideas. Every change to the plans cranks up the cost.”
    The skin on his broad shoulders was
peeling and Nancy chided herself for not rubbing sunscreen on him when they’d been on their
honeymoon. But every time she’d tried, he’d