Spinster? Read Free Page A

it. It was simply magic. Handsome men in uniform, Glenn Miller playing under soft lights...and then that's when I saw him..." The sisters smiled at each other as they listened to Aunt Lilian She continued her tale of love at first sight, and of stolen kisses under a streetlight. Tess's chest felt warm with longing. Love like theirs happened to some people she supposed, but she had never been struck in such a way. Sure she'd had lust at first sight, but nothing that took up permanent residence in her heart...yet. But she wasn't counting herself out of the game, despite what some people thought. And she certainly wasn't going to lower her standards, as her mother suggested. She still had plenty of time.   She wasn't a spinster by any stretch...besides, she was allergic to cats.

CHAPTER FOUR

    "Vodka martini with a twist," Tess ordered.  
    "Damn girl, martini?"  
    "Yes, a martini." The defeated sigh on the tail end of her order brought a look of concern from her friend Rebel's face.
    "Was the wedding that bad?"
    "My mother was there, at my table. What do you think?" Her friend gave Tess a knowing nod and gripped her hand in hers.
    "Martini it is." That's why Tess loved this woman. Regina Rinaldi, Rebel to those who knew her best, was the type of friend who just got it, no long explanation was needed. They communicated with only a look at times. They'd rushed together in college and had been soul sisters ever since.  
    "She bust your boobs the whole time?" Rebel's dark green eyes narrowed.
    "Not the whole time." There'd been times when her mom had food in her mouth, or when she was working the room. You'd have thought it was her party, but that was how her mom was. She commanded attention, as if she were daring you not to take notice. And with her striking looks, 5'8" with honey colored hair and hazel eyes, it was hard not to. Tess had imagined that was how her mom had snagged a big fish like William Warner III, and though she nagged him at times, it was plain to see he worshipped the ground Tiffani's designer shoes walked on, and she him. It also did not escape Tess's attention when her parents danced cheek to cheek during every slow song, excluding the first dance of the bride and groom. She thought she even saw her dads hands drift down to cup her mom's butt during the final song, but she was hoping she was seeing things, or she'd developed champagne induced glaucoma.
    "You know how she is, she just wants to see me settled. And to her, settled means house, husband, rug rats." Tess believed that deep down her mom loved her. She also knew her mother only wanted the best for her in her own way, even if it was smothering.
    "Tell me about it. My mom's the same way on the grand baby topic. Apparently, I'm the reproductive degenerate of my family," Rebel said without self-pity. "She just doesn't get that I don't want kids, but try telling that to an Italian mother, who is only slightly less aggressive than my little Nonna. She goes on a tirade about it." Rebel was 5'3", small waist, full C's, and a tight, curvy rear end. If   her pin-up looks didn't real them in, her feisty personality sealed the deal. Men loved Rebel Rinaldi, who was happy to date them for as long as it pleased her, and then move on to the next. She didn't toss men aside callously. She wasn't cruel about it. She simply knew when to hold on, and knew when to let go. She'd currently been holding on to the same guy for just under a year. Tess knew an engagement was on the horizon for her friend. Seeing the ring last week may have tipped her off.
    "What if you marry Cameron?...Um, strictly hypothetically speaking." Damn it, keep the cat in bag ...she was switching to water.
    Rebel's face softened at his name—she was one smitten kitten. Tess couldn't blame her, the man was fine, and a complete doll. "I guess we'll cross that bridge, ya know?"
    "Hmm. Interesting. Doesn't sound like babies are totally off the table after all." Tess raised a brow.
    Rebel sipped her