Tall Tales and Wedding Veils Read Free Page B

professions. You’re an accountant, and I’m a loan officer. What man wants to date either one of those?”

    “So what should we do? Become flight attendants? Exotic dancers? Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders?”

    “I was thinking Hooters girls. Just once I’d like a man to love me for my body instead of my mind.”

    And that was exactly what it took to get the attention of a man like Tony: a hot body in low-slung jeans and a tight T-shirt that showed off perky breasts, a belly-button ring, and a lower-back tattoo. A woman whose intelligence was inversely proportional to her bra size.

    Tracy swung by and asked if they wanted another martini. Heather just asked for the check.

    “Leaving so soon?” Alison asked.

    “Soon as I finish this one. I have to get up early in the morning. Regina’s picking me up at seven to go to the airport.”

    “So you’re actually going on the bridesmaid trip? You said you’d rather sit through a time-share presentation in Death Valley.”

    “Well, it is a free trip, and I’ve never been to Vegas.” Then she sighed. “And my mother really wants me to go. It reminds me of when she wanted me to try out for the high school drill team.”

    “So you could be around all the popular girls?”

    “I think she’s hoping that if I hang out with Regina and the other bridesmaids, there’ll be men all over the place. That way, at least I’ll have a shot at getting one of their castoffs.”

    “Actually,” Alison said, “that’s not a bad plan.”

    “Wrong. It’s the sign of a desperate woman. And my mother is more desperate than most. It drives me crazy.”

    But if Heather was honest with herself, the reason it drove her crazy was because she
was
beginning to feel a little desperate. The closer she got to thirty, the more she felt a million years of evolution bearing down on her. No, she didn’t want Og smacking her over the head with his club and dragging her back to his cave to make little Oggies, but she wasn’t immune to the forces of nature. A forward-moving relationship with a man that eventually led to marriage would be nice, but so far it hadn’t happened.

    She glanced back at Tony. Yeah, he was hot, all right, but men like him had never been part of her dreams, just as she’d never been part of theirs. She’d always figured that the man she married probably wouldn’t be all that handsome, but he would be reasonably attractive. He might not be wickedly charming, but he’d certainly be a good conversationalist. They’d settle down, have a couple of kids, take summer vacations, and plan for retirement.

    Heather had always prided herself on being a realist, and
that
was reality.

    Tony couldn’t believe this. Three days before closing, and suddenly Dave was pulling the rug right out from under him?

    “Come on, Dave,” Tony said. “You can’t do this to me. You said you’d loan me the money.”

    “It’s my wife. We had a big fight last night, and she told me I couldn’t give you the twenty thousand.”

    Tony took a calming breath, trying to keep his panic under control. “Dave. You told me you talked to her. You said she was okay with it.”

    “She was. Then she got to talking to her girlfriends. They told her that if I was part owner of a bar, I’d be spending all my time there.”

    “That’s crazy! You’re going to be a silent partner. I’ll be running the place.”

    “I tried to tell her that, but she wouldn’t listen. She’s convinced I’ll want to be here all the time. She already thinks I play too much golf.”

    “So tell her you’ll play less golf. Tell her you’ll throw your damned golf clubs into the lake. For God’s sake, tell her something. I’m set to close on this place Monday morning!”

    “Sorry, man. I can’t help you.”

    Tony sat back, reeling with disbelief. “Dave? How long have we been friends?”

    Dave looked away. “A couple of years.”

    “Six years.
Six.
Ever since we worked at Charlie’s together. And