Wife Is A 4-Letter Word Read Free

he said, shaking his head and cradling the frosty glass of pale green liquid.
    â€œYeah,” she agreed. She swallowed the rest of her drink, licked her hand and sucked a fresh lime wedge. “Did you have any idea she was hung up on John Sterling?”
    He frowned. “I knew he was hung up on her , but I never suspected she’d even consider a man with so many kids.” He finished his drink, licked, then sucked. “Did you know?”
    She shook her head and refilled their glasses. “I knew something was bothering her, but I assumed it was just prewedding jitters.” She lifted the glass and downed a good portion of the margarita. He watched with interest as her tongue removed more salt from her hand. She sunk small white teeth into the lime and her cheekbones appeared as she drew in the juice.
    â€œI feel like a fool,” he announced, swallowing more of the tangy drink and performing the same ritual. “I know everyone is laughing at me.”
    She shook her head again, dislodging another strand from her stiff hairdo. “They probably feel sorry for you.”
    â€œOh, thanks, that makes me feel tons better.”
    â€œEveryone will forget about it by the time you return,” she said in a soothing tone as she topped off their glasses again.
    The alcohol was beginning to take effect on his empty, nervous stomach. His tongue and the tips of his fingers were growing increasingly numb. He pushed his water-spotted glasses back up on his nose. “I hope so, but I doubt it. Maybe I should move.”
    She scowled, an expression which did not diminish the prettiness of flushed cheeks and flashing eyes. “That’s ridiculous—you’ve lived in Savannah all your life. Your parents would be hurt. And your consulting business—” she lifted her glass again and squinted at him “—you can’t leave before you get old Mr. Gordon’s computer account. I went to a lot of trouble linking up the two of you at the children’s benefit.”
    â€œI know,” he said mournfully, swirling the liquid in his glass before taking another deep drink. “You’re right, of course. But let me wallow a little—my ego is pretty tender at the moment.”
    â€œYou’ll bounce back,” she said with confidence. “There’ll be debutantes lined up at your door by the time you return from your trip.”
    Her words were slightly slurred—or was his hearing becoming somewhat warped? “Nope.” He sat up straight and jerked his thumb to his chest awkwardly. “I’m never getting married. As of today, wife is a four-letter word.”
    â€œAlan,” Pamela said, leaning forward, “ wife has always been a four-letter word.”
    He frowned. “You know what I mean.”
    Feeling a little tipsy herself, Pamela looked across the sticky table at her drinking companion and a feeling akin to envy crept over her. She wondered what it would feel like to have a man so in love with you that he’d swear off marriage completely if he couldn’t have you. Pam bit her bottom lip. She’d known Jo Montgomery for years, and her best friend had always demonstrated remarkable good sense—until today.
    What could have possessed her to abandon her faithful boyfriend of three years at the altar to marry a widower with three kids? Granted, Jo had confided that her and Alan’s sexual relationship left a little to be desired—and personally, Pam found Alan quite bookish and dull, but even a boring man didn’t deserve to be jilted. But she knew Jo felt bad because she’d asked Pam to go after him. Even though she didn’t say it, Pam knew Jo feared Alan might do something impulsive and self-destructive.
    She watched as Alan tilted his head back and emptied his glass. In high school, Pam had triumphantly dubbed him “the Ken doll”, a nickname she still used in conversations with Jo, much to Jo’s