For Love of Charley by Katherine Allred Read Free Book Online

my guess would be, he noticed.”
Frannie stood, grabbing the wine and both glasses. “Let’s move into the living
room so we can prop our feet up.”
    The room spun a little as Charley followed,
but it was a pleasant sensation, and she could feel her tight muscles beginning
to ease. “How much of that stuff have I had?”
    Frannie looked at the bottle critically
before sinking onto the couch. “About three glasses, I think. You did drink
them kind of fast though.” She patted the couch next to her. “Now, sit down and
tell me all about it.”
    Charley flopped onto the sofa and picked up
her glass. “What am I going to do, Frannie? I’ve been in love with him since
grade school.” She took another long drink.
    “That’s the reason you don’t date. I knew
it! You are still in love with him!”
    “I don’t know any other way to be.”
    “You could just give in to it. God knows,
he’s a hunk. A roll in the hay would do you a world of good.”
    “Don’t be stupid. After what he did to me,
I can’t trust him. I don’t even know if he’s married, or engaged, or seeing
someone.” She finished her wine, and groaned. “How am I going to face him every
day and stay sane?”
    “Did he do or say anything today that might
make you think he’s interested?”
    “No.” She frowned. “Not really. Well,
maybe.”
    “Which is it? Yes or no?”
    “No.” Charley sighed. When had Frannie
refilled her glass? She stared at it, her forehead wrinkling in an effort to
concentrate.
    “Well, in that case, I wouldn’t worry about
it. In a month or two, you’ll be so used to having him around that you won’t
even think about it.”
    “Two months?” Charley downed her wine in
one gulp, and then squinted to see Frannie better. “I have to feel like this
for two months?” Unsteadily, she held out her glass. “More.”
    “Okay, but if you throw up, you’re on your
own. Wine wasn’t meant to be guzzled.” She poured. “I know you don’t want to
hear this, but I really like Cole.”
    “Oh, sure. You get a promotion, a raise,
and free use of his credit card. Why wouldn’t you like him?” Wine sloshed over
the edge of her glass as she waved her hand for emphasis. “What do I get?
Someone to boss me around and break my heart all over again. Well, it’s not
going to happen. I’m a big girl now.”
    “The biggest,” Frannie agreed. “I mean that
figuratively, of course,” she hastily assured when Charley glared at her.
    “Are you drunk?” Charley attempted to arch
one brow and only managed to cross her eyes instead.
    Frannie fell over on the couch giggling.
“Not as drunk as you are, but give me a minute. I’ll catch up.”
    “Do you know what that bastard did to me?”
    “You mean besides break your heart and
leave you?”
    “Yeah,” Charley nodded. “Besides that. He
bought my house. My house!” She poked herself in the chest with one finger and
then rubbed the spot. “He promised me we’d live in that house together, and now
he’s bought it for himself.”
    “The bastard,” Frannie agreed solemnly. Suddenly
she sat up straight. “You know what we should do? We should go toilet paper his
yard.”
    “Oh, that’s good,” Charley stared at her
with admiration. “No, wait. We can’t. You’re too drunk to drive.”
    “Good point. Okay, I’ve got it. Let’s go
toilet paper Ben’s yard. He’s a male too, and it’s only two blocks to his
house. We can walk that.”
    “He’ll arrest us.”
    “No, he won’t. I’ll refuse to marry him if
he does.”
    Charley lurched to her feet and turned in a
complete circle. “I’ll get my shoes, you get the toilet paper.”
    Frannie took her by the shoulders and aimed
her at the hall. “Your room is that way.”
    “Right. I knew that.” She was upended in
the closet when Frannie yelled at her.
    “Hey, Charley. You only have two rolls
left.”
    Summoning all her power of rational
thought, Charley sat down in the closet floor, swatting at something