A Brit on the Side (Castle Calder Book 1) by Brenda St John Brown Read Free Book Online

Claire nods. “Aren’t you the same age as us?”
    I feel the heat begin to creep up my neck. “Being engaged at twenty-four sounds dumb, but it seemed like the right thing at the time. Theo is a little older and he wanted to move things to the next level.”
    “Wow.” Claire takes a long swallow of wine. “And you didn’t, I assume? Judging by the past tense you used.”
    “I did for a long time.” I let out a sigh. “Until I didn’t.”
    As I take a gulp of wine, Scarlett says, “Theo is the quintessential perfect boyfriend.”
    “Ah, hence the problem?” Claire says, nodding.
    “Sort of.” Gah. I hate this twisty feeling I get whenever I try to explain what happened with Theo because nothing ever feels like a good enough explanation. “He’s great. He really is.”
    “Oh, Bea, he’s not.” Scarlett scowls at me. “He’s perfect on paper, but I’m sorry, any man on the planet who says you need to go running more because, well, your genes work against you, don’t they, is shite.”
    “He said that?” Claire’s mouth drops.
    “He did, but I don’t think he meant…”
    “He did.” Scarlett bangs her hand on coffee table. “I’m sorry. He had his good points, but at the end of the day, Theo wanted a Barbie doll. And I’ll give credit where credit is due, you tried very hard to be one, but --”
    “Everyone knows traditional Barbie dolls are completely unrealistic in their proportions. Even her head is out of line with the measurements of a real woman,” Jasper says from behind me.
    Oh. My. God. I pray for a sinkhole, an errant castle ghost, or a sudden power cut to save me from having to turn around and see the look on Jasper’s face. Because judging by the remark he just made, he heard more than enough of our conversation for me to feel like a complete moron.
    Scarlett nods. “Exactly my point.”
    She looks like she’s gearing up to continue, but Claire interrupts. “You know, who decided Barbie dolls represented the ideal woman, anyway? I mean, now they have the more realistic Barbies, but the traditional one is iconic and it’s not like she’s been forgotten. Even if we all know she’s unrealistic, the seed’s been planted she’s the ideal.”
    Scarlett nods again as Jasper slips into the wingback chair beside Claire and picks up the bottle of wine. “Any more glasses?” he asks.
    “Drink from the bottle. We’ll get another one,” Scarlett says. She turns to Claire. “The media, in general, does women no favors in representing the so-called ideal. Even the fact there is such a thing is degrading. It certainly doesn’t take into account any kind of diversity. Haven’t you seen those things on Facebook about beauty standards around the world? What’s considered beautiful in South America is very different than what’s considered beautiful in, say, New York, but media consistently holds up New York as the ideal, period.”
    Jasper takes a swallow from the bottle and I allow myself a glance at him, finally. He’s still wearing the trousers he had on before, but has ditched his sweater for a simple gray T-shirt. His hair is more tousled than it was this afternoon and it looks better, not worse. He puts the bottle back on the coffee table and says, “Let’s not pretend it’s only women. I know physical standards are more exacting for women, but there are pressures on men as well.”
    Scarlett scoffs and says, “Okay, but it’s like comparing apples to oranges…”
    Claire leans in and murmurs, “And they’re off.”
    I straighten, but don’t let myself look at her. If I had any doubt she intentionally threw me a save, it’s gone now, though I’m not sure why she did it. Was it because she could sense I was embarrassed by Scarlett raking Theo over the coals? Or was it because she could sense I didn’t want Jasper weighing in on a conversation about my love life? If it was the latter, I assume it was because Claire wouldn’t want a guy she barely knows judging