Catch Me If You Can by Donna Kauffman Read Free Book Online Page A

woman presentl y grabbing around the floor for her clothes. And got her second shock of the afternoon. Her anger wheezed out of her, along with her breath. “Priss?”
    Her best—former best—friend paused in mid-panty retrieval and attempted an apologetic smile. Her thick brown hair was a rat’s nest, probably from Jory grabbing the back of it in his fist, and her neck—and her thighs, bitch—were red and splotchy from razor burn. Topping it off was the flushed glow and glassy-eyed satisfaction, both oh so familiar to Maura. Somehow the apologetic smile didn’t go a long way toward easing the tension screaming between them. Or even a short way. Because, in truth, this betrayal was far harder to take than Jory’s.
    “How could you do it to me?” she asked, her voice choked with hurt and stunned disbelief. It was harsh enough discovering how cavalierly the bond of a trusted friendship could be broken and tossed aside. She’d be damned if she’d give either one of them an inch of her pride. Anger made a welcome and strong resurgence.
    Priss lifted one softly rounded shoulder. Everything about Priss was softl y rounded. And petite. In direct contrast with Maura, who was a wee bit taller than average, with long, wiry limbs and a narrow frame. It had never really been a sore point for her before. Funny how things change.
    “I’m so sorry,” she said quietly, remorse clear in her eyes.
    “I trusted you,” Maura said. “With … everything. I’ve bared my soul to you. And this is how you honor that? By baring yours to the guy I’m sleeping with?”
    “Hey, now—” Jory began, only to be waved silent by both women.
    Priss gathered herself, her mouth pursing, as a hint of steel came into her own blue-eyed gaze. “I said I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t exactly plan this. I have no excuse. Well, an explanation maybe, but you’re not in any frame of mind to hear it now. And nothing excuses this,” she gestured to the bed, to a still-naked Jory. “ I know. But, Mo, honestl y, it’s not like you two were any great love match. I know that better than anyone. Besides, we both know your track record at long-term relationships, and, well, it’s been six months. That’s a record for you. You two wouldn’t have lasted the winter and you know it.” She didn’t so much speak with defiance, as with, well, pity. As if this was all the result of Maura being somehow lacking, and therefore should have expected something like this to happen.
    Maura felt like she’d been slapped twice.
    It didn’t matter that, for the most part, what Priss said was true. Sure, six months pretty much matched her personal best for relationship longevity, and yes, she’d been questioning whether she was keeping Jory around because she hones tl y saw their relationship going somewhere, or because she’d been going through a tough time lately and winters in Ballantrae were cold and lonely enough as it was. But that didn’t give Priss the right to make that decision for her. “So what, you thought you’d help me out?” She struggled to decide how she should feel, how to act. Anger and hurt and confusion were all twisted up inside her. “You couldn’t have waited? You didn’t even tell me you were interested in him.”
    Priss began pulling on enough clothing to be decent. Which, of course, was all a matter of opinion. Maura was of a mind that while Priss’s lit tl e black skirt and skimpy white stretch top might have covered her former best friend’s bits and pieces, it could hardly be called decent. “I wanted to,” she said at last, and with surprising emotion, “many times. But what was I going to say? ‘If you’re not going to get serious, could I have a go at him?’ ” She sighed heavily, and if Maura wasn’t mistaken, Priss was just as twisted up emotionally at the moment as she was.
    Of course, Maura wasn’t feeling particularly sympathetic about that .
    “I was going to wait,” Priss said. “I didn’t come up here