Menopause to Matrimony (Fortytude Series Book 2) by Shelly Hickman Read Free Book Online Page B

Coke.
    “How long have you two been together, anyway?” Seth’s date, Marie, is seated across from me. I wonder how old she is, because she’s definitely not our age. My guess would be mid-thirties. Very attractive, and appears to be of some mid-Eastern descent.
    “A little over three years,” I say.
    “Anna and Kiran are recently engaged,” Seth informs her.
    Marie’s face lights up. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”
    “So how long have you two known each other?” Kiran asks.
    Seth and Marie give each other knowing little smiles, and she playfully bumps into him. With his elbows propped on the table, he peers down at his drink.
    “We go back a while.” Marie nods and grins. “About ten years, wouldn’t you say?” She furrows her brow, looking to him for confirmation.
    I’m a terrible, terrible person, because all I start doing is the math at this point. Okay, maybe she just looks young for her age. But, say she’s thirty-five, that would have made her twenty-five when they met. Which would have made him forty-three. The age difference doesn’t seem like such a big deal now, but I cannot for the life of me picture myself dating a twenty-five-year-old when I was forty-three. Then again, I don’t get the feeling they’re exactly dating .
    “What do you do for a living?” I ask Marie.
    “Oh, I work here. I don’t mean in this restaurant.” She laughs. “I basically cater to all our high rollers. You know, make their dinner reservations, get them show tickets, get them into the nightclubs. All that good stuff.”
    “We can thank Marie for the booth we’ll have at the club tonight,” Seth says.
    Kiran and I both nod with appreciation.
    “So what do you do?” Marie asks in return.
    “I’m a physical therapist.”
    “Anna has her own practice,” Kiran says proudly as he places his arm behind me.
    Marie finishes the last sip of her Cosmo and sets her glass down. “Really? That’s impressive.”
    I shrug and smile. “It’s not all that impressive, but thank you.”
    “How long have you been doing that, Anna?” Seth asks, cutting into his steak.
    “Basically since I finished school. I like it. I’d have to say the most annoying part is dealing with insurance. These poor people sign up with these fly-by-night health insurance companies, and then when it’s time to make a claim, the company won’t cover it. I’ve had to stop accepting a few plans, and I hate having to do that.”
    “Yeah, health care is so fucked up in this country, isn’t it?” Seth says.
    Oh God. What have I done? I did not mean to steer this conversation into anything political.
    “Yeah. Well… It is what it is, I guess.” Looking to change the subject at breakneck speed, I continue. “What about you, Seth? You enjoy real estate?” Ah crap! This may not go well, either. Given how the real estate market has been affected by the economy the past several years.
    Somehow I get the feeling my concern shows in my face, because Seth just grins at me while he chews his food. “It’s all good, Anna.”
    ***
    An hour later, we’re at the club, and the place is wall to wall people. I’m on my third drink in as many hours, but it’s safe to say the boys and Marie are slightly toasted. I love dancing, but feel self-conscious in this crowd. For the most part, it’s made up of beautiful, hip, meticulously dressed twenty- and thirty-somethings, and I need a few more cocktails under my belt before feeling comfortable enough to get on the floor. But I can’t drink any more. I offered to be the designated driver. Marie is already out there as I sit wedged between Kiran and Seth in the booth. Not a word can be heard over this music, so they have to shout across me.
    “Are you going to dance?” Kiran asks in my ear.
    From the floor, Marie is motioning for me to join her.
    “Uhhh, technically I require more of a buzz than this, but I guess so.”
    Kiran stands to let me out of the booth, and then smacks me on the butt