Resilient (2) by Nikki Mathis Thompson Read Free Book Online Page A

just between gigs at the moment.” They all rolled their eyes, typical Maddie.  
    “And when was his last gig, pray tell?” Paige asked.
    “Um, I think he mentioned something about last summer.”
    “Stop dating these dead beats, Maddie, for fuck sake! If you’re gunning for some Nobel prize for loving between job slackers, then mission fucking accomplished. For the love of   wealthy men everywhere, give it a rest. You are gorgeous; stop dating losers or I’m going to stab you with something very sharp. Maybe in the eye, maybe right in your vagina…I haven’t decided yet,” Charlie scolded.
    “Fine! I’ll go talk to him. But if I fall asleep standing up while he regales me with stories of his courtroom adventures, I’m gonna kick your bony ass. Capiche?” She flipped us off and walked away. They all grinned at each other and Charlie gave them a wink. Sometimes Maddie needed a little tough love.
    “What is a handsome single lawyer doing out here in the suburbs in a big house all by himself?” Katrine inquired. He was gorgeous, but when it came to her sister she was always protective and there was something strange about the situation.
    “I don’t know the details, but he confided in Michael, so I’m sharing second hand dude info here. Apparently, he was engaged and moved here first to start his new job. She was going to join him later. I don’t know what happened, but she never came, and he’s now in a big house with no fiancée. It’s really sad. I’m sure he had intended to fill it with kids and now it’s empty.” Charlie furrowed her brow. She obviously liked this guy, so Katrine decided to trust Charlie’s judgment give him a break.
    “Well, he’d be barking up the wrong tree with Maddie if he wants to fill a house with kids,” Paige pointed out.
    “That may be true, but let’s see if they make it to the first date. The kid convo is a bit premature,” Katrine joked. She glanced over to where Maddie and Shawn were talking. Her sister threw her head back and laughed, so they seemed to be having an entertaining conversation. She would love to see her sister with someone who was stable, emotionally and financially. But Maddie had a revolving door kind of love life. She hoped one day that would come to an end. It had to, right?
      Charlie was off being hostess and Maddie was still talking to her foxy companion. So that left Katrine, Paige, and Izzie at the sweet side of the dining room table. They were oooing and aaahing at the variety of temptations.  
    “Oh yum, look at all of these pastries. I love the cream filled ones.” Paige got very animated when it came to dessert. For a split second, Katrine thought of another person she knew that had a serious sweet tooth, but she let that thought go as quickly as it had arrived.
    “No way, I can’t eat anything with cream in it. It looks like spoodge,” Izzie said with disgust.  
    “That’s revolting Iz, for god’s sake. Make me lose my appetite, why don’t you,” Katrine said, giving her a just-sucked-on-a-lemon face.
    “Well, it does. I can barely eat hot dogs,” Izzie added.
    “What’s wrong with hot dogs? No cream filled center there,” Paige noted as she piled her plate with   fluffy pastries and various fruits covered in dark chocolate.
    “Have you ever peeled the skin off of a hot dog? Think about it. Remind you of anything?” They all paused for a moment then made the connection. “See…penis in a bun, anyone? No gracias , if I’m going to put something that looks like a penis in my mouth, I want an orgasm in return. Ya know?”
    “Well, you can always diddle after a dog. Problem solved,” Paige smiled.
    “Thank you, guys. I’ll never eat a hot dog again,” Katrine said, turning to leave the buffet line before she really overdid it.
    “Why not?” Ian asked, having walked in on the tail end of their conversation. They all looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
    “A hot dog reminds me of a penis, that’s