The Invitation by Jude Deveraux Read Free Book Online Page A

Jackie.
    When the boys grew older and as big as their father, she couldn’t control them, and the letters she exchanged with Jackie became even more important in her life. Her husband’s attitude toward child rearing was that the meaner the boys were, the more masculine they were. The more often they got into trouble in school, the prouder he was of them. Terri tried to talk to him, to tell him that he was encouraging their delinquent behavior, but his reasoning was that this was the way he had been raised and he’d turned out all right. Terri knew better than to point out that he’d never been able to keep a job for longer than eight months because he got into fights with his bosses. His sons were turning out just like him, arguing with teachers and principals and store owners and anyone who happened to get in their way.
    Terri’s real life and the life she wrote Jackie about bore little relation to each other. Now that her big, awkward sons were nearly grown and were rarely at home, the brightest point in her life was these visits to the old ghost town to spend time with Jackie. She had no idea if Jackie knew the truth about her life. It wouldn’t have been too difficult for her to find out, as everyone in Chandler knew everyone else’s business, but somehow Terri doubted Jackie did. To the folks of Chandler, Jackie was a celebrity, and she didn’t think people would be rushing to tell her about Nobody Terri Pelman’s boring life.
    So, as often as possible, Terri visited Jackie, and the two of them kept up the façade of Terri’s splendid golden life in which she had everything: the steady love of a good man, three beautiful children who had turned into fine, upstanding young men, and a lovely, gracious home.
    â€œIt wasn’t like that,” Jackie said, laughing. “It wasn’t a romantic encounter. I mean, he did kiss me but—”
    â€œYou crash a plane, a gorgeous man comes out of the night, rescues you”—she raised her eyebrows—“and kisses you, and you say, ‘It wasn’t like that.’ So, Jackie, what was it like?”
    â€œTerri, you are incorrigible. I don’t think you’ll be happy until you get me married and pregnant.”
    â€œAnd why shouldn’t you be as miserable as the rest of us?”
    â€œSometimes I almost think you mean what you say. If I didn’t know the truth about how much you love that family of yours I’d—”
    â€œTell me!”
    â€œReally, there isn’t much to tell.” Actually, Jackie thought, that was the truth. What had passed between her and William could have been one-sided. She didn’t want to tell Terri what she was feeling and then end up looking as though she’d made a fool of herself over some man. And most definitely she did not want to tell Terri that this man was one of Jace and Nellie Montgomery’s sons. For some odd reason, Terri seemed to believe that every man in Chandler was worthless. Maybe she thought she’d gotten the only good one, or maybe it was just that familiarity breeds contempt. She’d known all the men of Chandler for so long that she considered them incapable of inspiring passion or even love. Terri had her own idea of a perfect man: the more exotic the better. She once asked Jackie how she could have been to France and not fallen in love with a Frenchman. “Or an Egyptian,” Jackie had said, laughing. “They’re the best-looking men on earth.”
    â€œThis is really a business arrangement. I mentioned my wanting to start a freight business, and he said he was looking for something to do, so it just happened. He’s gone to Denver to buy a couple of planes.”
    â€œAnd that’s it?”
    â€œThat’s all there is to it.”
    Terri didn’t say anything, but put her teacup down, leaned back in her chair, and stared at her friend. “I’m not leaving here until you tell