Waiting for Cary Grant by Mary Matthews Read Free Book Online

see what you come up with.”
    “That’s cool. Just delegate it. You could tell me your problems, Stephanie. I’ll work on them.”
    She drew back. The briefcase had doubled in weight. Why hadn’t she just shut up?
    “Oh sure. Wouldn’t that be convenient?”
    “Okay. Maybe when the case is over?” He sounded hopeful. A rising intonation had turned the phrase into a question like a voice on a foreign language tape. She reached to touch him. Her fingertips traced his soft cotton shirt, revealing hard muscle underneath. Warmth surged from him.
    Then she remembered hearing he had a lingerie model girlfriend with the I.Q. of a goldfish.
    “I don’t think this is about being opponents, Harlan. You like my mind. You’re entertained by my schoolgirl crush. And in return, I get the friendship and advice of the lawyer I admire more than any other. But I think we both know when know that when you go home at night, you like to play with Barbie.”
    “That’s cold. Did you ever think that she might be sweeter than you?”
    “You can’t tell me that. I’ve heard about her.”

Chapter Fourteen
    “H ere, I brought you some new bulbs. They use less energy.” Lana’s Mom, Natalie, walked through the door of the house Lana bought herself as if it was her teenage room at home.
    “These bulbs don’t get as hot.”Natalie fanned herself.
    “Shhh, Mom. This is my favorite part.” Lana said. For the weekend, she had picked up “The Awful Truth” starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a married couple about to divorce and mounting a ferocious custody battle over their dog: Mr. Smith, who looked like a large but adorable terrier.
    Irene Dunne’s character wins the dog but still yearns for Cary Grant. Though he may yearn for his estranged wife too, that doesn’t prevent testosterone driven Cary from rapidly becoming engaged to a debutante. Lana loved it when Irene Dunne, the wife goes to Cary Grant’s house, and realizes she’s still in love with him. When the debutante calls, and Irene Dunne answers, Cary says she’s his sister. Lamest old line in the world.
    But then, he realizes he still loves her too. When Cary Grant says, “Marriage is based on faith—if you lose that you lose everything.” Lana always cried.
    Sometimes, in the middle of a therapy session, she wanted to scream that she understood. With any love, you have to believe in a vow that could be broken. Some people break and never get put back together again. She had to convince Kathy to believe in something she was too afraid to risk herself. Love.
    “What’s this? Every Girl Should Be Married? Well, at least the title’s a good start.”
    “Give me that.” Lana grabbed the DVD from her mother.
    “Lana, I’m the only one in my club who doesn’t have grandkids.”
    “Moxie and Baby are your grandkids.” She affectionately played with one of Moxie’s ears.
    “I want a two-legged one.” Natalie insisted.
    Lana stared at Cary Grant and lucky Irene Dunne on the screen. Her heart melted. She yearned for love. For someone who cared if she was alive or dead at the end of the day.
    “What’s the point if it’s not good? What’s the point if it’s not about love?” Lana asked.
    “The point is to not be alone with a furry little animal in your lap at night. I love Baby and Moxie. But it’s not enough. Why don’t you go on the Internet?”
    “The Internet! Don’t you know how dangerous that is? You’re my mother! You’re supposed to be warning me away from the Internet. Not telling me to jump on it!”
    “Well, a lot of people are meeting that way. And if you would just pick someone, get married and get pregnant, you could put this whole nightmare behind you.”
    “My life’s not a nightmare.” Lana protested. Did you ever see “A Touch of Mink?” Lana asked her.
    “Of course. When I was your age, my fiancee and I would go to the movies.”
    “There’s a part where Cary Grant tells Doris Day that after they get married, and return