Read Online A Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr - Free Book Online Page A

middle-of-the-night babies. The joys of being the new guy.”
    â€œSpeaking of new guys…any in your life?” Cassie asked, because this was Cassie’s main interest. And one of the only things that perplexed her was how a woman as accomplished and beautiful as Beth remained completely unattached. True, Beth was hard to please, a perfectionist. But still, with that in mind, she figured Beth would have landed the perfect man by now.
    â€œYou’re kidding, right?” she said, sipping her tea. “I went out with an anal, boring internist a couple of times, but I’d rather have been reading a good novel. He almost put me to sleep.”
    â€œI guess he’s not getting an encore,” Marty said.
    â€œAbsolutely not. Honestly, I work, then I go home and sleep until the phone rings….”
    â€œHow are you liking the new clinic?” Cassie asked.
    â€œI’m going to like it a lot better when I’m not the newguy anymore, but it’s a great little shop. Good staff. A lot of fresh-faced young pregnant girls as well as some older pregnant women—one of our docs has a real nice fertility practice.” Then to Cassie she said, “How about you? Any new guys?”
    Cassie and Julie exchanged quick glances. Cassie hadn’t mentioned her incident to the others and, really, she just didn’t want to go through all that again, even in the telling. “I’ve sworn off men,” she said. “I draw only jerks and assholes.”
    Beth just laughed. “The right one will probably turn up when you least expect him.”
    â€œSo everyone says. I don’t think I care that much about the man, but it’s going to be damn hard to have children without one.”
    â€œYou don’t need a man to have a baby, Cassie,” Beth said.
    â€œGee, I know I didn’t get the best grades in school, but according to my biology teacher, that’s one of the things you absolutely do need,” Julie said.
    â€œWhat you need is sperm,” Beth said. And with a dismissive wave of her hand, she said, “Easy.”
    â€œHoly smokes,” Julie said.
    â€œGood idea,” Marty said. “Marriage is way overrated.”
    Julie’s gaze shot from Beth to Marty, but Cassie was focused on Beth. “Would you do something like that? Have a baby without a husband?”
    â€œI’m not in the market for a baby,” Beth said. “I have a feeling I’ll be better at delivering them than having them. But really, half the female doctors I know aremarried to doctors. They’re both under pressure, working long hours, and they do fine. It kind of looks like a good nanny is more valuable than a good husband.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, marriage is way overrated?” Julie asked Marty. And then she reached for Cassie’s glass of wine, but before taking a gulp, she slid it back.
    With precision timing, the salads arrived, along with a basket of warm, fresh bread.
    Julie wasn’t done with Marty. “What do you mean?” she asked. “I thought you and Joe invented marriage! You’re not having trouble or anything, are you?”
    Marty tore off a piece of bread and with a shrug said, “We’re fine. I guess. But I ask myself—is this it? Forever? This guy who lives like a slob and doesn’t want to do any of the things he liked to do before we were married? He used to take me out, you know. Movies, dinner, nice things. Now it’s sports or boating or camping. On his days off, he doesn’t bother to shower till he has to go back to work. I come home from work and it looks like some homeless guy broke into the house and tore the place up. And once he slipped the ring on, that was it for romance. Now foreplay at our house is, ‘You awake?’”
    Julie actually sprayed a mouthful of iced tea as she burst into laughter. When she came under control, fanning her face, grinning, she said, “I