Read Online A Table for Two by Janet Albert - Free Book Online Page B

been a while, hasn't it?"
    "You know it has, not that it's any of your business. I think the need for sex is highly over-rated. I do get lonely at times, but who doesn't? I'm busy, I have friends and I've come to realize that I'm better off alone. Relationships are nothing but trouble." Dana's words rang false in her own ears but she needed to hide in the safety of them and she'd recited those words to herself so many times she'd almost come to believe them. Right now, what she needed was to convince Tracy that they were true.
    "You want to be alone forever? That's absurd. You're not that kind of person."
    "I'm touched by your concern, really I am, and I love you for it, but you're wrong. I am that kind of person. I'm not unhappy and I have everything I've ever dreamed of. What more could I possibly want?"
    Tracy shrugged her shoulders. "I have no answer for that. You obviously need to believe your own distorted logic. I just happen to know we all need love and I'm pretty sure that includes you. I'm convinced it's what life is all about and the longer I live, the more I think it's the only thing that really matters."
    "I've heard this all before, but it's not for me. I can do without love." Dana rubbed her eyes to ward off the beginnings of a headache. "Once was more than enough. I don't feel like setting myself up for that kind of misery ever again." She stopped rubbing her eyes and blinked several times to bring them into focus. "What's wrong with being alone? Do we all have to be with someone in order to be all right?"
    "Nobody has to be with anybody if you come right down to it. It's not about that."
    "Tracy, please give me a break. For some reason, I feel like an emotional train wreck today and talking about this is upsetting me even more."
    Tracy walked over to Dana and took her hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you felt that way. What's bothering you?"
    "I wish I knew." She squeezed Tracy's hand.
    "I'm here if you need me. I hope you know that."
    "I do." Tears welled up in Dana's eyes.
    "Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you. Sometimes I have a big fat know-it-all mouth." Tracy draped her arms around Dana's shoulders. "Why don't you go upstairs and do something nice for yourself to take your mind off things. You don't have to do anything for the rest of the day but hang out and take it easy."
    "I think I will. Maybe I'll unpack a few more boxes." Dana wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I think I'll call my mother and talk to her and then I'll give my sister a call. Do you want to come down later and watch a movie? I'll make popcorn."
    "Sounds like fun, but I can't tonight. I have a date."
    "You have a date? Why didn't you tell me?" Dana asked.
    "I haven't had a chance," Tracy told her.
    "Who is she? Where did you meet her?"
    "Her name's Erika. She owns a little shop on the corner of Ninth and South. I went in there to buy some candles and incense last week and we got to talking. The next thing I knew, she was flirting with me and she was so cute, I flirted right back."
    "Is it that great smelling shop with all the new-age stuff? The one that has the jewelry and crystals and the yoga classes upstairs?"
    "That's the one and she's the yoga instructor," Tracy confirmed.
    "Get out of here."
    "It's the truth." Mischief took over Tracy's face. "I've heard they have amazing flexibility and can twist their bodies into some very interesting positions."
    "Shame on you, Tracy, you are so bad." Dana tried not to smile.
    "That's not bad, it's good." Tracy made no attempt to hide her wicked thoughts.
    "I see your point and I want to hear all about it tomorrow--well, maybe not all about it. You can keep the sordid details to yourself."
    "It's our first date, so there probably won't be any sordid details to report. However, if things should happen to go that way, I'll give you the R-rated version, okay?"
    "Make it PG, will you? I don't want to get too worked up."
    "Will you be all right this evening?" All the mischief vanished from