Read Online Diving In by Gretchen Galway - Free Book Online Page B

didn’t notice, though,” he went on, unable to hold his laughter any longer. “Or are you waiting until after the wedding before you go that far?”
    “I’m sending the invitation to your place in San Francisco. And if you don’t send back the RSVP envelope, I won’t let you in the church.” Then she hung up.
    Feeling a little guilty, but still chuckling, he walked into the springy lawn of the courtyard. He waited a minute before calling her back.
    “Sorry I was a dick,” he said. “So to speak. Not one-hundred-percent dick, of course—”
    “I’ve got you all figured out.”
    “I’m so glad,” he said.
    “You’re jealous.”
    He snorted. “Of Oliver Allpenis?”
    “You’re making fun of his name just because your life is empty.”
    “It isn’t…”
    “You’re worried about turning thirty. You’re ready to find your own soul mate.”
    “Maybe your dude has a cousin.” He put his hands on his hips. “Vanessa Vagina, perhaps.”
    “You always make jokes when you’re hiding your feelings.”
    “Okay, last year I might have said something about wanting to settle down, but I’m over it. I’ve got more on my plate now. Serious stuff. Mom and Dad were already retired by the time they turned thirty. I’m just getting started.”
    “You’re lonely.”
    “That’s irrelevant. I’m not going to date anyone seriously until I’ve got my first mother lode in the bank.”
    “You’re being stupid,” Rachel said. “And so’s Dad. There’s no reason for you to try to get rich when the family has more than we know what to do with. Mom would never agree with what Dad’s doing. All you have to do is talk to her—”
    “Never. This is between me and Dad.” He shook his head. “No, scratch that. It’s between me and myself. It has nothing to do with him. I need to do this for myself.”
    “Then get a regular job. You know people. You don’t have expensive taste—you don’t need a fortune. Become a dog-walker, or work in Jordan’s restaurant—you don’t need to be rich to be in love.”
    He ran his hand through his hair. “We had it so good,” he said. “I want my own kids to have the same great childhood.”
    “Oh, Ansel, you’re just as ready to settle down as I am,” she said. “Let me help. I have tons of friends all over the world. There has to be somebody who we could both tolerate.”
    “That’s so romantic of you.”
    “A woman.” She smiled. “I’ll find you a woman. Then you can bring her to my wedding and enjoy yourself.”
    “No. Congratulations on your impending nuptials with Lord Phallis-on-Trent. Leave my love life alone, and I promise I won’t say another word about it.”
    “But I know so many great women…”
    “You want me to show up at your wedding, you stop talking about setting me up. Got it?”
    “But…”
    “I’m serious, Rachel. No.”
    “Not even a teacher? She’s totally cool. Funny, smart, cute—”
    “No.”
    “Fine, fine,” she said. “Whatever you want. I’d never do anything you didn’t want me to.”
    “Except get married,” he said before hanging up.
    * * *
    Nicki managed to avoid him for three days. As promised, he didn’t intrude. They ate their meals separately, nodded at each other from a distance, kept to themselves.
    She thought she was doing pretty well until she talked to Betty on Thursday afternoon. Apparently, her achievement in the wading pool wasn’t as impressive as she thought.
    “I’m sure it meant a lot to you,” Betty said, “but it doesn’t really translate to the blog. People could relate to you lusting after the unattainable Thor, but I’m afraid this just makes you look kind of insane.”
    Nicki was sitting on the balcony eating a peanut butter and pineapple sandwich, her main source of nutrients. Maui was painfully expensive. “Thanks.”
    “Just looking out for you,” Betty said.
    “Since when?”
    “Fine. I’m looking out for the blog. People like to laughwhen they read Phoebe, not get