Read Online Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennifer Crusie
Tags: Contemporary
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no. I should have gone."
The regret in her voice hurt. "If you want to go," he said, "go. I'll take care of Lu. You're still young. Close this place and go."
Chloe slapped down the spatula, and he stepped back in surprise. "See? That's why you're such a son of a bitch.
If you'd throw a fit, if you'd cheat, if you'd act like your dad, I could walk out and be free, but you're always so damn decent about everything and you make it so hard-" She broke off.
"Hey." Gabe put his arms around her. "I can be lousy. Let's talk about astrology."
"I have to go away," Chloe said into his chest. "Just for a little while."
"I've got you covered," Gabe said, his cheek against her hair. "How much money do you need?"
She pulled away and smacked him on the chest. "Stop it. I have to do this on my own."
"Okay." Gabe let go of her and took another bite of cookie. "Do you have any money?"
"Yes," Chloe said. "I know this place doesn't look like it right now, but it's been doing pretty good."
"Okay," Gabe said. "Are you going to get mad if I tell you to call if you need anything?"
"Yes," Chloe said. "But I'll call anyway."
She looked so sweet standing there, flushed from the heat of the oven and from her own frustration, and he knew it really was over, he'd known it for days, maybe longer than that. He bent and kissed her one last time, softly, and she put her hand on his cheek and said, "I really do love you."
"I love you, too," Gabe said. "Just do me a favor and make sure the guy who replaces me deserves you. I sure as hell didn't."
"You're doing it again," Chloe said. "Just stop it. Act like your dad for once."
"Astrology is crap," Gabe said, and she smiled and shook her head.
"Tell me that when I come back and you're madly in love with Nell," she said.
"God forbid," Gabe said and went back to his office.
When Nell had slammed open the door to the insurance agency an hour earlier, her old assistant Peggy had said, "Nell!" sounding pathetically grateful to see her, but Nell had kept right on going and banged open Tim's office door without knocking.
"Nell!" Tim looked up, as handsome as ever, and got to his feet. "How nice-"
"You lied to me," Nell said through her teeth, and his smile vanished. "You cheated on me."
Tim's surprise shifted to cautious sympathy. "I'm sorry, Nell. I was hoping you'd never find out."
"I bet you were, you son of a bitch," Nell said, and Tim jerked his head back.
"It wasn't like that," he said, looking wounded. "I didn't want to hurt you. And I didn't really lie. Our marriage had been dead for years."
"Had it? Well, gee, then why we were still sleeping together and running a business and-"
"Because I didn't realize it." Tim sat on the corner of his desk, professional, adult, calm, and understanding in a shirt another woman had picked out. "It wasn't until I met Whitney that I realized there was more to life than insurance and…" He spread his hands, helplessly. "…I had to follow my heart." He smiled at her sadly. "The heart has its reasons."
Nell looked around for something to throw, something to hit him with, something that would jolt him out of this calm, let's-all-be-adults hypocrisy and into something a little more satisfying. Like naked terror.
"Don't take it personally, it didn't have anything to do with you," Tim said, and Nell saw the Icicles lined up behind him-fourteen awards for best Ohio agent of the year-and felt suddenly, insanely calm.
"Well, don't take this personally, either, sweetie," she said and walked behind him while he slid off the corner of the desk to get out of her way. She picked up the first of the crystal statues and smashed it on the desk where he'd been sitting. It splintered into shards, almost exploding on impact, making a huge gouge in the mahogany, and she thought, Yes, as Tim yelled, "No!"
"I've just realized that you are a completely worthless human being," Nell said, picking up another Icicle. "I spent a year and a half in purgatory because you're such a
The regret in her voice hurt. "If you want to go," he said, "go. I'll take care of Lu. You're still young. Close this place and go."
Chloe slapped down the spatula, and he stepped back in surprise. "See? That's why you're such a son of a bitch.
If you'd throw a fit, if you'd cheat, if you'd act like your dad, I could walk out and be free, but you're always so damn decent about everything and you make it so hard-" She broke off.
"Hey." Gabe put his arms around her. "I can be lousy. Let's talk about astrology."
"I have to go away," Chloe said into his chest. "Just for a little while."
"I've got you covered," Gabe said, his cheek against her hair. "How much money do you need?"
She pulled away and smacked him on the chest. "Stop it. I have to do this on my own."
"Okay." Gabe let go of her and took another bite of cookie. "Do you have any money?"
"Yes," Chloe said. "I know this place doesn't look like it right now, but it's been doing pretty good."
"Okay," Gabe said. "Are you going to get mad if I tell you to call if you need anything?"
"Yes," Chloe said. "But I'll call anyway."
She looked so sweet standing there, flushed from the heat of the oven and from her own frustration, and he knew it really was over, he'd known it for days, maybe longer than that. He bent and kissed her one last time, softly, and she put her hand on his cheek and said, "I really do love you."
"I love you, too," Gabe said. "Just do me a favor and make sure the guy who replaces me deserves you. I sure as hell didn't."
"You're doing it again," Chloe said. "Just stop it. Act like your dad for once."
"Astrology is crap," Gabe said, and she smiled and shook her head.
"Tell me that when I come back and you're madly in love with Nell," she said.
"God forbid," Gabe said and went back to his office.
When Nell had slammed open the door to the insurance agency an hour earlier, her old assistant Peggy had said, "Nell!" sounding pathetically grateful to see her, but Nell had kept right on going and banged open Tim's office door without knocking.
"Nell!" Tim looked up, as handsome as ever, and got to his feet. "How nice-"
"You lied to me," Nell said through her teeth, and his smile vanished. "You cheated on me."
Tim's surprise shifted to cautious sympathy. "I'm sorry, Nell. I was hoping you'd never find out."
"I bet you were, you son of a bitch," Nell said, and Tim jerked his head back.
"It wasn't like that," he said, looking wounded. "I didn't want to hurt you. And I didn't really lie. Our marriage had been dead for years."
"Had it? Well, gee, then why we were still sleeping together and running a business and-"
"Because I didn't realize it." Tim sat on the corner of his desk, professional, adult, calm, and understanding in a shirt another woman had picked out. "It wasn't until I met Whitney that I realized there was more to life than insurance and…" He spread his hands, helplessly. "…I had to follow my heart." He smiled at her sadly. "The heart has its reasons."
Nell looked around for something to throw, something to hit him with, something that would jolt him out of this calm, let's-all-be-adults hypocrisy and into something a little more satisfying. Like naked terror.
"Don't take it personally, it didn't have anything to do with you," Tim said, and Nell saw the Icicles lined up behind him-fourteen awards for best Ohio agent of the year-and felt suddenly, insanely calm.
"Well, don't take this personally, either, sweetie," she said and walked behind him while he slid off the corner of the desk to get out of her way. She picked up the first of the crystal statues and smashed it on the desk where he'd been sitting. It splintered into shards, almost exploding on impact, making a huge gouge in the mahogany, and she thought, Yes, as Tim yelled, "No!"
"I've just realized that you are a completely worthless human being," Nell said, picking up another Icicle. "I spent a year and a half in purgatory because you're such a
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