Read Online Jumped by Colette Auclair - Free Book Online Page A

but that shirt and jacket he’s wearing tonight are yummy.”
    â€œHe wasn’t supposed to have become an architect! He was supposed to have stayed on the construction crew and then gone out drinking every night after work with the rest of the losers and never had a rewarding romantic relationship and been miserable for the rest of his life. And gotten fat. And had a comb-over and boils! He wasn’t supposed to be so . . . successful. Or so apparently happy.” She sipped again.
    â€œI’m sorry, my little gloomy Gladys. But why do you care so much? You have nothing to do with him, the same way Coco Chanel had nothing to do with overaccessorizing. Why does it matter?”
    â€œBecause. Because I . . . I guess I hoped he . . .” She crinkled her nose because it was tingling and she was not about to cry.
    â€œYou would have preferred he be a tad more devastated and preferably emotionally paralyzed because you’re no longer wed? Because if he couldn’t go on without you, it would have been proof of how much he loved you?”
    There was Harris’s insight again, sharp as a farrier’s hoof knife. She nodded. “He became what he’s always wanted to be, with his own business. He got over me and our divorce like it never happened. He’s fine with everything. He doesn’t mind one bit that we’re not together anymore. Worse, he’s been thriving since I’ve been out of his life. It’s like I was this big cement block he was chained to.
    â€œAnd what have I done since we split? Here’s what I’ve done. I quit the one thing I’m good at. I stopped teaching kids and taking them to horse shows. I’m still showing, but I’m not Amanda—I enjoy it, but I don’t have her drive, or her talent, for that matter. I could give a rat’s ass about the Olympics, and it’s all she’s ever wanted. I still have some students, but only to pay the bills. It’s okay, but I don’t love it. I used to love it; it used to define who I was. But I don’t anymore. I tried working for my father—that was a disaster. When I got interested in clothing design, I got a job at Banana Republic. I lasted about a week because I told the customers the truth about how they looked in the clothes.”
    Harris almost snorted champagne through his nose.
    â€œ I wasn’t supposed to be the big loser. He was. But it’s me . I had the privileged upbringing, not him! I had the advantages. And now I’m thirty-one and still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. I don’t even have a home since I moved out of our old Ocala apartment. My stuff’s in storage. I’m a vagrant! An unemployed vagrant. And Finn’s a flippin’ architect.” She took a healthy swig of her champagne.
    â€œYou’re an entrepreneurial vagrant. What about your clothing line?”
    â€œWith my stellar track record, I give it six months, tops.”
    â€œThat’s the spirit! The ol’ can’t-do attitude! Finn might be a flippin’ architect, but you’re a flippin’ clothing designer, marketer, and retailer all wrapped up in one adorable, personable package. You’re launching a business, which a lot of people are too scared to even attempt. It takes a shitload of courage.”
    â€œI’m only doing it because it’s the only thing I could think of that’s mildly appealing and I might be able to make a living at. If I really had courage, I’d run a horse rescue. But you can’t make a living saving horses.”
    â€œLook at me,” Harris said, and she did. “You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and, gosh darn it, people like you. You can do whatever you want. Don’t sell yourself short just because you’re disappointed that someone who done you wrong has done well.”
    â€œI know. Let’s add immaturity to my list,