Read Online The Way They Were by Mary Campisi - Free Book Online Page A

why Clay happened to be waiting with a proposal or her part in it.
    “Mom, how could it have been any worse than having you almost thrown in prison for running over his mother?”
    There it was again, slapped right back in her face. “That woman lunged into the road, I swear on a stack of bibles before Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Judge Conroy believed me, too, you know he did.”
    “But they flew Mrs. Flannigan back to Chicago which left the town talking about you.”
    Georgeanne rubbed her leg and scrunched her eyes shut. “You know that was a very bad time in my life, and I would just as soon not dredge up the past.” Oh how she wished she’d timed her drink so she could have had it before Katie showed up. A good jolt of Smirnoff’s would have done the trick.
    “You brought it up, Mom. I’m just saying Rourke Flannigan is here to give his niece a slice of fresh air. That’s all.”
    Now why did Katie look away when she said that? Something was up; she could feel it in the flesh between her screws and plate. The man bore watching and Georgeanne Redmond was just the woman to do it. She’d gotten rid of him once before, she could do it again. Nobody was going to hurt her Katie.
    ***
    “You are not to go near that guy again, do you hear me?”
    Kate didn’t respond. She fingered the stone on the fireplace in the bedroom of the model and said, “His niece says he has a floor-to-ceiling fireplace in his fifth bedroom.”
    “So?”
    “We talked about building one.” She didn’t mention the heart-shaped tub.
    “Teenagers say a lot of things they don’t mean. If the world cried over every misspent emotion of a teenager, we’d have another ocean.”
    Kate couldn’t expect someone whose fiancé skipped out on her three days before the ceremony to understand about love. Angie had been hurt once, and she’d vowed never to let anyone get close again. “It was real, Angie. It wasn’t melodrama.”
    “Okay, so it was real. It was also fourteen years ago. What do you think Mr. GQ has been doing all this time? I’ll clue you in. He hasn’t been sitting home Saturday nights mooning over the fireplace you were planning to build together or getting the exact shade of purple for his turret.”
    “I know.”
    “The guy’s a player and he’s hell bent on playing you again.”
    “It won’t happen.”
    “Good.” Angie put her arm around Kate’s shoulder. “He’ll leave, you know. Just like before.”
    “He told me he was coming back.”
    “Of course he’d say that now.”
    “And the phone call—”
    “Kate. Stop it. The guy disappears for months and then supposedly calls you? I’m glad Clay answered, if Rourke even called. He wasn’t calling to propose, he just wanted to get laid again.”
    “Angie, don’t.”
    “Sorry. The truth isn’t always gentle.” She softened her voice and asked, “What do you think Mr. Princeton would have said if you’d told him you were carrying his baby?”
    “I don’t know.” The wondering had plagued her for years.
    “I do. He would have vaporized. Men like Rourke Flannigan do not get caught in traps. They set them.”
    “You’re probably right.”
    “And what about Clay? Not many men would feed their wife ice chips while she delivered another man’s baby.”
    “I know.” Guilt ripped through her. “He always deserved better than I could give him.”
    “You had a good life together.” Angie touched her arm. “You were happy. Weren’t you?”
    Kate looked away. “Of course.”
    “Then don’t upset your whole world for this guy. He isn’t worth it.”
    Kate nodded as a slow ache seeped through her. Angie was right. Rourke would only hurt her again and then he’d leave.
    “Kate? Are you listening?”
    The ache shifted to a burn as the truth surfaced. There was no protection from Rourke Flannigan. “The only time I really felt alive was when I was with him.”
    “Are you willing to risk Julia for that feeling?”
    “Of course not.”
    “Then you