huh?â
âNo,â Annie said sharply.
âI still think youâre nuts. Whatâre you trying to prove, anyway?â
âThat I donât need his money.â
âOr him?â Deb said softly. Annie looked at her and Deb shrugged. âI saw you guys on the dance floor. Things looked pretty cozy, for a while there.â
âYou saw the past worm its way into the present. Trust me, Deb. That part of my life is over. I donât feel a thing for Chase. I canât quite believe I ever did.â
âI understand. A nostalgia trip, hmm?â
âExactly. Brought on by my little girlâs wedding...â Annie paused, swallowed hard and suddenly burst into tears.
âOh, sweetie.â Deb jumped from the couch and squatted down beside Annie. She wrapped her arms around her and patted her back. âHoney, donât cry. Itâs not so unusual to still have a thing going for your ex, you know. Especially when heâs hunky, the way Chase is.â
âHeâs getting married,â Annie sobbed.
âChase?â
âTo Janet Pendleton.â
âAm I supposed to know her?â
âI hope not.â Annie hiccuped. âSheâs rich. Gorgeous. Smart.â
âI hate her already.â Deb put her hand under Annieâs chin and urged it to rise. âAre you sure?â
âHe told me so.â Annie sat back, dug a hanky out of her cleavage where sheâd stuffed it after the ceremony and blew her nose. âSo I told him Iâm marrying Milton.â
âMilton? As in, Milton Hoffman?â Deb rocked back on her heels. âMy God, you wouldnât!â
âWhy not? Heâs single, heâs dependable and heâs nice.â
âSo is a teddy bear,â Deb said in horror. âBetter you should take one of those to bed than Milton Hoffman.â
âOh, Deb, thatâs not fair.â Annie got to her feet. âThereâs more to a relationship than sex.â
âName it.â
âCompanionship, for one thing. Similar interests. Shared dreams.â
âAnd you can have enough of those things with Milton to make you forget all the rest?â
âYes!â Annieâs shoulders slumped. âNo,â she admitted. âIsnât that awful? I like Milton, but I donât love him.â
Deb heaved a sigh as she stood up. âThank you, God. For a minute there, I thought youâd gone around the bend.â
âNot only am I sex-obsessedââ
âYouâre not. Sex is a big part of life.â
ââbut Iâve used poor Milton badly. Now Iâve got to call him up and tell him I didnât mean it when I introduced him to Chase as my fiancé.â
âWow,â Deb said softly. âYou certainly have had a busy day.â
âA messy day, is what you mean.â
âDonât kill me for saying this, but maybe you should rethink things. I mean, I know heâs getting married and all, but maybe you do still have a thing for your ex.â
âI wouldnât care if he were living in a monastery!â Annieâs eyes flashed. âI do not have a âthingâ for Chase. I admit, Iâm upset, but itâs because my babyâs gotten herself married.â
âYou know what they say, Annie. We only raise children to let go of them once they grow up.â
Annie tucked the hanky back into her cleavage, picked up the champagne bottle and headed for the kitchen.
âItâs not letting go of her that upsets me, Deb. Itâs that sheâs so young. Too young, Iâm afraid, to make such a commitment.â
âWell,â Deb said, folding her arms and leaning against the door frame, âyou were young when you got hitched, too.â
Annie sighed. âExactly. And look where it led me. I thought I knew what I was doing but it turned out I didnât. It was hormones, not intelligence, thatââ The