Read Tomorrow's Promises (Bellingwood Book 7) for Free Online

these games before. She doesn't play them to participate. She plays to win and isn't satisfied until the object of her attention has dropped everything else to be hers. Then she finds some reason to hate him and moves on."
    Henry turned onto his side and ran his hand up and down Polly's back. "You know, I was reading an article a few weeks ago about people who were toxic friends. You might want to decide that Bunny isn't worth your effort. You are a better friend to her than she is to you."
    "No kidding," Polly said and rolled her shoulders under his hand. "This afternoon we had to hear all about her life. We had to hear about how much she hates her job and how she is never going to find a husband and will never have babies of her own. Not once did she ask about you and me. If Drea or Sal asked a question, it was all I could do to get a sentence or two out before she latched on to something that related to some other thing going on in her life and change the subject back to her. It didn't matter at all that we are celebrating our marriage this weekend. Everything was about me not finding her a date for dinner tonight. Can you even believe it? She can't freakin' be happy for me without making me feel guilty for not taking better care of her."
    Polly felt angry tears leak out of her eyes. "I'm so damned mad. I just want her gone. Why did I have to invite her?"
    "Because you are much too kind-hearted and she's been a close friend." Henry gave a small chuckle. "I was going to say that you were much too nice, but after that tongue-lashing you gave her at dinner, nice isn't a word any of us will use to describe you."
    "I wasn't that bad, was I?" Polly whimpered, feeling chagrined at what she had done.
    "Those times you took me out?" Henry said. "Those were gentle love-taps compared to what you did tonight."
    Polly flopped her head on the bed. "I'm a terrible person." She looked up at him. "Did I upset everyone?"
    "No honey." Henry stroked her back again. "You said exactly what we were all thinking. None of us had the courage to speak up and when it was over, we were pretty much relieved that her antics stopped. Nobody thinks less of you. I promise."
    After putting up with Bunny's self-centered behavior at lunch and then her whining for the rest of the afternoon, Polly prayed she'd be better was out with a large group. They had gone to a sports bar in Boone. It was the same place that she'd gone with Joey when he had been in town, but it had gone through several different owners and the Giggling Goat was now some generically named bar. The food was fine and the alcohol still got them tipsy, but it wasn't as much fun without the crazy name.
    When they were seated, Bunny managed to arrange it so she sat beside Mark Ogden. All through dinner, she flirted with him - playing with his clothes and his hair. She kept sliding closer and closer and when he moved away so that he could put his other arm around the back of Sal's chair, Bunny didn't stop.
    Mark's face had been priceless. He was so worried that Sal would be upset. He had yet to learn that Sal simply didn't play games with other women. When she was in a relationship, she just plain didn't worry. Sal Kahane was so fully confident in herself that she knew someone as silly as Bunny couldn't compete. She had flicked Bunny's hand off his back a couple of times and when Bunny, a little drunk, had climbed into Mark's lap to get to something across the table, had pinched the girl's backside.
    Drea, Henry, Joss and Nate Mikkels had all tried to ignore what was happening. Sal waved Polly off once, quietly shrugging her shoulders and patting Mark's ar m. The others tried to have fun. Drea and Joss had hit it off and everyone was fascinated that Polly and Henry were driving his classic Thunderbird on their honeymoon. They were even more surprised that Joss and Nate were planning to go with them in their 1962 Chevy Impala. The two couples were driving to Joplin to pick up Route 66 and head for