Judith McWilliams - Practice Husband

“It’s an intriguing idea,” he said slowly, “but there’s a problem from my perspective. I need your property now, not at some time in the future when you finally manage to lure some hapless male to the altar.”

Addy tried to ignore her sense of discouragement at his immediate judgment that it would take her a long time to find a husband, focusing instead on the rest of his words. “But if I sell you my home, then I won’t have any place to live,” she pointed out. “And—”

“Damn!” Joe’s roughly bitten-off expletive interrupted her. He was staring at a point over her left shoulder, an annoyed expression on his face.

Addy started to turn around to see what had caught his attention.

“Don’t look,” he ordered. “It’s Charlie Wheeling. Come on.” He stood up and held out a hand for her. “Let’s dance. Maybe he’ll take the hint and go away.”

Addy put her hand in his and stood up, suddenly full of inhibitions. “I can’t dance,” she hissed as he led her out onto the crowded, postage-stamp-sized dance floor. “I never learned.”

“You aren’t about to learn here, either. There isn’t room. Just follow me.”

Addy did as she was told, instinctively moving closer as he took her in his arms. The heat from his body reached out to engulf her, warming her flesh and softening her muscles. She felt pliable. As if she could mold herself to him. Another couple bumped into them and Joe gathered her even closer, cradling her protectively against him. Her breasts brushed against his chest, sending a tingling sensation shooting through her. She could feel the tips stiffening, and she had to fight an impulse to move closer to try to intensify the sensation.

Addy took a deep, steadying breath, but it only made matters worse. The scent of his cologne filled her nostrils. He smelled so good, she thought dreamily. Not overpowering, the way some men did, but subtle. As if he were hiding most of his personality from the casual observer. As he probably was, she realized with a flash of insight. Joe Barrington was a very private person. What would it be like to probe behind the face he presented to the world? The tantalizing idea caught her off guard and she stumbled, falling against Joe’s chest. It was like hitting a warm wall. There was no give to him anywhere. He must be pure muscle. What would he look like without his clothes on? The images that flooded her mind flustered her and she stumbled again.

Still, she decided she’d much rather Joe thought she was clumsy than so susceptible to his nearness. It was only propinquity, after all, she tried to tell herself. She’d been thinking about men and sex and marriage and children for over two weeks now, and Joe was an attractive man. A very attractive man. It was hardly surprising that she would react to being this near to him.

“Oh, hell!” Joe bit out. “Wheeling sat down at our table. Can you believe that? The jerk is going to wait for us.”

Addy glanced back at their table. The man seated in Joe’s chair looked pretty harmless to her. “Maybe he just wants to say hello?”

Joe gave her a cynical look that chilled her. “Charlie sells insurance, and he’s been after me to buy my liability insurance from him for months.”

“Tell him no and be done with it. As long as you keep avoiding him, he’ll hope you’ll eventually agree.”

“I did say no, the first time he asked, so now he’s switched his tactics. He keeps inviting me to things.”

Addy studied Joe’s annoyed features thoughtfully. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t throw off the past. Joe appeared to assume that a social invitation automatically came with strings attached. That no one could want him just because they enjoyed his company.

“Have you ever considered that he might simply want to get to know you better?” Addy suggested.

“No.”

“Well, consider it now.”

Joe narrowed his eyes, stared briefly at the ceiling and then said, “Okay. I considered it, and I still don’t believe it.”

“You’re far too cynical.”

“And you’re far too trusting,” he countered. “I suppose it comes of your being so hung up on religion. You’ve started to believe what they tell you.”

“I am not hung up on religion!” she objected. “I simply happen to believe in the value system that my particular religion espouses. And one of those values is that one should give the benefit of the doubt to people.”

“Hung up,” he repeated. “If you’d take a good look around you, you’d see that people aren’t very nice.”

“They are too! Most of them,” she amended.

“You need a reality check. Come on.” Taking her arm, Joe shepherded her back to their table.

“I’m going to introduce you to Charlie. That should be enough to convince even you.”

“Joe!” Charlie got to his feet as they approached and, giving them a wide grin, held out his hand. “My wife saw you when we came in and she told me that I should come over and invite you to a party we’re having this weekend. Kind of a coming-out party for her cousin Warren.”

“Where’s he been?” Addy asked cautiously, fearing the worst. She was fast coming to the conclusion that Joe had been right. Her gut reaction to Wheeling was distaste. He was simply too...something.

“Married. His divorce becomes final next week. So we thought we’d throw a party and celebrate his freedom. You’re invited too, Miss...”

“Edson,” Joe introduced her. “Addy, this is Charlie Wheeling.”

Charlie frowned at her. “I vaguely remember an Edson from high school, but you couldn’t be her. She was fat and...”

Addy stared at him as anger and embarrassment surged through her. She wanted to yell at him and run and hide at the same time.

“Oh, sorry. No offense intended...” Charlie stammered. “I didn’t mean...”

“I’ll get back to you about the party,” Joe said, cutting him off.

“Sure. Anytime.” Charlie hurriedly escaped.

“Yes?” Joe gave her a wicked grin. “You were telling me what a good guy he was.”

Addy sank down into her chair. “People who go around saying ‘I told you so,’ are universally disliked.”

“But at least they don’t get taken advantage of. Or insulted.”

“Maybe he didn’t mean to be insulting.” Addy tried to be fair, even though Charlie’s comment burned in her mind. “After all, I was fat in school. All he did was state a fact.”

“There are lots of facts that are better left unsaid, and one would expect someone his age to have figured that out.”

“It would have been nice. Who’s he married to?”

“The bleached blonde sitting beside him.”

Addy turned and looked to find a vaguely familiar woman staring at her. The woman smiled and waved, and Addy politely waved back as she tried to place her.

“When you knew her, she was Cookie Lawton,” Joe offered.

Addy’s mouth dropped open in shock. “That’s Cookie Lawton! She’s at least seventy-five pounds heavier than she was in school and she looks...artificial.”

Joe shook his head and gave her a mournful look which was belied by the twinkle in his eyes. “Shame on you. Taking pleasure in the fact that one of the social lions of your high-school class has gone to seed.”

“I wasn’t...” Addy began and then giggled enchantingly. “Yes, I was. If you only knew how many years I put up with her sly little digs about whales during gym classes, and now to find out that she’s overweight...”

“While you look like the embodiment of every man’s dream,” Joe finished.

Addy stared at him uncertainly, wondering if he was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear, or if he might actually like how she looked.

“As long as the dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare,” she finally said. “Now, about what we were talking about before Charlie interrupted?”