Read Better Than Before (RightMatch.com Trilogy) for Free Online

sorry for herself, she’d think about the sacrifices Norma had made.
    “Do you like this one, Mom?”
    Norma looked up. Annie had her coloring, but now her mom’s hair was shot with gray. “That one’s always flattered you.”
    “I think it’s too formal for the restaurant.” Keith had insisted she buy the chic and pretty suit, but it was wrong for the occasion.
    “Where are you going again?”
    “Brunch downtown.”
    “Well, you need to get out more. Are you meeting Julia and Lauren?”
    “Um, no.”
     “Ah, a man.” Norma set aside the magazine.
    The woman could read her like the proverbial book. It used to drive Annie crazy as a teenager, not that she had time for getting in trouble. Back at the closet, she said casually, “Someone from the online-dating service I told you about.”
    “I worry those sites are dangerous.”
    “The girls said this one would be safer because of the high fee, but in any case, I’m meeting him at a public place. He doesn’t know my last name or where I live. I’ve been really careful, Mom.”
    She didn’t tell her mother Spence had her phone number. Maybe that hadn’t been the smartest safety move, but she’d succumbed to his charm and, okay, she wanted to talk to him!
    “I guess it’s all right then.”
    Hearing the concern in her mother’s voice, Annie crossed to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. “Don’t worry, he couldn’t be any more different from Keith.”
    “Thank the Lord for that.”
    Keith had always been cold and distant to her mother. He was polite enough, but it was clear Norma was not one of his favorite people. Annie knew he thought of her as lower class. Much like he saw Annie, she’d admitted finally. Since Norma’s distaste was reciprocated, Annie had dealt with it as best she could. Then, of course, it had become moot after Keith left her. Still, she didn’t tell her mother about the unpleasant encounter with him last week.
    Annie went back to the closet, hung the suit up on a padded hanger and stuffed it back where she kept her clothes from her life with Keith. In a delicate pink bra and panties, she studied the paltry selection of her current wardrobe hanging before her.
    “Why don’t you wear those Liz Claiborne jeans you got on sale last week when we were shopping?” her mom suggested.
    “Yeah, I forgot about them.” Tugging the denims off a hanger, she slipped them on. They fit pretty well. She hadn’t bought a new blouse to meet Spence because she didn’t make enough tips to afford it and this week’s groceries, so she picked out her favorite casual top, a soft pink, long-sleeved knit with a scoop neck.
    After she’d dressed, she applied a bit of makeup and brushed her hair, then went to the window to call the kids, who were in the backyard trying to get Jake to play fetch with them. Instead, the dog lay on the ground with the sun slanting in on him through the trees. Poor baby.
    “Hey, guys, come on inside,” she called out. “I’m leaving.”
    “Is Nana here?” Hope yelled back.
    “Uh-huh.”
    “Yay! Let’s go, Alex.”
    Screeches sounded from the yard as Alex and Hope hurried inside. They all met in the foyer and Hope threw her arms around Norma. Her mom returned it, and even got a hug from Alex. Her grandchildren were a major part of her life.
    “Can you take us to the zoo, Nana?” Alex asked. “They got koala bears visiting.”
    Annie liked seeing Alex so excited about something. But zoo tickets were expensive and she hadn’t planned on the money from this week’s budget. She’d have to dip into Keith’s monthly check. Since the house was paid for—thanks to a low-interest, fifteen-year mortgage gotten through Keith’s banker connections—she used his child support for the kids’ necessities and saved the rest for their college. She’d set aside some cash for special occasions or when she couldn’t afford a treat, though.
    Her ex accused her of being stubborn and willful about money, but