game. "Well, let me think. What first comes to mind—a woman who does what she wants and doesn't give a damn what people think. A woman who puts herself first, the hell with everyone else."
Like Gretchen . "Sounds good," Andie murmured.
"Seems as if any woman who stands up for herself gets called a bitch. We're all supposed to be so shy and retiring, you know." Tania batted her eyelashes, simpering.
Shy and retiring. That described the old Andie to a T.
42
One Good Man
by Nona Raines
Tania went on. "I heard something else though. Bitch is an acronym for Being In Total Control of Herself."
"I like that." Andie laughed. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."
Did she have the guts to be a bitch? To reach out for what she wanted and take it, regardless of anyone else?
"So what's this all about?" the redhead asked.
Andie shrugged. "Douglas dumped me."
"Well, duh."
"I know, you tried to tell me. It took forever to get it through my thick skull. But when I called him last night—"
"You called him? Damn it, Andie—"
"I know, dumb move." Andie sighed. "But if I hadn't, I'd still be mooning over him. Anyway, I called...and a woman picked up."
"Oh shit. I'm guessing it wasn't his mom."
"Nope. It was his new girlfriend. Or his old girlfriend."
Andie's mouth twisted in distaste. "Whatever. Suffice it to say, I know I'm toast."
Tania was pissed. Her eyes flashed to the clock above the sink. "And you wait 'til now to tell me this? When we need to be back to work in three minutes?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm over him."
Tania gave a rude snort. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Andie gazed at her calmly. "It's true. I know I was an idiot.
But it's done now."
Tania's look of frustration melted into one of sympathy.
"It's okay to be sad, you know."
43
One Good Man
by Nona Raines
"Nope." Andie lifted her head in determination. "Not gonna be sad. I've wasted too much time on him already."
There was no I told you so in Tania's voice. "Well, shit, honey. I'm sorry."
"Hey, you warned me. I should've listened."
"He's an asshole, you know."
"Yeah, I figured that out." Andie shook her head at her own stupidity. "Too bad it took me so long." The look on her friend's face made her pause. "What?"
"I'm worried about you. You're too—something's not right, you're too calm." Tania's forehead was creased with concern.
"You must still be in shock or something."
"Too calm? You should have seen me last night. Hey, don't worry about me. I've already moved on."
Andie's bravado only made Tania look sadder.
"I mean it. It's all good," Andie insisted. "'Cause you know what? From now on, I'm someone who is Being In Total Control of Herself."
What was the phrase, don't get mad, get even ? Well, Andie planned to get even—with Douglas for cheating on her, with Gretchen for being a duplicitous man-stealer, and with—
hell, with the universe. Why not? She'd been played, but now she'd be the player. And she'd show them all.
Balancing a box of pizza on one hand, Matthew stood on the doorstep of the house in which he'd grown up. Before he even had a chance to knock, the door swung open. A tall thin brunette stood before him. "Hey, Kim."
"Hi, Matty." Kim Hansen was his brother's on-again off-again squeeze. "Your lazy-ass brother sent me to answer the 44
One Good Man
by Nona Raines
door. Great, pizza's here." She snatched the box from him as she stepped aside to let him enter.
"You should've told him to get it himself," Matthew told her as he came in and plunked into a faded velvet chair with bald armrests. The chair had been their mother's. In fact, all the furnishings had been their mother's. Adam had changed nothing since her death and showed no interest in doing so.
The one thing he'd added was a large screen TV that looked out of place amid the other worn and well-used items.
"Hey, I was busy," his brother Adam answered, coming from the kitchen with several bottles—two light beers for himself and Kim, a root beer for Matt, and a bottle
Like Gretchen . "Sounds good," Andie murmured.
"Seems as if any woman who stands up for herself gets called a bitch. We're all supposed to be so shy and retiring, you know." Tania batted her eyelashes, simpering.
Shy and retiring. That described the old Andie to a T.
42
One Good Man
by Nona Raines
Tania went on. "I heard something else though. Bitch is an acronym for Being In Total Control of Herself."
"I like that." Andie laughed. "That's exactly what I needed to hear."
Did she have the guts to be a bitch? To reach out for what she wanted and take it, regardless of anyone else?
"So what's this all about?" the redhead asked.
Andie shrugged. "Douglas dumped me."
"Well, duh."
"I know, you tried to tell me. It took forever to get it through my thick skull. But when I called him last night—"
"You called him? Damn it, Andie—"
"I know, dumb move." Andie sighed. "But if I hadn't, I'd still be mooning over him. Anyway, I called...and a woman picked up."
"Oh shit. I'm guessing it wasn't his mom."
"Nope. It was his new girlfriend. Or his old girlfriend."
Andie's mouth twisted in distaste. "Whatever. Suffice it to say, I know I'm toast."
Tania was pissed. Her eyes flashed to the clock above the sink. "And you wait 'til now to tell me this? When we need to be back to work in three minutes?"
"Doesn't matter. I'm over him."
Tania gave a rude snort. "Yeah, I'm sure."
Andie gazed at her calmly. "It's true. I know I was an idiot.
But it's done now."
Tania's look of frustration melted into one of sympathy.
"It's okay to be sad, you know."
43
One Good Man
by Nona Raines
"Nope." Andie lifted her head in determination. "Not gonna be sad. I've wasted too much time on him already."
There was no I told you so in Tania's voice. "Well, shit, honey. I'm sorry."
"Hey, you warned me. I should've listened."
"He's an asshole, you know."
"Yeah, I figured that out." Andie shook her head at her own stupidity. "Too bad it took me so long." The look on her friend's face made her pause. "What?"
"I'm worried about you. You're too—something's not right, you're too calm." Tania's forehead was creased with concern.
"You must still be in shock or something."
"Too calm? You should have seen me last night. Hey, don't worry about me. I've already moved on."
Andie's bravado only made Tania look sadder.
"I mean it. It's all good," Andie insisted. "'Cause you know what? From now on, I'm someone who is Being In Total Control of Herself."
What was the phrase, don't get mad, get even ? Well, Andie planned to get even—with Douglas for cheating on her, with Gretchen for being a duplicitous man-stealer, and with—
hell, with the universe. Why not? She'd been played, but now she'd be the player. And she'd show them all.
Balancing a box of pizza on one hand, Matthew stood on the doorstep of the house in which he'd grown up. Before he even had a chance to knock, the door swung open. A tall thin brunette stood before him. "Hey, Kim."
"Hi, Matty." Kim Hansen was his brother's on-again off-again squeeze. "Your lazy-ass brother sent me to answer the 44
One Good Man
by Nona Raines
door. Great, pizza's here." She snatched the box from him as she stepped aside to let him enter.
"You should've told him to get it himself," Matthew told her as he came in and plunked into a faded velvet chair with bald armrests. The chair had been their mother's. In fact, all the furnishings had been their mother's. Adam had changed nothing since her death and showed no interest in doing so.
The one thing he'd added was a large screen TV that looked out of place amid the other worn and well-used items.
"Hey, I was busy," his brother Adam answered, coming from the kitchen with several bottles—two light beers for himself and Kim, a root beer for Matt, and a bottle
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