A Woman Lost Read Online Free PDF

time.”
    “Your mother doesn’t seem to like you.”
    I was somewhat taken aback by her bluntness, but I tried not to show it. “We have our differences.”
    “Do they know you’re gay?”
    “You don’t hold back, do you, Maddie?” I smiled at her. “Yes they know, but we all chose not to discuss it. Let me guess, Peter never brought it up?”
    “No. I didn’t even know you existed for quite some time. Then he brought up your existence very casually. I was a little surprised. He dropped hints about you, but never proclaimed he had a sister.”
    Peter had a way of inserting things into the middle of the conversation, as if he had already mentioned it and the listener just forgot or ignored him. If anyone questioned it, he made them look like an insensitive ass.
    “Huh, Peter and I are a lot more alike than I thought.” I explained what had happened the previous day.
    “Yes, you two are a lot alike. You don’t open up much.” She punched me lightly on the shoulder. “It can be very frustrating you know.”
    “Why are you hitting me? I have my own angry woman at home.” I rubbed my shoulder.
    “Peter isn’t here, and I’m sure if you’re like him at all, you deserve to be hit‌—‌and much harder, I might add. Am I wrong?” She looked at me with those incredible eyes.
    I whistled through my teeth a little. “This is a difficult position to be in. If I say yes, I’m an asshole, then you’ll always think of me as an asshole. But if I say no, you’ll know I’m lying, and you’ll always think of me as a liar. If you were me, what would you do?” I flashed my most cunning smile.
    She burst into a loud guffaw. “Oh, my God! You two are so much alike it’s fucking scary. Did your parents teach you two never to answer a question directly? Are they CIA?” Her head bobbed up and down in excitement as she spoke.
    “You met my father … he could be.” I motioned to the waiter that we needed refills. A Coke for me, and a merlot for Maddie. “I can’t remember the last time that man and I had a conversation. So who knows? Maybe the vice president of a financial company thing is all a ruse. At least that would make him more exciting.”
    “I think he hates me.”
    “He’s not the one you have to worry about. Watch out for Mother. And, just a warning, Peter adores her.” I wanted to mention that I thought it was sick how he pandered to her, but I didn’t.
    “I know, but thanks for the tip.” A look of worry marred her lovely face.
    “So are you ready to join this crazy family?”
    She looked away for the first time. “I guess.” She shrugged.
    I couldn’t help but chortle. “You guess? Geez, I hope when I decide to take the plunge with a woman, she doesn’t say, ‘I guess it’s the right thing to do.’”
    She hit me again. “Shut up.”
    Her look was bewitching. No wonder Peter was enraptured with this young creature. My guess was that she was twenty-four years old. Peter was seven years older than me, nearing thirty-five.
    “What about you? Have you considered, as you so elegantly put it, taking the plunge?”
    “No.” I paused. “Not recently.”
    “Not recently? So, who is the girl who broke your heart and made you so bitter?”
    “Bitter? Me? Bitter? What gave you that impression?” I said.
    “You know, you and Peter both have that incredible smile. You two flash that smile and you think you can convince anyone of anything. I think that’s why I agreed to marry your brother.”
    I didn’t know what to say.
    “Well, that and that I love him,” she mumbled.
    “Here you are. I was beginning to worry.”
    I looked up to find my girlfriend standing outside the railing of Coopersmith’s with her best friend, Haley. “Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing here?” I stood, leaned over the railing, and kissed Sarah’s cheek. For an instant, I felt like vomiting.
    “Haley and I came for dinner. I tried calling you to see if you wanted to join us, but I kept getting your voice