Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits Read Online Free PDF Page A

Kim broke in before she could go any further. "I think what you have with Peter is great. I wish I had a guy friend like that."
    Julia eyed the two of them. She either didn't catch the subtle hints or was too polite to question what was going on. "So, how's the new book going?" Julia asked, transitioning the conversation to more neutral ground.
    "I'd rather talk about my relationship with Peter," Megan said dryly.
    Outside of her editor and Peter, the girls were the only people who knew about her books and pen name. They were incredibly supportive, but this weekend her writing troubles were the last thing she wanted to think about.
    "That good?" Julia said. "Well, you know I'm always happy to read for you."
    "Before you could do that, I'd have to have an actual story instead of a series of random scenes written." Megan sighed and picked through the nail colors. She'd come to realize that her writer's block was just a symptom of a more complex problem. Here she was, celebrating her thirtieth birthday, and she was directionless. In her writing and in her life. She didn't know what to do next.
    "Is there anything we can do to help?" Kim asked, dragging her back to the conversation.
    "There's not much to be done. These last few months have been exhausting. I don't like my story, but the publisher wants me to finish it or I'll have to pay back my advance. The renovations on the house are more time consuming than I thought they would be. And school has been a nightmare. The dean wants me to update my course syllabus to meet the new standards, and they've added another lit class to my rotation."
    "I don't understand why you're still teaching," Kim said. "It's not like you need the money. I bet if you'd quit and just focus on your writing, your stress levels would go down."
    "But then she'd lose her cover and would have to tell her family where she really makes all her money," Julia pointed out. "No more running off to teachers' conferences."
    "I still can't believe that works," Beth said. "How many teachers' conferences can you go to a year before it gets suspicious?"
    "You'd be surprised," Kim said. "Last year, it was eight. Wouldn't it be easier to come clean?"
    "I thought this was my birthday getaway, not 'let's dissect Megan's personal life' weekend," she snapped. "Could we please change the subject?"
    "Good idea. Let's talk about tonight. I found this brilliant club," Julia said, directing the conversation again. She was always good at playing peacemaker. That's why everyone loved her. "It's set up like an old-time speakeasy. Megan, you've been on this vintage kick lately, so I thought you'd enjoy it."
    Julia brought out her phone and showed them photos of the bar. It was beautiful. The perfect escape from reality. So why not bump up the fantasy a bit?
    "Since we have hair appointments, why don't we go all-out and get our hair done vintage-style?" Megan said with a devilish grin. "I could wear this. With some finger waves and the right makeup, I can put together a fifties feel. And Kim can wear the red A-line dress I had picked out for tonight. It's just the right shade for your coloring. With you at my side, we can really kill it."
    "There's a ton of seriously ripped ski gods crawling this hotel," Kim said, warming to the idea. "I could let it drop where we'll be tonight and maybe we could get some action."
    "I thought tonight was all about us hanging out and relaxing?" Beth said. "Not picking up guys.
    "And give up a chance like this?" Kim said. "I saw these two guys heading to the gym this morning. Oh, my God! I think their abs had abs. I wouldn't mind passing along some invites if it was possible to get in between that action." She put a hand to her forehead and swooned dramatically.
    "Do you think that's a good idea?" Julia asked. "It's not like we're at home. This is a vacation town. It could be dangerous picking up a strange guy at a bar."
    Megan choked back a laugh. Julia was the last person to talk about picking up