On Love's Own Terms Read Online Free PDF Page B

seriously doubted she’d shine again much before the turn of the century. In the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face. It helped. She brushed her teeth and combed her hair. Better still. When she emerged, she felt considerably more alert than she’d thought possible.
    Her lace-trimmed nightgown floated around her as she walked toward the dresser. She selected underwear from the top drawer, then took out a pair of claret-red cropped pants and a matching camisole top from the closet.
    Darlene ambled over to the full-length mirror and stared glumly at her own attire, a T-shirt, denim cut-offs and sneakers. “If Dave saw the two of us together right now, he’d swear I’m the victim of severe gene mutation.”
    “Why?” Bonnie asked as she slipped into her clothes.
    “Because I ooze about as much sex appeal as the Bride of Frankenstein while you look like the flower of southern womanhood in full bloom,” she grumbled. “Even I find it hard to believe we’re related.”
    “But you’re dressed for moving furniture,” Bonnie pointed out. “You’d look kind of silly carting end tables around wearing a Scarlett O’Hara hoop skirt.”
    “Maybe so.” Darlene sighed. “But if you weren’t my sister, I’d be insanely jealous.”
    Bonnie recognized the symptoms of self-doubt, having suffered numerous episodes of the same malady since her divorce. Were their fragile egos simply a peculiar family trait? she wondered. Or was this a classic case of sibling rivalry finally surfacing after all these years?
    Looking closely at Darlene, who’d become a woman during her absence and without her help, Bonnie felt a sharp pang of guilt. Letters and long-distance phone calls couldn’t compensate for the lack of personal contact between them, but she prayed they’d have time this week to strengthen their blood ties. Perhaps they’d also forge the precious bond of friendship.
    Bonnie reached into her closet and removed a voile sundress she’d bought specifically to wear during her visit. It would be a small beginning, but she had to start somewhere. She took the dress off the hanger and held it up for size against a delighted Darlene. Despite their slight physical differences, it seemed a near-perfect fit.
    “Now when you get back this evening,” she instructed in her best big-sister voice, “take a long bubble bath, then slip into this. It’s guaranteed to set Dave’s head spinning faster than a top.”
    “It’s gorgeous,” Darlene murmured, stroking the soft material. “And shoes, too!” she squealed when Bonnie produced high-heeled sandals of delicately woven leather. Twisting and turning in front of the mirror, she laughed. “I’ll be so dolled-up, Dave won’t even recognize me.”
    “The Bride of Frankenstein, indeed.” Bonnie sniffed indignantly, repeating Darlene’s earlier description of herself. “Nobody talks like that about my sister and gets away with it.”
    Darlene carefully draped the dress across the bed to avoid wrinkling it, then grimaced. “Compared to you, though, I’ll still look as homespun as sackcloth.”
    Bonnie realized this was the turning point as far as establishing the future course of their relationship. If Darlene had resentments to air or questions to ask, now was the time. She waited quietly, letting her younger sister take the initiative.
    Rejoining Bonnie in front of the mirror, Darlene smiled ruefully at her own reflection. “When I was growing up,” she confided, “I wanted to be blond and leggy, just like you.”
    “Whatever for?” Startled by the revelation, Bonnie gaped at Darlene, who was an attractive brunette.
    “I suppose because everyone was always making such a big fuss over you,” Darlene admitted without a hint of rancor. “Let’s face it, around here you were the original golden girl—the prettiest, the smartest in school—”
    “The one who got caught,” Bonnie added dryly, referring to her pregnancy.
    “Oh, but you even did that with