So Much for My Happy Ending Read Online Free PDF Page A

plaid shirt, untucked, and a pair of jeans that I had never seen before, although they definitely were not new. They had a rip in the knee and the rest of the fabric looked so worn I was sure that a few strokes of my hand would result in hole number two. He was also wearing sandals. Tad never wore sandals. Tennis shoes, dress shoes, boots. Once I had seen him wear a pair of boat shoes—but no sandals.
    He extended his hand to me and kissed my palm. “You look gorgeous, as always.”
    â€œThanks, you look…interesting. What’s with the new getup?”
    â€œWhen in Rome…” Tad shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Speaking of which, your mom showed up early. She’s very…Gothic today.”
    â€œGothic? Explain Gothic.”
    â€œYou’ll see.” Tad led me into the apartment and presented me to my mother, who was lounging on the love seat fondling a glass of wine.
    â€œApril!” She gracefully rose from her seat and held her arms out in anticipation of a hug. Tad was right, she was gothic. She had added deep purple highlights to her curly dark hair and she was wearing a black crushed-velvet sheath dress and a jaggedly cut crystal pendant that dangled between her breasts. I have long since given up questioning my mother’s fashion choices, so her outfit didn’t really shock me. What did take me off guard was Tad’s apartment.
    His decor had always been tasteful if a little barren, but today he had done something completely different. There were candles everywhere, thick beeswax sticks held in new beaded candleholders by the windows, floating tea lights on top of the low bookshelf; plus, there was a batik sarong that I had never seen before hanging on the wall, and a little brass Hindu god sat cross-legged in the middle of the coffee table. It was like he had raided the clearance section of Pier One Imports. He had moved the dining table into the middle of the living room and, along with place settings, had decorated it with a dried fall-flower arrangement (wisely he placed this away from the candles). As far as I knew, the only dried thing he’d ever previously kept in his home was a boxful of raisins. My mother cleared her throat awkwardly and stretched her arms out a little more since I obviously wasn’t getting the hint. I forced my mouth closed and gave her the expected embrace.
    â€œMom, I’m…I’m glad you could make it.” I was having a really hard time focusing. Were we listening to Sinéad O’Connor?
    Tad silently handed me a glass of wine, which I downed in two gulps. I shot him a questioning glance, to which he responded with a sly wink. Maybe Tad really did have a long-lost twin and this was him. Not a good thing; long-lost twins were always evil.
    He rested a hand on both mine and my mother’s shoulders. “So, are you girls hungry?”
    â€œWomen,” my mother corrected, her hazel eyes narrowing. “We stopped being girls at eighteen.”
    â€œWow, I can’t believe I said that. You are absolutely right, that was really insensitive of me.”
    I did a quick double take. He was so totally evil-twin guy. My mother however was completely pacified. “We all have little slips of the tongue now and then.” She tried to toss her somewhat immobile hair. “How about it, April, you ready to mangiare? ”
    â€œBy all means.” Mom and I took our seats while Tad excused himself to get the first course.
    â€œI was wrong about Tad,” my mother confided in what qualified as a stage whisper. “He’s wonderful. If you two break up, I might go for him myself.”
    â€œThis must be what Kendall feels like when introducing guys to Erika Kane.”
    â€œHuh?” My mother shook her head uncomprehendingly.
    â€œNothing. Look, Tad and I are not breaking up. He is a great guy, just not necessarily the guy you think he is.”
    â€œOh, I know, I know, he