The Doctor and the War Widow Read Online Free PDF

couch. He was toned and dark-haired with bulging muscles. Donna placed her drink on the coffee table in front of her. The Michel family pictures were strategically displayed under the glass. Harley’s parents and other relatives graced the small table.
    “Look,” Donna persisted, “ somebody has to be normal. You can at least have some fun with them.”
    “D, none of this has been fun.” Harley shook her head, still laughing, and then followed Donna’s stare. She sat across from them and sighed. The family pictures Eden had lovingly placed under the glass in the coffee table sometimes made her sad. “What picture’s caught your attention?”
    “She’s looking at your wedding picture.” Mike tossed a piece of cheese into his mouth.
    “Tell me, then, why would I want to meet another guy when I’d had John? Seriously, D, why?” Harley bit into a cracker and gazed at the picture. John was in uniform when they had married. She’d never seen a man as handsome as her husband. Harley sometimes cursed John for leaving her and then was ashamed of her own selfish thoughts. She glanced at the almost-empty bottle, wondering why she didn’t just guzzle what remained. A slow anger rose within her breast. “Besides, why does everybody think fulfillment means having a man? Why? Shit, I only started to write after John died. I did it to have something to do with my time. Then, I finished my certification and taught. None of this has been a bad gig.” Harley laughed and threw up her hands, throwing off her anger. These were her oldest friends, and she wouldn’t stay mad.
    “I’m not saying it’s a bad gig, Harley, but—” Donna moved closer to her.
    “Look, girls, I’m going into the kitchen to refill this cheese tray.” Mike picked up the tray from the coffee table and made his way down the hall.
    “Okay, I’d like to meet somebody in theory, but not if they’re jerks like these losers.” Harley shook her head, rose abruptly, and poured more wine. “I don’t need complications in my life. Not the kinds these guys bring.”
    “What kinds are those?” Donna took the wine bottle from Harley and poured some into her own glass.
    “Their damned insecurities, D. Think about it. One A-hole thinks I’m like his ex-wife because I’m ten minutes late in traffic. Another tells me his sad life story at a first meeting. Still another wants to give me a political lecture like I’m some stupid idiot with a poor grasp of world affairs.” Harley sighed wearily and leaned against the wall. “I’m not Mother Teresa. I can’t nurse some guy through the death of a child and the desertion of a wife. I can’t do it.”
    “Maybe they all just needed someone to listen.” Donna clinked her glass against Harley’s.
    “Not me. I mean, I’m sympathetic to you and my other friends, but I’m sick of a bunch of lunatic strangers telling me their problems.” Harley drained her glass to the lees. “They give me the red ass and the heart palpitations. I don’t need either.”
    Donna frowned. Her tone turned grave. “How is that going? Your heart problem, I mean?”
    “Okay. I’m going to Dr. Champagne this week. My heart sometimes threatens to come out of my chest, but other than that, I’m okay.” Harley grinned and reached for a piece of cheese as Mike passed them with the refilled tray. “Another reason I can’t keep this up. These men invite me to coffee dates. I can’t take all the caffeine.”
    Donna slipped an arm around her husband. “Order decaffeinated coffee.”
    “This whole thing bores me. I’d rather be writing. Hey, I may get a bumper sticker that says just that.”
    Donna clasped her hand and swung it. “Just give it another shot or two.”
    “Okay, but only because I love you.” Harley laughed suddenly when Donna smiled. “Oh, and I mean in a completely platonic sense.”

Chapter 4
    Early June
    Harley knew she’d promised Donna she would continue, but she had other more important commitments