The Girl in the Comfortable Quiet Read Online Free PDF

“Hello?”
    “How are my girls? How was the party?”
    Really, Neil? That’s where you want to start?
    “Don’t even try to talk to me. Both of your girls
are pissed at you, Neil.”
    A half-nervous laugh. “What have I done now?”
    I have to forcibly stop myself from making a face
at the phone. “Ernie. That’s what you did. Don’t play dumb. I know you know
that Ernie turned everything into an overinflated nightmare. And by the way,
your dad wants to know when you became a brand instead of his son. Did you
really say such a conceited jerk thing to your dad?”
    “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. What are you talking about?”
    He sounds genuinely confused.
    “Chrissie, are you going to answer me?”
    I let out a breath. “Ernie Levine turned my baby
shower into a press opportunity. It was packed with photographers. It was
awful. By the way, you owe Michelle an apology after you give one to your dad.
If not for Linda, the party would have been a catastrophe.”
    “What the fuck are you talking about?” he asks in
that angry, getting-ready-to-go-off-and-fix-shit tone of voice.
    I feel my anger start to wane and I don’t want it
to. But I miss him and his voice sounds so good to hear right now and it’s
always so hard to stay angry with Neil. My still water pond. Always so calming.
    “Are you going to explain, Chrissie, or just sit
there breathing into the phone?”
    “I’m trying to decide if I’m still angry with
you,” I snap, but my voice is betrayingly soft.
    He laughs. “If you’re deciding it means you’re
not still pissed at me. Which is good because I’m really missing you today.”
    Damn, now I’m teary-eyed. The guy knows how to
deal with me too well.
    “I really am angry about what Ernie did to my
party,” I reply peevishly.
    Neil sighs. “I know. You should be. I am, too. I
wanted this to be a good day for you with my family since I couldn’t be there
with you. But I swear I had nothing to do with this. I’ll call Ernie. I’ll fix
it. I’ll make it clear you are off-limits. I know publicity appearances are not
part of our deal. No publicity. I wouldn’t do that to you, baby.”
    Crap. Now I’m crying. Crying because I believe
him. Crying because he gets why I feel this way about never being a part of the
publicity, when I hardly had to explain it to him at all before he agreed.
Crying because I yelled at him. And crying because I really wish he were home
right now.
    Fuck, I hate that I’m sitting beside Jack getting
mushy on the phone about my private shit with my husband.
    I push on my nose to hold back the tears. “I’m
sorry I yelled.”
    “Am I still part of our deal?” he teases, his
voice endearing. “Or are you ready to get rid of me?”
    A soggy laugh pushes out of me. “I’d get rid of
you, but nobody would take you. You’d just come back. You always do.”
    I tense. Shit, why did I say that last part? I’m
relieved when he laughs.
    “Yep. That pretty much sums up our history,
doesn’t it? I’m a one-woman kind of guy.”
    I arch a brow even though he can’t see me. “You
had better be.”
    “Don’t ever doubt it.”
    Silence comes through the phone and I can see
Neil in my head, his lush green eyes and gentle smile. I don’t deserve him.
He’s such a wonderful guy.
    I stare out the window, getting overly emotional
again. “I’ve got to go. Jack is with me and we’ve just pulled up at the house.”
    “Talk to you in the morning.”
    I click the phone closed and drop it in my bag.
    We pull into my garage.
    “Everything all right?” Jack asks.
    I give him the look . We both know he heard
every word. Lame, Jack. Lame. Sometimes you are not swift at all in the way you
probe me about my life. He’s definitely losing his finesse with age.
    “Everything is fine. Neil is going to deal with
Ernie so I’m not bothered again.”
    Jack nods. “Good. Don’t let them make you do
anything you don’t want to do. Stick to your guns, Chrissie.”
    I frown. Why does he