The Hurricane Sisters Read Online Free PDF Page B

you?”
    “You’ve still got Tommy Milano drooling over you.”
    “The guy who’s named for a cookie. Great,” I said. “Not in a bazillion years. He’s asked me out how many times? Not happening.”
    “Yeah, no future. But he’s so sweet and he’s supercute.”
    “Maybe. Besides, I don’t think it makes any sense to get married until you’re ready to have children, do you?”
    “It makes economic sense.”
    “True. Maybe. But who wants children anyway?”
    “You don’t? Wow. I love children! I want like five or maybe four.”
    “Maybe I wouldn’t mind one if he looked like Porter Galloway,” I said.
    “Porter Galloway. Girl? He’s totally gorgeous,” Mary Beth said, “but messing with that man is gonna land you in a world of hurt. He’s a ladies’ man and you know it.”
    Senator Galloway did have sort of a reputation with the ladies. Allegedly, there were a lot of them in his past. To be honest, the number was practically biblical. Every time his picture was in the paper, there was a different woman on his arm.
    “Maisie knows his momma, you know. He grew up on James Island. All her friends think he’s like the second coming of JFK or something.”
    “Then you should ask her what she thinks about him. I love Maisie.”
    “Who doesn’t love Maisie? Problem is, if I ask her, she’ll tell Mom. I haven’t even met him yet. I really don’t want my mother all over my personal life. It’s bad enough as it is.”
    “Okay, enough pussyfooting around. What did they say to you last night?”
    I thought about it for a minute. It wasn’t what they said so much as it was how they made me feel.
    “They didn’t say anything new. It’s just that they make me feel like a loser. You know, I’m just a dreamer. That trying to be an artist is stupid and a waste of time. Maybe they’re right.”
    “You think my parents are any better?”
    “Probably not. But why are we supposed to spend our whole lives respecting them when they don’t show any respect for us?”
    “That’s why you have to believe in yourself and never give up. Me? I just want to marry a doctor or something and have a pile of kids. But you want more, Ash. You always did. Don’t let them ruin it for you.”
    Was money really that important to Mary Beth?
    “You know, I gave Maisie that little painting for her birthday? I think she really loved it. But all Mom could do was roll her eyes because her dead sister, Juliet, was very artistic. Which was one more excuse for Maisie to bring her up.”
    “That’s not so nice. But families are crazy.”
    “Truly. Just as Mom was about to sink her teeth in my neck, Ivy showed up with his partner—and I mean that in the business and the romantic way—and they suddenly had something else to focus on besides me. He’s Asian. James is his name. Old Liz nearly fainted.”
    “Because he’s Asian? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
    “Nope. And he’s awesome. He’s from Hong Kong and he was wearing Glass .”
    “Glass? Google Glass? Wow. That is awesome. It’s not even out yet! God, I’d love to go to Hong Kong.”
    “I’d love to go anywhere ! Actually, Glass is sort of creepy but it’s sort of cool too.”
    “Yeah. Makes you look like Data on Star Trek or something. I heard it’s like fifteen hundred dollars.”
    “It is. I read all about it online. It’s probably going to be amazing. But let’s be honest. If I had fifteen hundred dollars . . .”
    “I know; you’d go to Paris.”
    “True story,” I said. “Or New York.”
    It was getting darker by the minute. In the distance we could see the night lights of the Ravenel Bridge come alive, and the waterfront of the city began to twinkle. Somewhere over there my mother was pouring herself her third vodka and my dad was pulling the second cork of the day. Between the Battery and the Morris Island Lighthouse, Maisie was probably curled up next to Skipper on a sofa watching reruns of The Love Boat . And Ivy, my sweet brother, was