The Sleeping Beauty Proposal Read Online Free PDF Page A

chatting.
    â€œI don’t think they’ve set a date yet, no, but I’m sure you’ll be invited. Can Genie get back to you tomorrow? There’s another call coming in and she’s already on her cell to Hugh’s parents.”
    That didn’t even make sense. Hugh’s parents were in London. Who calls London on their cell?
    Patty hung up, reached into her purse, and pulled out her Palm Pilot. I watched dumbly as she scrolled through to her address book.
    â€œWhat are you doing?”
    â€œI’m calling your sister, Lucy, to make sure she knows you and Hugh are getting hitched.”
    I snatched the phone out of her hand. “You can’t call Lucy. She’ll turn right around and blab to my parents.”
    â€œExactly. Then your parents will call all their friends, Connie will tell everyone at Thoreau, and then—bingo—no more questions. When he gets back from England, old Hugh will find himself with a hell of a lot of explaining to do.”
    â€œYou mean you want me to act as if Hugh really did ask me to marry him?”
    Patty shrugged. “Why not? That’s the conclusion everyone is going to make anyway.”
    â€œThat’s insane!”
    â€œNo, it’s not.What’s insane is going on national television and popping the question to your slut ho on the side because you think it’s going to boost book sales.” She poured out two more shots and stopped. “Or is that Machiavellian? Then again, Machiavelli was both cruel and insane, so I guess Machiavellian covers all bases when it comes to Hugh.”
    I thought about this. “You think he proposed just to sell books?”
    â€œAbsolutely.Which is all the more reason that you should tell everyone he proposed to you. Also, because you deserve it.” She handed me the shot. “You deserve to be getting married, Genie. You’ve paid your dues.”
    I stared at the drink in my hand. Patty was making no sense.
    â€œFor the last four years,” she explained, “your life has been on hold.You haven’t grown or changed or anything.You’ve just been washing Hugh’s socks and doing his bidding, waiting for him to ask you to be his wife so you can start your life.”
    â€œI have not been waiting for Hugh to ask me to be his wife so I can start my life.” That was outrageous. I mean, I was a feminist. Sort of.
    â€œReally? Think about it. You’re sick of the job you’ve held for fifteen years, but you didn’t dare leave it in case a career move took you away from Hugh.You wanted to buy a house, but didn’t know if Hugh was going to stay here or move back to England.
    â€œYou remind me of that idiot Sleeping Beauty, lying around like a zoned-out zombie waiting for your prince. Well, guess what, he rode right past your castle tonight and now you have a choice— you can either go back to bed or you can wake up.”
    There was a kernel of truth in what she was saying.The years with Hugh were a blur, one running right into the other as I marched through the same routine, day after day. Meanwhile my friends had been getting married, raising kids, or, in Patty’s case, rising through the ranks of their professions and running off to Bali for sex-drenched vacations.Whereas I’d been in limbo.
    â€œBut I can’t tell everyone we’re engaged when we’re not.”
    â€œYou keep acting like that’s a big deal,” Patty said.
    â€œBecause it is a big deal. People will think I’m psycho when they find out it’s not true. Crazy Genie Michaels had a nervous breakdown and hallucinated she and Hugh Spencer were engaged.”
    â€œWho cares what people think?” She knocked back the shot. “Hell, if I were in your shoes, I’d throw myself one of those destination weddings in the Caribbean and invite all my family and friends and coworkers and bums off the street. Then I’d send the freaking huge