Unlucky In Love Read Online Free PDF

thinking about Paul hurting Angela, but
what would she do? She had a baby and one on the way.
Sometimes I wondered if she should stash away a little mad money.
    Angela pursed her lips and rolled her head
in a gesture I could only describe as, Oh no he better not go
there . “If Paul screwed around on me while I’m pregnant and
raising a two-year-old, I’d kill ’im , so that
would be the end of that discussion since I’d
probably end up in prison. Then you’d have to raise your nephew and
niece-to-be.”
    Rearing young children was not something I
was ready to do over again, so I decided to lighten up the mood.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t willing to kill someone.”
    Angela frowned, but at
least her skin color returned to her normal pale beige.
“Dick didn’t cheat on me. And Eric is nearly grown. Soon enough,
you won’t even have to drive him places.”
    I dropped my head into my hands. “Don’t
remind me. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like in that big house all
by myself when he goes off to college in a few years. But I can’t
sell it. Not after I fought to get Dick to pay the mortgage for the
next ten years.”
    Angela tapped her hand on the table to get
my attention. “Jana, why don’t you get a pet? You’ve wanted a dog
for Eric for years. A puppy would be a wonderful companion, not to
mention that even a small one would be a great security system.
Dick was the only one allergic, right?”
    I rubbed my hand across my mouth. “Yeah,
you’re right. That’s exactly what I need. I’m sure I can find a
shelter pet that needs a home. So I’d be doing a good deed at the
same time, too.”
    Angela nodded her agreement.
    A puppy, though, I wasn’t sure if I was
ready for that type of commitment. Dogs were a lot of work. A cat,
on the other hand … Cats were independent … like I wanted to be. Maybe I could rescue a cat from her old life
and give her a new one. We’d start a new life together before I made any dating decisions. That way I
wouldn’t end up with a man who was against animals ever again.
    “Angela,” I said as I stood, “I’m going to
go adopt myself a new roommate.”
     
    ***
     
    For the first time in months, Eric had
sprawled his body out on the living room carpet. Typically when he
got home from school, if he didn’t have practice, he’d raid the
fridge, and then disappear into his bedroom for the rest of the
evening. He would come out for dinner, but all too soon, he’d scarf
down the food, and then jump up, insisting that he had
homework.
    Not tonight, though.
    Tonight, Eric had stationed himself on the
rug next to the couch, whispering softly to the new calico I’d
adopted today. “Here, baby kitty,” he whispered repeatedly, but our
new cat had decided that she would come out when she was ready. Of
course, she wasn’t really a kitty; she was about a year old. One of
the volunteers at the shelter had said that she was already spayed and that it was harder for an adult cat
– even one only a year old – to get adopted. “Everyone wants
kittens,” the woman had said with a scowl. And I’d wanted to rescue
a cat that nobody wanted. I understood exactly how the calico felt.
I wasn’t old, and yet, Dick had wanted to play with a new kitty . I didn’t need a kitten; I wanted a cat with
character. And this calico had shown more spunk and personality
than any of the cats — or kittens, for that matter. She was feisty
and independent. She’d be my role model.
    “Eric,” I said softly, “why don’t you just
sit back on the sofa and ignore her for a
while? Maybe try the string again? But this time, act as though you
aren’t interested in her, just the string. I bet she’ll come
out.”
    My son lifted his chin, then smiled. “You
mean, play hard-to-get, like all the girls in school?”
    I laughed. “Exactly. You know … girls aren’t
the only ones who can play hard-to-get. Sometimes, if a guy just
does his thing, without worrying who’s watching … well,