What She Wants Read Online Free PDF Page B

were recent, and some were from their school days, twenty years ago.
    Twenty years. Had it really been that long since she’d walked the halls of GCHS? She glanced down and smoothed her straight, black skirt. Of course it had. She and Michael had started dating when they were juniors. They’d gone to the same college and gotten married the year before graduation. Four years of college were followed by two years as a legal assistant with the firm of Smith and Barney. She quit working when their first child arrived, and spent twelve years as a stay-at-home-mom. Denise loved every minute of those days. Raising Conner and Renee proved to be the most fulfilling part of her life. In fact, she often felt she had a fairytale existence, before Michael pulled the rug out from under her feet. When he announced he’d “found himself” and came out of the closet as gay, she felt more shocked and hurt than she’d ever imagined.
    The last two years, precipitated by stages of anger and denial, progressed into something much easier to live with. Denise went back to university and now worked as a paralegal, on her way to becoming a lawyer. Her kids were thriving in school and had adjusted well to their father ’s new lifestyle. They saw him twice a week and every other weekend, without fail. Once Denise got used to the fact Lucas was now Michael’s significant other, the three of them got along just fine.
    She glanced around the crowded room, wondering if Michael and Lucas were there yet. She knew they were coming; they ’d discussed the arrangements and decided to leave Conner and Renee with grandparents for the weekend. Lucas had been kind enough to offer not to come if his being there would upset Denise. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to the questions and looks they were sure to receive, but the reactions weren’t her problem. Her therapist assured her she was a smart, attractive, and appealing woman. If the only man she’d ever been with turned out to be gay, it should be no reflection on her.
    With two teenagers, a job, and school, she hadn ’t found much time for dating. Meeting people was the hardest part. When she received the reunion invitation, she thought about some of the people she’d already met. One in particular came to mind: Jerrod Stone. Handsome in high school, according to Denise’s friend, Belinda, Jerrod looked even hotter now. He worked as a TV newscaster in New York, but planned to come back to Chicago for the reunion. And the best part? He was single. Exactly what she had in mind. She might not forge a lasting relationship over the weekend, but even a fling would be better than the dry spell she’d been suffering. She smiled and stepped up to the registration table.
    “ Denise Crawford,” she told the matronly-looking woman behind the table. “Er, Lipton. I used to be Denise Lipton.”
    “ Denise Lipton!” The woman squealed—literally, squealed. “How great to see you. I’m Connie Turner née Roberts.”
    Née …who says that? Denise studied the silver-haired, double-chinned woman for a moment before her gaze found the nametag hanging from Connie’s gold-sequined blouse. She scanned the identification, searching for proof that the lady who appeared to be about fifty was indeed the same age as her. Yup. Gulp. “Hello, Connie.”
    “ How are you?” The woman scanned the table full of nametags and snagging one, handed it to Denise. Lowering her voice, she added in a conspiratorial tone, “We were all so sorry to hear about Michael.”
    Denise blinked, surprised. “What? He didn’t die. In fact, he should be on your list. He’ll be here tonight.”
    “ Oh, I know. Michael Crawford plus one. Everyone is anxious to see if he’ll really show up here with a man.”
    From her tone, the hostess might as well have said “alien” instead of “man.” Denise frowned. “Of course he will, and why shouldn’t he? Lots of people in our class were gay.”
    Lots might have been an