Страница 8 из 9
There was silence for an infinitesimally split second, and then all hell broke loose.
“I DON’T THINK the Jefferson boys are the men we thought they were,” Katy said to Ha
Ha
Katy’s heart melted at the sound of sadness in Ha
“But if he’d really liked me, he wouldn’t have even seen her,” Ha
Katy brightened a little. “I suppose he didn’t.” Then she faded again. “But he’s still a braggart. If I were to fall for another man, I know I’d want one whose actions match his words.”
“That may be the impossible holy grail, Katy. All men pad their résumés. So do women.”
“I don’t.”
“You do,” Ha
Together, they walked up the back-stair entrance of the salon and went upstairs to Katy’s room. “It’s true,” Katy said. “That’s exactly what I was doing. But if I don’t shift things around, I’ll never stand a chance against a girl like Cissy. She’s got all the moves. And it’s only a matter of time before those girls set their aim on Laredo. I just don’t want to be around when they score a bull’s-eye.”
“Now, now.” Ha
“I don’t know. I noticed a marked decrease in loftiness when Cissy came by. We brought picnic baskets, and Cissy brought a tight skirt and high heels.”
Ha
Katy sat beside her, and patted Ha
“That’s you, not me.” Ha
Katy complied, her eyes widening when she saw the scissors Ha
“It is when you’ve got nice legs you never show,” Ha
“Ha
“Hold still, I’m gauging your siren potential. I think another two inches,” Ha
“I’m too short for short dresses,” Katy protested. “I’ll look even more like a baby-faced doll than I do!”
Ha
“Ha
Ha
“Laredo’s ogle-meter. And that’s enough to tell me that he’s not even remotely close to…date material.”
“Did Stanley ogle Becky before the two of them met like ships passing in the bridal chamber?”
Katy wrinkled her nose. “Not that I ever noticed. I think that was why I was so shocked.”
“Something doesn’t add up about that. What made those two suddenly jump in each other’s arms?”
“My virginity.”
“No.” Ha
“Don’t you need a chalk or tape?”
“This will do for the lunch hour. I need you to concentrate. Did you ever tell Becky anything about Stanley?”
“I told her everything! She was my best friend, my maid of honor.”
“Did you tell her anything personal? Like, oh, that you two hadn’t slept together?”
“Everybody knew that, even my mother. We had a nine-month proper engagement. Stanley used to say he was proud to be marrying a virgin.” She wrinkled her forehead.
“Don’t do that. Your face will look like a race track,” Ha
“I told Becky everything a girl tells her best friend. Just like I tell you. She also knew that Stanley didn’t like to kiss me.”
Ha
“Stanley didn’t like to kiss me. Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ha
“He said it was too much temptation, since we couldn’t…um, you know.”
“And Stanley’s family is wealthy?”
“Right. Stanley Peter St. Collin III, of St. Collin Faucets and Hinges.”
“Oh, of course. Naturally.” Ha
“Well, way below ours, if you must use social register terms. Her mom and dad divorced a long time ago, when she was a child. And her mom worked as a waitress at night to make ends meet. Becky worked two jobs, too, after we graduated from high school.”
“And your parents were the Goodnights of Goodnight Protective Arms, starting with well-heeled British immigrant parents and going back three pedigreed generations in your hometown. And you dutifully and impressively went to college and obtained a degree in chemistry.”
“Well, it was the easiest thing to do,” Katy said. “Chemistry is much easier than economics or something.” She shuddered. “Columns of figures and business principles, or putting cool stuff like hydrogen chloride into test tubes and seeing what blows up. Protons. Dissection. No contest there, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. I can see where chemistry is the easy answer. Miles and miles of chemical configurations.” Ha
“After I sort myself out—and I’m just about done, thanks to Miss Delilah—I’m going to teach chemistry at Duke in North Carolina in the fall. Of course, my original plan was to marry Stanley and become a perfectly manicured, Mrs. St. Collin III. Luckily, I’d sent out lots of applications after I graduated from college and before Stanley proposed. He didn’t like me interviewing at Duke. Did I tell you that I was invited to interview at Cornell, too?”
“Peachy. Turn.” Ha
“So, Duke in the fall.”
“Yes.” Katy sighed. “I should never have given up chemical calculations for a man.”
“Not Stanley, anyway. But you can’t throw marriage overboard and closet yourself in a lab.”
“Look at me, Ha
Ha
“You have all been wonderful to me. But it’s time for me to strike out on my own and realize my true potential. I’m not man savvy. I’m not sophisticated. I spent too many years studying while my girlfriends were hanging out at frat houses to have learned the feminine ropes. If life is based on sexual chemistry, I got an F in the sexual and an A plus in the chemistry. But being smart means I can take care of myself. I think I might have gotten a little nervous about my life, and when Stanley proposed, I jumped at it. Maybe I didn’t want to be the smartest virgin spinster.” She sighed, looking down for just a moment. “In a way, Stanley dumping me at the altar was the best thing that could have happened. It made me realize I’m much safer if I just rely on myself.”
Ha