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Erin knew she was blushing, but she tried to act like she wasn t embarrassed.
No. I wish I were, but there s not much to choose from.
Oh, come on, Katie scoffed. You re an hour from Boston when traffic s good
and only what& twenty minutes from Nashua? There are little towns all over the
place. Someone must have a cousin or a co-worker they d like to fix you up with.
You re far too good-looking to be single if you don t want to be.
Are you single? Erin asked, desperately trying to get the focus off herself.
Yeah. Katie grinned, one eye closing a little, her chin lifting, making her look
as if she were keeping a very interesting secret. But I want to be. You sound like
you don t.
I guess I don t. Erin contemplatively took a sip of her cocoa. I think I m
better when I m in a relationship.
Mmm, I ve had some trouble in that department. Katie s eyes were dancing
with impish good humor. But I m not unwilling to keep trying until I get it
right.
Do you date a lot?
Nodding, Katie said, A whole lot. How about you?
Not at all. I haven t had a date since I got back to town. She looked a little
glum, and Katie gazed at her profile for a few moments.
Are you incredibly particular?
No, not incredibly so.
Then why no dates?
Erin shrugged. There really isn t much to choose from. This is a very small
town.
So, you need to go outside of your town. Why not ask your friends to hook
you up with someone from Concord or Manchester?
Looking uncomfortable, Erin said, Not many people have offered.
Are you shy?
No, not very. But I guess I m& maybe lazy? My mom keeps telling me to find
someone online, but that seems like a lot of work.
Katie gazed at Erin for another few seconds, trying to get a bead on her.
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Susan X Meagher
Isn t it worth some work if it s important to you? Strangers don t come to my
door asking me out. I work hard to meet new people. She put her head on the
counter, sighing dramatically. I m pooped!
Yeah, yeah, Erin agreed. She sipped at her cocoa, looking both uncomfortable
and anxious. I guess I d do it if I were ready. She turned to Katie and said,
Maybe I m shyer than I think I am.
Maybe you are, Katie agreed, still having no idea what the young doctor was
looking for or even if she herself knew.
d
That night, Katie worked the room at a Boston GLASS Community Center
fundraiser. She caught an old friend s eye and made her way across the room.
Hi, Naomi, she said, hugging the woman.
How are you, Katie? I haven t seen you since the barbeque at Jake s house out
on the Cape. Are you still dating that woman you were with?
Uhm, who was I with? Was she a tall blonde?
No, Naomi said. She was a short Latina.
Oh, right! Nice, nice woman. but she liked to play the field as much as I do. I
think she was a little too young for me. She laughed and added, Maybe that s
the wrong adjective. I think she was a couple of years older than me.
That s refreshing to hear. Most of the women I talk to seem to want a much
younger girlfriend.
I guess I wouldn t mind a young woman, Katie said, but they re hard to
pin down. I have a little crush on a woman from New Hampshire, but I can t
even find out if she s gay. And I will never again go out with someone who s
ambivalent or uncomfortable with her sexual orientation.
Have you been burned?
Haven t we all? Katie sighed.
d
Erin ran into Dan the day before he left for Florida. They stood in front of the
post office, with Erin trying to think of something interesting to say. My mom
tells me you ll be out of town for quite a while. Is there anything we can do to
keep an eye on your place?
Dan squinted a little, looking at Erin for a few seconds. Your mom s right, you
know. You re a damned nice girl.
Grinning at him, Erin said, I m sure she didn t say that. At least, I ve never
heard her say the word damn.
Well, words to that effect. Your mom s a real lady.
She is. And she s a very good person, too.
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The Lies That Bind
You re both good people. But you don t have to worry about my place. My boy
is going to come take care of it. It ll give him a chance to get out of the city.
Well, give him our number just in case. We d be glad to help out if he needs
anything.
Out of the blue, Madge was at Erin s side. My husband is a very good
mechanic, she said. If anything at the house breaks, tell your son to call us.
I swear I ve met more people here than I knew in fifty years in Boston. And
every one of them is nice.
Erin and Madge giggled conspiratorially. He hasn t been here long enough to
know the dark side, Erin said. The kooks tend to come out at night when the
nice people are asleep.
d
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