Free Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park Page A

turned to Matt. “You’re home late. How was school? Did your meeting go well?”
    Matt nodded as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. Half his food was already gone. “Very good. Sorry I’m home late. Andeven sorrier that I’ve managed to double my workload by agreeing to be a research assistant.”
    “This is with Professor Saunders, correct? He has an excellent reputation, so this is an important opportunity for you.” Erin took a sip of wine. “I do hear he’s very demanding, Matthew, so you’ll have to be incredibly diligent with your work.”
    “I realize that. In fact,” Matt said as he stood up, “I should get upstairs and get to work. I’ll finish dinner up there. Thanks, Julie.” He picked up his plate and started out of the kitchen. “Hey, Julie?” He stopped in the doorway.
    “Yeah?”
    “So things went all right today?”
    “Totally fine. I told you that when you called. Both times.”
    “OK. Thanks again.”
    Julie wiped down the counter and moved to the sink to start washing the pans that hadn’t fit into the dishwasher. Erin took a towel and stood next to her.
    “Julie, tell me how your mother is. Until she called me the other day, I hadn’t heard her voice in years. She’s doing well?”
    Julie nodded. “Yeah. She still works for her parents’ copier company as the office manager. She seems to like it.” She rinsed a saucepan and handed it to Erin.
    “She’s still working for them?” Erin said with surprise. “Bless her, because I could never work for my family. Kate is a better woman than I am.”
    “Erin? This might sound weird, but you and my mom seem very different. I have a hard time seeing you two as friends.” In fact, Julie found it impossible to see her mother and Erin hanging out and swapping approaches to socioeconomic policies in between classes and dorm parties.
    “We were. We roomed together for three out of the four years. We may be different people now, but when we were in college,we were probably more alike. Your mother was an excellent student, and it came so naturally to her. Did you know that? She’s very bright. We chose different paths after we graduated, though. You mother and father were already dating, and they got married a year after they graduated. I worked for a few years and then went to law school. I was simply more career-oriented than your mother. Kate chose a path that was comfortable for her. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. I’m glad she’s so happy.”
    “Did you think she was going to go to law school or something, the way you did?”
    “She could have. She certainly had the intellect. It just wasn’t what she wanted. Kate wasn’t interested in graduate school or a more prominent career. She wanted your father, and she wanted the life she got.” Erin paused. “Until…I’m sorry. That was thoughtless.”
    “It’s OK. The divorce is the divorce. It happens all the time, so it’s not a big deal.”
    “They separated when you were about four or five, is that right?”
    Julie nodded.
    “Do you see him much?”
    “Once or twice a year. After the divorce his career really took off, and he just hasn’t been able to see me as much as he would like. He’s really busy with his job. He comes into town for business sometimes, so I have dinner with him when he can. It’s the nature of his work, I guess. I understand.”
    “He’s still with that fancy hotel chain?”
    Julie nodded. “Yup. He’s the regional vice president for the West Coast. And he’s taking me to California over winter break this year. My first Christmas without snow.”
    “That sounds wonderful,” Erin said. “I’m glad you’ll have some time with him.”
    “Yeah. I’m sure it will be great,” Julie said. She turned off the water. “I’m glad my mom called you.”
    “I’m glad Kate called me too.”
    “I hope you know that I’ve been doing everything I can to find an apartment. I don’t want you to think you’ll have to put me up