Free Caught in a Bind by Gayle Roper Page B

course. Not like you. Just sort of important. Merely a professional contact.”
    I glared at him. “Intimations. Intimations. What kind of a stupid name is that for an art gallery? Sounds like Imitations.”
    “I think the idea is ‘intimations of greatness.’”
    “Oh.” Wouldn’t you know there was logic behind that ridiculous name, and I’d been too blind to see it?
    “Merry, honey, you’re overreacting here. There’s no need to get all in a huff.”
    “You think not?” I huffed. “You ignored me all evening!”
    “I didn’t.”
    “I had to spend the entire reception with Mac!”
    He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, tumbling it into delicious curls. “I should have left you on the front porch in your undies.”
    “It would have been less embarrassing.”
    “What?” Suddenly he was standing, towering over me. “You’re saying I’m an embarrassment?”
    “Yes! No! Not you. Your absence.”
    “I wasn’t absent! I was right there!”
    “But not with me!” I clenched my teeth against my tears.
    He stared at me for a minute. “This is an idiotic conversation.”
    “It is not idiotic! It’s important!”
    “So I talked with Delia. Big deal!”
    “You are so dense,” I shouted. “If you can’t figure out why I’m upset, then I don’t want to talk about it anymore. And I don’t want to talk to you anymore!”
    I grabbed my coat and stalked to the front door. “Don’t worry. I have my keys this time.” And I stormed out.
    I stomped to my car and drove off into the night. I did not have to put up with a man who had no sense of how he’d hurt me. I did not.
    I was three blocks from home when it dawned on me that I had stormed out of my own apartment, leaving Curt behind with the warmth, light, food and comfort, to say nothing of Whiskers. I felt the flush of embarrassment envelop my entire body. Now I was not only furious and deeply hurt; I was mortified.
    I pulled up to a stop sign and sat, trying to decide what to do now. A beep from a car behind me pulled me from my blue funk. I drove around a bit more, trying to find a graceful way out of my situation. I finally admitted I had only two basic choices. I could drive around all night, or I could go home.
    The first was stupid; the second was humiliating.
    I sighed. I pictured Curt and Whiskers, lying together on the sofa, eyes closed, gentle snores mingling harmoniously. It was such a peaceful scene.
    I, on the other hand, was driving around town with no place to go, lonely and alone.
    Dear God, what’s wrong with me? How could I have done something this stupid?
    I heard Stephanie Bauer say, as clearly as if she were sitting next to me, “The power of choice.”
    What choice, Father? He left me alone all evening!
    “The power of choice.”
    I didn’t deserve that humiliation, Father .
    “The power of choice.”
    But I have the right to feel upset .
    “The power of choice.”
    Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re saying that I can’t choose how Curt will act, but I can choose how I act, right?
    I sighed. I had chosen to put the worst possible spin on the evening. So Curt had left me alone. It wasn’t very polite, it was embarrassing and it hurt me. But had he meant for me to feel these emotions?
    In all honesty I had to admit that he had not. I had chosen to be embarrassed, to be jealous and nasty. I had chosen to be more concerned about my image and my evening than about Curt’s professional opportunities.
    Not that I didn’t recognize that Delia was trolling for Curt, her hook cleverly hidden in the lure of a showing. But Curt had never given me any cause to doubt his affection for me. In fact he had declared it openly in front of Delia’s father.
    The truth, dear Father, is that I’m afraid. She’s gorgeous. She comes from money. She has two galleries that can help Curt immensely. Why would he want me when he can have her?
    “The power of choice.”
    So I choose to let my fear overwhelm me and make me do crazy things like run