Free Certainly Sensible by Pamela Woods-Jackson Page B

Phillips, and he’s a great guy. Let me give him a call tomorrow and see what he says.”
    Susan wasn’t sure how Allie would react to yet another change, especially one arranged by her mother and Emily. “What’s he like? Old and stodgy?”
    Emily laughed. “Heavens no. Actually Brandon’s young to be a tenured professor.”
    Susan took a deep breath as she mulled over Emily’s suggestion. “Well, give him a call and see what he says.”
    “I’m sure he’ll want to get in touch with you—and meet Allie.”
    “Just one more debt I owe you, Emily. If it weren’t for you…”
    Emily held up her hand. “I know, Susan. You don’t have to say it.”
    Susan smiled, opened a box, and started unpacking it. “How did I end up with this?” They both laughed as she held up Daniel’s beer mug embossed with his fraternity’s letters.
    Emily pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and pushed speed dial #1. “Hi, Sara. It’s me. Yeah, we’re done. I’m coming home tonight after all. Sure…” Emily walked off into the kitchen, and Susan gladly gave her some privacy.

Chapter Six
    Caroline glanced into Richard’s office and quickly turned back to her computer when he looked up and their eyes met. She blushed and was trying to focus on work, when her attention was diverted by a text from Lucy.
    — Red alert! —
    Before Caroline could reply or ask what that meant, Richard motioned for her to come into his office. She got up from her desk and walked in.
    He was beaming. “Caroline, I have those art books I promised Megan. They’re sitting on…”
    Then Caroline heard the dreaded click-click-click coming down the hall and cringed.
    “Richard! Richard Meadows, where are you?”
    Richard groaned. “That would be Misty. I’d know those stilettos anywhere.”
    Misty Peterson waltzed down the hall toward Richard’s office, and suddenly Caroline understood Lucy’s message. Misty was wearing a bright red camisole, a white skirt with red polka dots, red high-heeled sandals, a mauve headband around her frizzy bleached blonde hair, and way too much ruby red lipstick. Caroline turned her face away to avoid laughing.
    “Richard, thank goodness.” Misty brushed past Caroline with a dirty look as she swept into his office. “I’ve got a ton of things to talk to you about. Our wedding’s less than three months away, and I’m positively crazed! Let me show you these invitations.” She plopped the sample books on top of his desk, scattering his work papers everywhere.
    Caroline watched the two of them, wondering yet again what the attraction was. Richard looked chagrined as he glanced over at Caroline but quickly turned back to his fiancée.
    “What’s going on here?” Misty demanded, looking from one to the other.
    “It’s just that we were working, Misty, and we didn’t know you were coming.” Caroline sighed as she leaned down to pick up Richard’s papers off the floor. It galled her to be polite to the woman, but for Richard’s sake she had to fake it.
    “See here, Caroline, I’ll drop by whenever I like. Richard is my fiancé.”
    “Yes, I know.” Caroline bit her tongue.
    She might have wondered how a classless woman like Misty ever snagged a great guy like Richard, but she already knew. She’d heard some of it from Richard, some from his grandmother, and some of the story from Jack, who had helped facilitate the whole thing. If Caroline were prone to violence, she’d throttle Jack. True, he thought he was just being a friend to Richard, but his involvement allowed Misty to make her sneaky move. Caroline understood why Richard had gotten sucked into the plan. But she’d never understood what was in it for Misty, who didn’t even seem to really like Richard. Yet the wedding plans were in full swing.
    Misty was the spoiled daughter of coffee magnate Merrill Peterson, which gave Caroline pause every time she bought a Peterson’s coffee. Misty mostly spent her days shopping, going to spas, and