Free Lucky Charm by Marie Astor Page B

right back, ” Mrs. Green murmured as she hurried to see Meredith out.
    “ I trust you will relay the news to the rest of the family, Aunt Jane, ” Annabel heard Meredith's chilly words echo from the hallway. “ I certainly would not want to be implicated in any of this. I still think that Annabel is making a huge mistake, and despite the way she acted, I want you to know that I'm still willing to help. ”
    “ Goodbye, Meredith. ”
    Annabel heard the sound of the front door snapping shut,
    “ Boy, that girl's got some nerve! ” exclaimed Mrs. Green once she was back in the kitchen. “ I should have turned her out right when she showed up with that ridiculous-looking cake. Who wants to have Precious Moments figurines on their cake – it’s so cheesy!”
    “ When we went looking for invitations, the other day, there was a card with a Precious Moments couple dressed as a bride and groom . I t looked so adorable! ” Before she knew it, Annabel was sobbing again.
    “ I shouldn't have let Meredith come in . I t would have been better if you had listened and hid den in your room instead. ” Mrs. Green placed her arm around Annabel's shoulder.
    “ I can't go hiding in my room forever, can I? ” Annabel sobbed . A pparently , she had been too rash to congratulate herself on the absence of tears. “ What if Meredith is right? What if I am going to end up a spinster? I'm twenty- eight years old. I'll be twenty- nine in six months . T hat doesn't exactly leave me much time, you know. ”
    “ Nonsense! Now you're being ridiculous. You can't let people get to you like that, especially Meredith . W hat does she know about a happy marriage? For all the good marriage did her, I would rather be a spinster myself. God, I hate that word! It boggles me to think that people still haven't come up with a modern alternative to describe a woman who never married. I mean , who spins these days? O f course , we have a perfectly good option for men: a bachelor . A man could be eighty and toothless, but if he's never been married, they'll still describe him as a bachelor and make jokes about him avoiding the marriage noose. ”
    “ Yeah, well, that's the world we live in. ” Annabel felt cheered up by her mother's indignation, but deep inside she could not help wondering whether her mother's tirade was not intended to sugar-coat the truth . I n a little over a year , she would turn thirty , and she had heard plenty of horror stories about the New York dating scene for women over thirty. Of course, there were some who would beg to differ . H er boss, Paige, had more dates than most girls in their early twenties. But Paige was a character – she was independent, spunky, and tough.
    “ Well, I guess I'll have to get going soon, ” Annabel murmured . T hinking of Paige reminded her of work . B roken heart or not, she would have to go in to the office tomorrow.
    “ Are you sure you d on't want to stay the night ? I could get your old room ready. ”
    “ Thanks, Mom, but I've got to go to work tomorrow, and I can't exactly go in looking like this.” Annabel motioned at her shabby outfit of sweats and sneakers. “ I'll be fine . I feel much better than I did this morning. ”
    “ You will be fine — just wait and see. Everything that happens, happens for a reason. Call me anytime you feel blue . I don't care what time of the day or night it is. Call me whenever you feel like it, okay ? ”
    “ O kay . ” Annabel nodded, although she sincerely hoped that it would not come to that. “ I've got to go, Mom . I want to catch the five- fifteen train. ”
    “ All right. Let me get the car keys . I'll drive you to the train station. ”
    “ I'm not going to cry, ” Annabel chanted to herself as she opened the front door of her apartment. “ Not going to cry, ” she repeated her mantra once again as she took her shoes off. She walked inside and took a seat on the couch. It was only half past six - still plenty of the night left to