Counting Stars Read Online Free Page B

sharply. “Don’t you dare. Just think about this. First he threw out your plants. Then he talked you out of your art class, and now he wants to get rid of your pet. Next thing you know, he’ll want to put your parents in an old folks home.”
    “Do you really think so?” Tara asked anxiously. Fresh tears appeared in her eyes before she’d pulled another tissue out. “Oh Jane.”
    Jane looked at her watch. She had twenty-five minutes before she was due to meet the Sweviecs. She only had three new properties to show them, but . . . Tara needed her. “All right. I’ve got a few minutes to spare.”
    Tara’s face brightened. “Great. That’s enough time to forget our sorrows in one of those fabulous orange rolls at the bakery.”
    “I really shouldn’t,” Jane said, grabbing her purse. “My breakfast was already three days worth of Weight Watchers points.”
    “So,” Tara said, leading the way. “Today’s your First Friday thing, isn’t it?”
    * * *
    “You know you can stay at my place.” Jane repeated the offer she had made many times before when trying to convince Tara that living with her boyfriend wasn’t a good idea.
    “Thanks, but no.” Tara licked the frosting from her fingers, then tried changing the subject. “So why don’t you just dump the Sweviecs?”
    “Because if I can hang in there and make a sale, the commission will cover my mortgage for months.” Jane glanced at her watch again.
    “Is it worth it?”
    Jane chewed her roll and considered. A smile crossed her face as she thought of the new white picket fence surrounding her yard. It was definitely worth it. She looked at Tara. “Is Zack worth it?”
    “It’s better than being alone.”
    “Hmm.” Jane slid off her stool and headed for the door. “That’s a matter of opinion.”
    Tara followed her. “That’s not fair. I mean—you’ve never taken the relationship plunge, so how would you know whether it’s better or not?”
    Jane rolled her eyes. “I know.”
    “You don’t,” Tara insisted. “How could you? You won’t even get your feet wet. I bet you haven’t been on a date in weeks.”
    Months, Jane amended silently as she walked toward the office, trying to pretend Tara’s remark hadn’t stung.
    “If I don’t take the plunge, it’s because the water’s shallow.” She thought of Tara’s previous boyfriend, Stan, who’d been about as intellectually deep as her toilet bowl. “And I refuse to stick my feet—or even my little toe—in water that’s murky.” She looked sideways at Tara. “And I’m telling you, Zack is murky. Manipulative and murky.”
    Tara’s shoulders slumped, and she stopped as they reached the office door. “I know. I’m not so blind I don’t see it too. But it’s just that sometimes you’ve got to settle a bit, and I swear, even settling is better than being alone.”
    Jane stared at her, unconvinced.
    “Think of it this way,” Tara said. “This world’s full of pollution. You can’t escape it anywhere. There are no pristine, sparkling lakes left—or if there are they’re sure hidden well, and getting to them involves far more hiking than I’m ready to do. Anyway—” She waved her hand in the air. “Here in the city, you gotta settle for the best water you can get. And once you’re used to the taste, it really isn’t too bad.”
    Jane pushed open the door and held it while Tara, her shoulders square again, walked inside. Is she right? Jane wondered and thought again of her morning encounter with Jay. Should she have gotten her feet wet? What would one lunch date have hurt? Jay had a past, and he certainly wasn’t LDS, but what had years of singles dances and activities yielded her?
    Nothing.
    It was too late for that lunch date now, though it wasn’t too late to do something else. A determined look in her eyes, Jane walked through the door and headed toward her cubicle. The want ads were calling her. Ever answer one? Jay had asked. Ever go out with one of those