morning as they headed for campus. She’d already snapped at him for knocking too loud and cried when She’d dropped her key at a nearby intersection. “I know it’s Monday and you’re tired after working the entire weekend, but today… you’re cranky. High-strung. Hey, this isn’t one of those female things, is it?”
She glared at him.
“Then what’s bothering you? Tell Uncle Danny.”
She shrugged. “That thing with Guidry.” Liar. But how could she blurt out, even to her best friend, that her dream man had stood her up not once, but three times now.
“Don’t worry about Guidry. He blows a lot of smoke, but he’s harmless.” Danny leveled a stare at her when they reached the crosswalk. “You’re a terrible liar. There’s something else bothering you besides an uptight professor.”
“Stress.” She sighed. “Just a lot of stress.”
“You thrive on stress. You live for it. The more pressure, the harder you work.”
“This is a different kind of stress.”
“Different?” He looked puzzled for about an eighth of a second. Then a grin spread from ear to ear. “ That kind of stress. Well, it’s no wonder. Three years is a long time. That is what you said, right? Three years since you … well, you know.”
“Three years since my last date, and it wasn’t really a date. Just a study session. We collaborated on a paper.”
“So how long has it been since … you know?” She didn’t answer and he elbowed her. “Come on.”
“Twenty-six years,” she finally blurted after a lengthy silence.
“But you’re twenty-six …” His words died away and his eyes widened. “You mean you’ve never—”
“Don’t say it.” She held up a hand. “It’s bad enough, but if you say it my love life is bound to go from bad to worse.”
“How much worse could it get?”
“Look who’s talking, Mr. Wanda-doesn’t-know-I’m-alive Boudreaux.”
“At least I’m trying, and as pure as I may look, I’m not exactly a virgin.”
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?”
“It means that I’ve done the nasty before.” He shrugged. “Once anyway.”
“The nasty ?”
“You know—the wild thing, the booty bump, the body smack, the—”
“Now I understand why it was only once.”
“So I’m not the smoothest guy. I’m trying, which is more than I can say for you. Geez, I knew you didn’t play the field, but I never thought you were a—” At her pointed look, he clamped his mouth shut on the word. “I mean, you’re a great girl. Smart. And you’ve got—”
“Don’t say great personality. Please.”
“Well, you do.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a good personality.”
“That’s great personality, and there is if that personality isn’t stuffed into Cindy Crawford’s body.”
“Cindy Crawford can’t hold a candle to you. You’re about to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. You’ve got a great future in accounting, and you’re cute.”
“Cute, as in, if you lost about fifteen pounds you’d be pretty.”
“You’re not fat.”
“But I’m not skinny.”
He threw up his hands. “I give up. Look,” he said, turning to her. “There’s no reason you can’t meet a really great guy. You just have to get out and look.”
“For your information, I don’t want to meet a really great guy right now. I’d just like to know how, so that when I do decide it’s time, I’m armed and ready.”
“What’s wrong with meeting someone now?”
“I’m too busy. I’m graduating in two months.”
“You hope you’re graduating in two months.”
“Very funny. I am graduating. Guidry can’t fail me when I ace his term paper, and I will. I’ve got the best topic in the class, and I’ve already done a ton of research. I’ll get my diploma, then it’s full-time at some prestigious accounting firm, maybe even Burns & Anderson in New Orleans, and hello to the rest of my life. I’ll take the CPA exam next year, then start my own firm.”
“At that
She glared at him.
“Then what’s bothering you? Tell Uncle Danny.”
She shrugged. “That thing with Guidry.” Liar. But how could she blurt out, even to her best friend, that her dream man had stood her up not once, but three times now.
“Don’t worry about Guidry. He blows a lot of smoke, but he’s harmless.” Danny leveled a stare at her when they reached the crosswalk. “You’re a terrible liar. There’s something else bothering you besides an uptight professor.”
“Stress.” She sighed. “Just a lot of stress.”
“You thrive on stress. You live for it. The more pressure, the harder you work.”
“This is a different kind of stress.”
“Different?” He looked puzzled for about an eighth of a second. Then a grin spread from ear to ear. “ That kind of stress. Well, it’s no wonder. Three years is a long time. That is what you said, right? Three years since you … well, you know.”
“Three years since my last date, and it wasn’t really a date. Just a study session. We collaborated on a paper.”
“So how long has it been since … you know?” She didn’t answer and he elbowed her. “Come on.”
“Twenty-six years,” she finally blurted after a lengthy silence.
“But you’re twenty-six …” His words died away and his eyes widened. “You mean you’ve never—”
“Don’t say it.” She held up a hand. “It’s bad enough, but if you say it my love life is bound to go from bad to worse.”
“How much worse could it get?”
“Look who’s talking, Mr. Wanda-doesn’t-know-I’m-alive Boudreaux.”
“At least I’m trying, and as pure as I may look, I’m not exactly a virgin.”
“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?”
“It means that I’ve done the nasty before.” He shrugged. “Once anyway.”
“The nasty ?”
“You know—the wild thing, the booty bump, the body smack, the—”
“Now I understand why it was only once.”
“So I’m not the smoothest guy. I’m trying, which is more than I can say for you. Geez, I knew you didn’t play the field, but I never thought you were a—” At her pointed look, he clamped his mouth shut on the word. “I mean, you’re a great girl. Smart. And you’ve got—”
“Don’t say great personality. Please.”
“Well, you do.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a good personality.”
“That’s great personality, and there is if that personality isn’t stuffed into Cindy Crawford’s body.”
“Cindy Crawford can’t hold a candle to you. You’re about to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. You’ve got a great future in accounting, and you’re cute.”
“Cute, as in, if you lost about fifteen pounds you’d be pretty.”
“You’re not fat.”
“But I’m not skinny.”
He threw up his hands. “I give up. Look,” he said, turning to her. “There’s no reason you can’t meet a really great guy. You just have to get out and look.”
“For your information, I don’t want to meet a really great guy right now. I’d just like to know how, so that when I do decide it’s time, I’m armed and ready.”
“What’s wrong with meeting someone now?”
“I’m too busy. I’m graduating in two months.”
“You hope you’re graduating in two months.”
“Very funny. I am graduating. Guidry can’t fail me when I ace his term paper, and I will. I’ve got the best topic in the class, and I’ve already done a ton of research. I’ll get my diploma, then it’s full-time at some prestigious accounting firm, maybe even Burns & Anderson in New Orleans, and hello to the rest of my life. I’ll take the CPA exam next year, then start my own firm.”
“At that
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