delighted.
"That man flirts with tree stumps," Nina said, absolutely disgusted. "You'll see. Go on back in there and sit down next to him."
"I don't want to see." Charity plopped herself down into a chair. "I'm through with men forever. Every time I see one, I want to spit." She grew thoughtful. "Except for Alex. He seems like a good one."
Nina dropped the Oreos on the table. "Then go for it."
Charity scowled at her. "You're not listening. I'm through with men. You're not. I think you should go after Alex."
"Don't be ridiculous," Nina said, feeling immensely relieved and immensely annoyed that she was feeling relieved. It didn't mean anything that Charity wasn't interested in Alex.
"I'm not being ridiculous." Charity picked up an Oreo. "I think you should seduce him."
"Seduce who?" Alex said behind her.
Charity dropped her cookie. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry." Alex crossed to the fridge, shoved the Crock-Pot back, opened the door and took out the milk. "Who is Nina seducing? I may be against this."
"I have a new date," Nina said, mentally kicking herself because now she'd have to dig up somebody to date. Digging up made her think of Charity's idea about digging up James Dean, and she grinned in spite of herself.
Alex leaned on the counter next to her and scowled at her. "Stop smiling. You do not have my permission to seduce this guy.''
Nina raised her eyebrows at him. "I don't need your permission."
"Yeah, you do." Alex reached behind her and got a mug out of the cupboard. "You're a mother.
You have standards to uphold."
Charity frowned at him. "She's not a mother."
"Yes, she is." Alex nodded at Fred, who was sitting at their feet, giving them his best I-Need-An-Oreo-Desperately look. "Fred's at that difficult age."
Charity looked down at him. "Would that be the Age of Snot?"
Alex snorted. "Come on, Fred. They're being irrational, and Frasier reruns are on. Let's go watch Eddie." He picked up the Oreos, and Fred surged to his feet and trotted after him into the living room.
Charity looked at Nina. "That man is nuts about you."
Nina sagged against the counter. "Don't be ridiculous, you can't be ridiculous because I'm being ridiculous enough for both of us. I'm the one who made up a phantom date."
"Why don't you go out with him?" Charity said, jerkinng her head toward the living room, exasperated.
Nina folded her arms. "Well, for one thing he hasn't asked me."
Charity rolled her eyes. "It's the nineties. You're allowed to do the asking now."
Nina snorted. "Ask out a guy who's ten years younger than I am? Right. No."
Charity looked back over her shoulder toward the living oom. "You're nuts. He's perfect for you, and you're going to let ten years—"
"That's a lot of years, Char," Nina said. "And Alex isn't perfect for me. You know, he's not exactly mature for his age. His idea of intellectual entertainment is 'Mystery Science Theatre.' He has no serious thoughts." Charity bit into an Oreo. "Sounds wonderful to me." Nina sighed. "Well, actually, it's wonderful for me, too, for right now, but what happens if we do end up together and the lust part wears off and I'm stuck with an infant significant other?" Nina bit her lip. "Not that we'd ever end up together. We're too mismatched. I'm visibly older than he is, and it's only going to get worse. And there's my body." She stopped and swallowed. "Everything's lower and chunkier than it used to be.
You should see the women he dates. They're young and beautiful and—" she made a face "—taut and perky, the whole Playboy bit. And you want me to flash him a body that has twenty more years on it than the ones he's used to? There's a limit to how long I can hold in my stomach."
Charity opened her mouth, but Nina overrode her. "And he's at the age where he's probably thinking about settling down. I'm at the age where I'm tired of settling down. I don't want to do the big-house bit again. I love this apartment. I love my life." She thought for a
"That man flirts with tree stumps," Nina said, absolutely disgusted. "You'll see. Go on back in there and sit down next to him."
"I don't want to see." Charity plopped herself down into a chair. "I'm through with men forever. Every time I see one, I want to spit." She grew thoughtful. "Except for Alex. He seems like a good one."
Nina dropped the Oreos on the table. "Then go for it."
Charity scowled at her. "You're not listening. I'm through with men. You're not. I think you should go after Alex."
"Don't be ridiculous," Nina said, feeling immensely relieved and immensely annoyed that she was feeling relieved. It didn't mean anything that Charity wasn't interested in Alex.
"I'm not being ridiculous." Charity picked up an Oreo. "I think you should seduce him."
"Seduce who?" Alex said behind her.
Charity dropped her cookie. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
"Sorry." Alex crossed to the fridge, shoved the Crock-Pot back, opened the door and took out the milk. "Who is Nina seducing? I may be against this."
"I have a new date," Nina said, mentally kicking herself because now she'd have to dig up somebody to date. Digging up made her think of Charity's idea about digging up James Dean, and she grinned in spite of herself.
Alex leaned on the counter next to her and scowled at her. "Stop smiling. You do not have my permission to seduce this guy.''
Nina raised her eyebrows at him. "I don't need your permission."
"Yeah, you do." Alex reached behind her and got a mug out of the cupboard. "You're a mother.
You have standards to uphold."
Charity frowned at him. "She's not a mother."
"Yes, she is." Alex nodded at Fred, who was sitting at their feet, giving them his best I-Need-An-Oreo-Desperately look. "Fred's at that difficult age."
Charity looked down at him. "Would that be the Age of Snot?"
Alex snorted. "Come on, Fred. They're being irrational, and Frasier reruns are on. Let's go watch Eddie." He picked up the Oreos, and Fred surged to his feet and trotted after him into the living room.
Charity looked at Nina. "That man is nuts about you."
Nina sagged against the counter. "Don't be ridiculous, you can't be ridiculous because I'm being ridiculous enough for both of us. I'm the one who made up a phantom date."
"Why don't you go out with him?" Charity said, jerkinng her head toward the living room, exasperated.
Nina folded her arms. "Well, for one thing he hasn't asked me."
Charity rolled her eyes. "It's the nineties. You're allowed to do the asking now."
Nina snorted. "Ask out a guy who's ten years younger than I am? Right. No."
Charity looked back over her shoulder toward the living oom. "You're nuts. He's perfect for you, and you're going to let ten years—"
"That's a lot of years, Char," Nina said. "And Alex isn't perfect for me. You know, he's not exactly mature for his age. His idea of intellectual entertainment is 'Mystery Science Theatre.' He has no serious thoughts." Charity bit into an Oreo. "Sounds wonderful to me." Nina sighed. "Well, actually, it's wonderful for me, too, for right now, but what happens if we do end up together and the lust part wears off and I'm stuck with an infant significant other?" Nina bit her lip. "Not that we'd ever end up together. We're too mismatched. I'm visibly older than he is, and it's only going to get worse. And there's my body." She stopped and swallowed. "Everything's lower and chunkier than it used to be.
You should see the women he dates. They're young and beautiful and—" she made a face "—taut and perky, the whole Playboy bit. And you want me to flash him a body that has twenty more years on it than the ones he's used to? There's a limit to how long I can hold in my stomach."
Charity opened her mouth, but Nina overrode her. "And he's at the age where he's probably thinking about settling down. I'm at the age where I'm tired of settling down. I don't want to do the big-house bit again. I love this apartment. I love my life." She thought for a
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