Dear Cupid by Julie Ortolon Page A

all connected. Once you doubt yourself, pretty soon everyone will follow suit. The job with Mike is my chance to turn everything around.”
    “Turn what around?”
    “My attitude.” Her gaze landed on a skimpy gold dress way in the back of the closet. The dress was one of her favorites, yet she couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn it. The cleverly darted design accentuated her hourglass figure, and gave the illusion of being tight, when in fact, it flowed comfortably over her curves. The spaghetti straps and princess-cut neckline left her arms and a tantalizing hint of breast bare.
    Holding the dress against her, she stepped before the mirror and wondered if it still fit. “If I can prove to myself that I still have what it takes to be Cupid, that confidence will come through in my articles and responses to e-mail, right?”
    “And how will you prove it?”
    She met her own gaze in the mirror. “By finding Mike Cameron a wife. The perfect wife.” And if she wanted to wear a skimpy gold dress and have a little fun while she was at it, then by golly she would!
    She headed for the dresser to find the right undergarments to wear with a spaghetti-strap dress. Thanks to her passion for lingerie and her discount through
Gwendoly n
’
s Garden
, she certainly had plenty to choose from.
    “Wow,” Linda said, watching her. “You didn’t mention you wanted to be that wife.”
    “What are you talking about?” Kate glanced up, startled. “I’m not interested in marrying Mike myself.”
    “Right,” Linda laughed. “Although it’s about time you started dating again.”
    “I’m not dating him,” she insisted as she took a seat at her Queen Anne vanity. A cheerful array of perfume bottles, jewelry, and makeup cases vied with family photos on its surface. Pointing her toes, she rolled the silk stockings onto her legs. “Trust me, Linda, there is absolutely nothing romantic going on between Mike and me. This is business.”
    “Too bad.” Linda made a face that came dangerously close to a pout. “For a moment, I actually thought one of us had something romantic going on.”
    “What do you mean?” Kate stepped into the closet to exchange the robe for a bustier. and French-cut girdle.
    “Nothing,” Linda mumbled.
    Kate stuck her head around the door and frowned at her friend. “I know that look. Something is obviously wrong, so spill, woman.”
    “It’s nothing,” Linda insisted. “Except this huge stomach of mine! God, I feel so fat, I don’t think I’ll ever be thin again.”
    “
Jeez
, Linda, don’t tell me you’re letting that hamper your love life.” Kate slipped the dress over her head. With a wiggle of her hips, the gold fabric settled about her, as light as a lover’s whisper.
Yes!
she mentally cheered. It fit.
    “I’m not letting it stop me,” Linda said. “But Jim is. Do you know we haven’t made love since the baby started kicking?”
    “What!”  Kate stepped around the door, slipping high-heeled sandals onto her feet. “But surely the doctor told you it was okay, as long as y’all don’t get too rambunctious.”
    “She did. But Jim refuses to touch me. At first I thought he was just afraid of hurting the baby, but now I don’t know.” Her voice grew a bit desperate. “Kate, he spends all his time out in his workshop and he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want me to come out and visit with him anymore. It’s like he doesn’t want me around. What if he’s having second thoughts about starting a family? Having a baby could change everything between us. What if he’s not ready? What if
I
’
m
not ready?”
    “Oh, honey ...” Kate came to sit on the edge of the bed. Cupping her friend’s chin, she stared into the frantic blue eyes. “I know for a fact that Jim finds you incredibly attractive—”
    “I’m not attractive.” Linda pouted. “I’m fat.”
    “You are not fat!” Kate growled. “You’re pregnant with his child, and that makes you the most