Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter

Author:Jane Porter [PORTER, JANE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC000000
ISBN: 9780446537384
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2008-05-04T14:00:00+00:00

I’m at Tully’s early to push tables together. Patti arrives just after me and offers to put in our drink order. “That would be great,” I answer, dragging a few empty chairs from other tables to our cluster.

“The usual? Short, skim, no foam latte?”

“Yep.”

While she stands in line, I go to the ladies’ room to wash my hands. My face catches me by surprise. I look hard. Brittle.

Old.

Little lines web my eyes. More lines frame my mouth. A deeper line is there between my eyebrows.

I practice a smile. I look marginally better. Next I rummage in my purse for my makeup bag and run warm autumny copper lipstick over my lips and add a similar copper blush to my cheeks. I darken my eyeliner. Smile at myself again.

Better. Younger. Brighter.

No wonder the cosmetic industry is so huge.

I put away my makeup bag, feeling like a faker. But faking it isn’t all bad. In Los Angeles, fakers are called actors and they get paid big bucks.

After leaving the ladies’ restroom, I discover Patti at the table with our coffee. A couple of the other moms arrive. Within another five minutes, everyone else shows up.

Unfortunately, five minutes into the meeting, Patti shares that she’s moving Thanksgiving weekend and, regrettably, this will be her last meeting.

She turns to smile at me. “We’re all lucky Taylor’s the co-chair. She’ll do a great job. She’ll make sure this year’s auction is the best ever.”

My lipstick smile threatens to fall. I wish Patti had waited until the end of the meeting to share her big news. After her announcement, we never really get back on track, and the next ninety minutes slide by in one conversation after another.

I try halfheartedly to steer the discussion onto procurement and how we need a mix of items to generate the most interest, explaining that some auction attendees want to go home with an item that night, while others would rather bid on a future event; but when no one on the committee bites, I give up, sit back, and let everyone talk.

I so wish Patti weren’t leaving. I don’t want to chair the auction by myself. It’s not that I can’t do it, but it won’t be the same. It was fun sharing the work, having someone else to bounce ideas off. And Patti always had a way of making me feel smart, clever. Without her I don’t feel very accomplished at all.

Worrying about the auction, I watch people come and go, including the beautiful blond mother with thick Kim Alexis hair and a Christie Brinkley smile who walks through the doors with her towheaded preteen and her graying husband. The mother and daughter sit at the conference table while the dad waits in line. Soon he’s with them again, and they enjoy their snacks and talk.

They look so comfortable. So relaxed. I find myself envying them. That’s how it used to be with our family. Easy. Natural.

The front door opens again, and a woman enters with three little girls all dressed in private school white blouses and plaid skirts.

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