Shoe Addicts Anonymous Shoe Addicts Anonymous Beth Harbison ST. MARTIN’S PRESS New York This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. SHOE ADDICTS ANONYMOUS. Copyright © 2007 by Beth Harbison. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010. www.stmartins.com LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Harbison, Elizabeth M. Shoe addicts anonymous / Beth Harbison.—1st ed. p. cm. ISBN: 978-1-4299-1582-3 1. Female friendship—Fiction. 2. Shoes—Fiction. I. Title. PS3558.A564 S56 2007 813’.54—dc22 2007010081 To my mother, Connie Atkins, and her partner-in-shopping, Ginny Russell— the original Shoe Addicts in my life. They’re probably in a shoe store right now! And to Jen Enderlin, my editor and friend. Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Epilogue Acknowledgments W riting is a solitary experience, but living, if you’re lucky, is not. I’d like to thank some of the friends who have made me laugh, saved my sanity, and inspired the friendships in this book: my sisters, Jacquelyn and Elaine McShulskis; the friends who have been there almost as long as my sisters, Jordana Carmel and Nicki Singer; my neighbors and pals who saved me time and again, either by taking the kids or pouring the drinks (or both), Amy Sears and Carolyn Clemens; and the generous souls who have read, reread, advised, and commiserated—often over snack food—through many years and many books, Elaine Fox, Annie Jones, Marsha Nuccio, Mary Blayney, Meg Ruley, and Annelise Robey.