little fellow with buck teeth almost ran right over her. A
moment later, everyone was seated. No one so much as
looked at Judith.
Feeling humbled, she returned to the kitchen where Renie
was lighting another cigarette. “Coz!” Judith cried. “What
all this? You’re smoking, you’re not eating, you’ve turned
into a stranger!”
Renie examined her fingernails. “I’m working. You’re not
used to it, that’s all. Don’t you behave a bit differently with
your guests than you do when you’re with me or Joe or your
mother?”
“Of course,” Judith replied. “But it’s not just that.
It’s…this.” She jabbed a finger at Renie’s cigarette.
“And…that.” She pointed to the untouched leftovers on the
marble counter.
Renie expelled more smoke and a big sigh. “Okay, okay.
We haven’t seen much of each other since the holidays because I’ve been putting this presentation together and you’ve
been really busy with the B&B. You know my eggnog diet?”
Judith knew it well, though she was skeptical about how
it worked. Renie claimed that from Thanksgiving until New
Year’s, she lived on eggnog, the richer the better. It was one
of her favorite things, and she refused to dilute it with milk
or liquor. Because she was so busy with holiday preparations
and annual report designs, there was barely time to eat. Thus,
she fueled herself with eggnog from morning until night, and
insisted that since she wasn’t eating many regular meals, she
actually lost instead of gained weight over the holidays.
“I flunked it,” Renie declared. “The eggnog diet finally
failed me. Or I failed it.”
Judith couldn’t help but laugh. “Coz! You mean you didn’t
lose weight this year?”
Renie shook her head. “Not only that, I gained seven
pounds. I’m wearing my fat suit.”
The tailored brown wool with the faux fur collar didn’t
look like a fat suit to Judith. “I can’t tell you’ve gained anything,” she said.
“I have,” Renie insisted, patting her midsection. “This
outfit is just camouflage. I should be wearing Armani for the
presentation, but trying to get into my other suits is like
squeezing toothpaste back into the tube. It just doesn’t quite
make it.”
Judith’s amusement faded. “So you’re starving yourself
“Only until I lose seven pounds. Two are already gone or
I wouldn’t have gotten into this suit, either.” Renie stubbed
her cigarette out in a saucer. “I had to do something with
my mouth and hands before I went to the post-holiday sales
and bought up all the Russell Stover chocolate Santas I could
