Maddie sighed. “I’m not explaining this very well. All I’m suggesting is that to Ronnie that one-night stand might have held no more long-term importance than some accident that smashed up a car. It happened. It’s over with. No long-running affair, no emotional entanglement, the way there was with Bill and Noreen. Ronnie’s one-night stand was about sex. The other was about a relationship, a real, ongoing intimacy between two people that took away from what Bill and I shared.”
“I suppose,” Dana Sue said, not entirely convinced. “But it hurt just the same.”
“Of course it did. And it was wrong, no question about it. But, sweetie, weigh it against the big picture. Ronnie loves you with everything in him. What happened was one little blip, barely noticeable when you look back over twenty years together.” Maddie patted her hand. “Just think about it, okay? Don’t let your pride rob you of what you really want.”
“It’s not about my pride,” Dana Sue said defensively.
Maddie’s brow rose. “Isn’t it?”
Dana Sue turned away from her knowing look. “I need to check on Annie. She could be getting tired.”
“Annie’s fine,” Maddie said, gesturing toward the porch. “She’s out there with Ty, Sarah and Raylene. But we probably should get going, just the same. What time is your family counseling session in the morning?”
“Ten o’clock,” Dana Sue said. “I have to admit, I’m scared.”
“What of?”
“What’s going to come out in there,” she confessed. “What if all this turns out to be my fault?”
“I don’t think it’s about casting blame. I think it’s about moving forward so Annie won’t fall back into the same destructive pattern.”
“I know you’re right,” Dana Sue conceded.
“Then what are you really worried about?”
“Annie wants Ronnie and me back together. And right now, I would do almost anything in the world to make her happy,” Dana Sue explained. “But that?” She shook her head. “I can’t go back to Ronnie because it’s what Annie wants.”
Maddie grinned. “Maybe you should do it because it’s what you want.”
Before Dana Sue could protest again, Maddie pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Talk to you tomorrow. I’ll gather up my crew and get out of here. That should signal the others it’s time to go, too.”
“Thanks,” Dana Sue said gratefully.
Of course, with everyone gone there would be no one to serve as a buffer between her and Ronnie. The memory of the kiss he’d laid on her a short time before stirred her blood all over again.
But when she looked around as everyone was leaving, there was no sign of him anywhere. She glanced at Annie as she closed the front door behind the last guest.
“Where’s your dad?”
“He cleaned up the kitchen, then left,” Annie said, her expression knowing as she watched Dana Sue for a reaction. “Disappointed, Mom?”
“No, of course not,” she insisted. But she was, and that most definitely was not a good thing.
“Liar,” Annie accused with a grin. “If you’d let him move back in, he’d still be here.”
“Not an option,” Dana Sue said tersely.
“Maybe it should be,” Annie taunted. “’Night, Mom. See you in the morning.”
“Good night, sweetie. I am so glad you’re home again.”
“Me, too.”
Annie started toward the stairs, then came back and wrapped her arms around Dana Sue’s waist. “I love you. Thanks for sticking by me.”
“Always,” she answered. “No matter what.”
She just prayed there would never be another crisis like the one they’d just been through and, in the months to come, that they’d all have the strength to navigate the bumps in the road to Annie’s recovery.
* * *
Ronnie’s hasty exit the night before had been deliberate. He knew how much his kiss had rattled Dana Sue. He’d been just as shaken. He’d also known that to expect anything more right now was out of the question. Better to slip away than to make a move that would alienate her just when they were making real progress.
He’d also wanted to get a good night’s sleep before this family counseling thing. He had no idea what to expect or how much of the blame for Annie’s problems was going to come down on his head. He was prepared to accept some of the responsibility, but Dana Sue bore some of it, as well. In fact, she seemed inclined to heap all of it on her own shoulders, right along with condemning herself for her weight gain.
An hour before the appointment, he pulled into the driveway at the house, noting that the trim on the brick house was in need of a coat of paint. Maybe he could get to that this weekend. It would be yet another peace offering to Dana Sue.
The kitchen door opened and Dana Sue emerged. “You coming in?” she called.
He left the car and headed inside.
She eyed him warily as he entered. “Have you eaten? I could scramble some eggs for you.”
“No, thanks. I don’t have much appetite this morning.” He let his gaze travel over her very slowly. “Except for things I shouldn’t have.”
Her cheeks immediately turned pink. “Ronnie!”
“It’s true. I thought about that kiss all night.”
“You shouldn’t have.”
“Then you shouldn’t have made it so memorable,” he said, then deliberately changed the subject to something more neutral. “Where’s Annie?”
“Getting dressed.”
“Are you as scared about this morning as I am?” he asked, and saw a hint of relief in her eyes.
She nodded. “Crazy, isn’t it? It’s like being called to the principal’s office.”
He laughed. “I definitely know more about that than you do, but yes, it’s exactly like that.”
“I don’t think it’s supposed to be,” she said. “I mean, we’re all after the same thing, right?”
“Seems that way to me,” he agreed. “Why don’t you go hurry Annie along so we can get out of here? The sooner we’re there, the sooner it’ll be over with.”
“Good idea,” she said at once, and headed upstairs.
While she was gone, Ronnie poured himself a cup of coffee and took a long, satisfying swallow. Dana Sue still made the best coffee he’d ever
