“Your mother looks fine to me,” the psychologist said. “Why is her weight gain so upsetting to you?”
Annie knew she’d started something that she couldn’t stop if she wanted to. She had to say it all. “Because if she hadn’t gained it, my dad wouldn’t have slept with another woman and my mom wouldn’t have kicked him out,” she lashed out, despite the stricken expression on her mom’s face. “I hate that you did that! I hate it!”
“Hold it,” Ronnie commanded, his voice harsher than Annie had ever heard it. “I did not sleep with another woman because your mom had gained a few pounds.”
“Then why did you?” Annie retorted. “It must have been something she did.”
Her dad looked from her to her mom, then shook his head. “I honestly can’t explain why I did what I did, but I do know it had nothing to do with your mom’s weight. I think she looks incredible.”
Annie wasn’t buying it, but then she thought about the kiss she’d witnessed just last night. He’d definitely been into it. He’d certainly acted as if he thought her mom was pretty hot then. “Really?” she asked uncertainly. “It wasn’t about that?”
“Absolutely not,” he said firmly. “It’s the one thing I’m one hundred percent sure of.”
“Annie, do you think this had something to do with your decision to stop eating?” Dr. McDaniels asked. “Or maybe you were punishing your mom for what you saw as a failure to take care of herself?”
Annie considered both possibilities. “I don’t know,” she said eventually. “Maybe.”
“Doesn’t that sound pretty self-destructive?” the psychologist prodded gently. “Who got hurt the most?”
“Me,” Annie admitted.
“Exactly,” Dr. McDaniels said. “Think about that between now and tomorrow. We’ll pick up where we left off.”
“Do you want us here again?” her mom asked.
“No, I think the next couple of sessions will be just Annie and me. Why don’t we schedule another family session for two weeks from now?”
Her mom and dad both looked relieved. Annie couldn’t blame them. She knew she’d made them feel bad today. She had a suspicion the ride home was going to be pretty tense.
“By the way,” Dr. McDaniels began as they were about to go out the door, “for now let’s keep what’s said in here in this room.”
“You don’t want us to talk about it?” her mom asked incredulously. “Won’t that be like having an elephant in the room that everybody pretends not to notice?”
Dr. McDaniels smiled. “More than likely, but better that than reacting in the heat of the moment and saying something you might regret. Let’s deal with all the issues in here for now.”
Annie regarded her with gratitude. “Thanks.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Dr. McDaniels warned. “I want you to be able to say whatever’s on your mind in here, no matter how hurtful it might be, but your folks will get their turn to respond, too. The goal is to get everything out in the open without censorship or retaliation, so we can figure out a healthier way to handle issues when they come up. We need to undo the whole tangle of emotions and food, and I think that’s best done in a structured setting, okay?”
She gave Annie a stern look. “And remember, you have an appointment with Lacy tomorrow right after we meet. She’s going to want to see your food notebook—don’t forget that your mom or dad needs to initial every page, okay?”
Annie rolled her eyes. “Jeez, do I have to have two people ganging up on me?” she said, only partly in jest. “It hardly seems fair.”
“Two?” her mom said, smiling again. “Add in your dad, me, Maddie, Helen, Ty and Erik, and you don’t stand a chance, kid. Get used to it.”
To her surprise, Annie didn’t feel resentful, at least not much. In fact, it was kinda nice knowing there were so many people on her side. She just hoped she wouldn’t let them down, because something told her the hardest part was yet to come.
Chapter Eighteen
When Ronnie offered to take Annie home and stick around to spend the day with her, Dana Sue agreed. She needed time to herself to absorb what Annie had said during the session. She’d known all along that on some level Annie blamed her for Ronnie’s cheating and for his leaving, but hearing her actually make the accusation aloud had shaken her.
Rather than going to the restaurant, Dana Sue headed for The Corner Spa. For once, though, she didn’t go to Maddie’s office for solace. Instead, she went straight to the locker room and changed into the workout clothes she kept there, but all too seldom wore. Grimly determined to start making some of the changes on her list of goals once she’d finally made it, she headed for the hated treadmill, turned it on and started walking.
She’d been at it for fifteen minutes, her pace slow but steady, when the tranquil view of the woods and stream out back began to work its magic. Her legs and joints were starting to ache, but she felt infinitely calmer than she had when she’d arrived. She pushed herself to walk a little longer.
She’d actually walked two miles when Maddie found her there. Dana Sue stopped the machine, feeling triumphant. “Look,” she said, pointing to the computerized controls that kept track of everything from distance to calories burned and pulse rate. “Two miles. That must be some kind of record for me.”
“Congratulations!” Maddie said. “Usually I can’t get you anywhere near these machines. What’s different about today? Are you thinking about winning that convertible all of a sudden? Maybe Helen was right about those prizes being good motivation, although she still hasn’t been in here the way she’s supposed to be.”
“The list was only part of it,” Dana Sue responded.
“What was the rest?” Maddie pressed. “Did you have a sudden urge to come in here to ogle Elliott?
