Dana Sue mopped her brow and rolled her eyes. “Nope, this isn’t about Elliott, hot though he is,” she said, sneaking a peek in his direction just the same. “The truth is my daughter announced at her session today that I’m fat and that’s why Ronnie cheated on me.”
Maddie regarded her with sympathy. “That must have hurt.”
Dana Sue shrugged. “It’s not like she hasn’t said it before, the part about my weight, anyway. Hearing her actually say aloud that she thought it was the reason Ronnie cheated really ripped me apart, though. If she really believes that, I’m astonished she doesn’t hate me.”
“You know Annie could never hate you,” Maddie objected. “What did Ronnie have to say to all this?”
“He was pretty great, actually. He told her that what he did had nothing to do with that, that he thinks I look incredible. He sounded pretty convincing today, and he’s told me the same thing before.”
“So have I,” Maddie reminded her. She patted her rounded stomach, which still hadn’t gone away since her pregnancy. “At our age there aren’t too many of us who couldn’t lose a few pounds to be healthier, but we’re not obese or unattractive by any means. I certainly haven’t lost the extra weight from my pregnancy as quickly this time as I did with my first three kids.”
Dana Sue regarded her curiously. “And you’re not worried about that?”
“If Cal thought I was beautiful at nine months pregnant, with crow’s-feet around my eyes and a belly the size of a whale, he’s not going to be put off by some extra pounds that settle on my hips,” Maddie said confidently, her expression serene. “That doesn’t mean I want them there, but I’m not going to obsess about it. I made that list of goals for me.” She grinned. “And because I’d really, really like to go to Hawaii with my husband.”
“I wish I had your body image and self-image,” Dana Sue lamented. “I’m afraid a part of me agrees with Annie.”
“Even though Ronnie told you otherwise?” Maddie asked.
She waved off the question. “He has no idea why he slept with that woman, so how am I supposed to believe that subconsciously it didn’t have something to do with my being overweight and less attractive?”
“Because it’s the one thing he does know,” Maddie suggested. “Why would he lie?”
“Because he’s trying to win me over,” Dana Sue said readily. “He’d hardly admit something like that now, would he?”
Maddie regarded her thoughtfully. “You know, listening to you has given me an idea.”
“Oh?”
“I’m going to call that psychologist you guys are seeing and ask if she’d be interested in teaching some classes here on body image and self-image.”
Dana Sue was skeptical. “You think anyone would take them?”
Maddie grinned. “You would, because I’m not going to give you a choice.”
“Ah, bossy Maddie is back,” Dana Sue said, laughing. “Nice to see you again. I was afraid marriage was turning you all mellow and sweet.”
Maddie gave her a sour look. “Not much chance of that, especially when I still have swollen ankles at the end of the day and an endless craving for nachos with jalapeños that hasn’t gone away just because the baby’s here.”
“You’re kidding! You ate nachos and jalapeños while you were pregnant? I never saw you do that. And that could explain the swollen ankles, by the way. All that salt.”
“Believe me, I know it. And you never saw me because I forced Cal to make them for me in the middle of the night.” Maddie shrugged. “I hesitate to think what that might say about Jessica Lynn’s personality. Cal still shudders every time he makes them for me.”
“But he does make them?”
Maddie smiled smugly. “What can I say? He’s a very devoted husband. If I said I wanted pizza at 3:00 a.m...well, did you ever see that airline commercial with the husband who flies all the way to Chicago to get a pizza for his pregnant wife? That’s Cal. He seems to view catering to my whims as his obligation, given his role in creating this baby.”
“You could really take advantage of a man who thinks like that,” Dana Sue said. “So is there anything you’ve been dying to have, any need that’s unsatisfied?”
Maddie’s expression was gleefully wicked. “Believe me, my needs are very satisfied these days. He considers that his responsibility, too, and he embraces it pretty eagerly, I might add. And he’s so cute with the baby. Every time he holds her, the most amazed expression crosses his face. I was hesitant when he first suggested we have a baby together, but now I’m so glad we did.”
Dana Sue sighed. “I envy you.”
Maddie’s expression sobered. “Because of the baby?”
“No, because you have a man in your life who adores you. It’s Helen who’s envious of the baby.”
Maddie frowned. “She is? She’s never said anything.”
“She wouldn’t want to put any sort of damper on your happiness, but I think she’s starting to realize what she’s missed out on,” Dana Sue said. “To be honest, I think that’s what’s really behind these goals of hers. She wants to get healthy so she can have a baby. Not that she’s ready to admit it, but I can see it in her eyes when she looks at Jessica Lynn.”
“Amazing,” Maddie said. “How’d I miss that?”
Dana Sue grinned. “You’ve been too busy to worry about how envious your friends are of your happiness.”
“Well, you certainly have no reason to be. You could have a man in your life, if you wanted one,” Maddie reminded her. “All you have to do is open your heart to the possibilities.”
“Easier said than done,” Dana Sue responded. She wondered if she’d ever get to a point where she trusted Ronnie enough to let him back into her heart and into her life.
* * *
By Friday morning, Ronnie was anxious to get his
