“No, it’s a perfect fit now. Very flattering.”
Annie spun around in front of the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door, something she wouldn’t have done a few months ago. She felt a momentary pang of uncertainty, a faint flicker of the old fear of being too fat, but then she looked—really looked—at herself, the way Ty had made her look in the mirror at the hospital. There was no question that she looked healthier now. If anything, she was still a little on the thin side, but her color was better and her hair had more shine and bounce since her mom had sprung for the works at a salon in Charleston Helen recommended. The three of them had gone together. Her mom had even gotten a few highlights in her own hair. They made her look younger.
Impulsively, Annie turned and gave her mother a fierce hug. “I know I get mad when you and Dad are on my case, but don’t stop, okay?”
“We will never stop looking out for you,” her mother promised, returning her hug.
Annie stepped back and surveyed her with interest. “You’ve lost weight.”
“More inches than weight,” her mom corrected, then held up her arm and flexed her biceps. “Look, a real muscle.”
Annie laughed. “Awesome. Are you working out at the spa?”
“Every day except Sunday,” her mom confessed. “Treadmill three days, weights the other three. Elliott’s pushing me hard.”
“The personal trainer?”
“Yes.”
“Whoa!” Annie said. “Has Dad gotten a look at that guy?”
Her mom looked puzzled by the question. “No, why?”
“Because he’s seriously hot. I don’t know if Dad would want you hanging out with him.”
“It’s not your dad’s decision,” she retorted.
Annie reconsidered the situation. “You know, it could be a good thing. If Dad got a look at Elliott, he might hurry up and ask you to marry him again.”
“Hold on,” her mom protested. “Your dad and I are not even close to discussing getting married again.”
“You should be,” Annie declared. “Everyone knows you belong together. You’re just wasting time.”
“We’re being cautious,” her mom countered. “It might have been a good idea if we’d taken things slower way back when.”
“But then you might not have had me, or I’d be, like, twelve or something.”
“True,” her mom said. “But things turned out exactly the way they were supposed to turn out. And,” she added pointedly, “they will this time, too.”
“I still think you ought to make sure Dad gets a look at Elliott,” Annie said. “It could speed things along.”
In fact, since her mom seemed so reluctant to stir things up, maybe it was something she could handle. When people got as old as her mom and dad, they didn’t have time to waste.
Chapter Twenty-Two
All thoughts of matchmaking for her mom and dad fled the instant Annie set foot inside her school. On some level, she felt the way she had on her first day of kindergarten, and she almost wished her parents had insisted on coming with her, after all. Everything seemed kind of surreal and unfamiliar, as if she’d never met any of these people or attended a single class. Even the smells seemed different, though floor wax and chalk dust still permeated the air.
Worse, she felt as though everyone was staring and whispering. In fact, she knew they were, because of the silence that fell as she passed by. She told herself it shouldn’t matter, that the kids who knew her and cared about her had already been around to show their support. The rest were simply eager to have something to talk about—the girl who’d nearly died from not eating. She just happened to be today’s news; it was scarier than most because it could have happened to any of them.
Still, even though she understood, there was a huge temptation to bolt just to get away from the speculative stares. The second she considered doing exactly that, Sarah and Raylene materialized beside her.
“You ready for the history test?” Sarah asked, as if this was any other day and not a whole six weeks since the last time Annie had been in class.
“Not me,” Raylene responded, moaning. “I hate history. Who can remember all those dates? And why should we care, anyway?”
Annie grinned at Sarah and together they recited the teacher’s favorite saying, “Those who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it.”
Raylene merely rolled her eyes. “As if I’m going to be in a position to declare war on anybody.”
“You could be in Congress some day,” Annie said. “You’re smart enough.”
“Puh-leeze,” Raylene said with a toss of her hair, then grinned. “Of course, I could be married to a congressman.”
“You just set women’s lib back by twenty years,” Sarah said with a groan. “Don’t you have any ambition for yourself?”
“To marry well,” Raylene said. “Ask my mother. It’s the only thing that counts, which is why I am going to have to go through with this whole stupid debutante thing.” She stuck her finger in her mouth. “Gag me.”
Annie regarded her with surprise. “You’re going to have a ball and all that kind of stuff?”
“That’s what they tell me. My grandparents in Charleston have it all arranged. I even have to take some stupid classes in the ‘social graces,’ whatever those are.”
Sarah giggled. “Do they have any idea what a challenge it’s going to be to turn you into a lady?”
Raylene scowled at her. “Bite me.”
“It could be fun,” Annie said thoughtfully. “I’d do it if I had the chance.”
“No way,” Sarah said.
Raylene grinned. “She just wants a chance to ask Ty to some fancy dance.”
Sarah nodded. “Now, that I can believe.”
Annie grinned back at them. “So bite me,” she said, suddenly feeling like a normal kid again.
“I wish we could do it together,” Raylene said wistfully. “If we did, maybe I could get through it without puking.”
Sarah grinned at her. “I imagine one of the first things they’ll teach you is to stop talking about puking in public.”
“It’s better than doing it in public,” Raylene countered. “Come on,
