Maddie chuckled. “Tom doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who let’s his mama decide whom he can and can’t date.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jeanette said grimly. “Until he canceled a lunch he’d practically begged me to agree to.”
“Call him,” Helen advised. “Ask him out.”
“Absolutely not,” Jeanette said. “It’s for the best.”
“Then tell us why you’re so miserable,” Dana Sue said.
Jeanette hesitated, then said, “It’s the new house. The paperwork for the loan is overwhelming. I feel as if I’m locking myself into something without having any idea if it’s going to work out.”
“Sort of like marriage,” Maddie commented. “Life doesn’t come with guarantees, sweetie, not when it comes to relationships or houses. All you can do is make an informed decision.”
Jeanette leaned forward, facing them intently. “Don’t you see? That’s just it. I didn’t make an informed decision. I walked into that garden and decided I had to have it. The house itself was almost secondary. Putting in that offer was pure impulse. I never do anything on impulse.”
“Then you’re way past due to cut loose,” Maddie told her. “Look, we all know the house. We were in and out of it as kids. Not one of us thinks you made a mistake. If you can’t trust your own instincts, then trust ours. That house is perfect for you.”
“You just want a sign that I’m not going to bail on the spa,” Jeanette countered. “You may not be entirely trustworthy when it comes to this.”
“Hey,” Helen said, clearly offended. “When have we ever not been straight with you, even when it wasn’t in our own best interests?”
Jeanette winced. “Sorry. There I go again. I just blurt out whatever comes to mind these days. You guys are wonderful, the best friends I could possibly hope for. Really.”
“Okay, then,” Helen said. “Let’s cut to the chase. My recommendation is that you call Tom and see him as soon as possible. Have sex. It will improve your mood, to say nothing of giving you this amazing glow.”
Jeanette chuckled despite her sour mood. “Sex as therapy? You spread that around, it will cut into business here. Right now, women rely on us to provide their skin with a youthful, dewy glow. If they find out they can achieve the same effect with sex, who knows when they’ll come back again.”
Helen laughed. “Okay, then, we keep that just among us. My recommendation to you stands. And now I have to go home to my husband. All this talk about sex has given me ideas.”
“Me, too,” Dana Sue said, standing up. “Maybe I’ll try to catch Ronnie in the supply room at the store. Leaving the door unlocked adds an element of risk that’s a real turn-on.”
Maddie sighed. “Cal and I have to make an appointment to have sex these days. There are way too many kids underfoot.” She blushed. “We’ve been sneaking off to the Serenity Inn in the afternoon.”
Helen, Dana Sue and Jeanette stared at her, then Helen’s expression turned thoughtful.
“I wonder how Erik could feel about that,” she said. She glanced at Dana Sue. “He has, what, maybe an hour between the end of the lunch rush and the start of dinner prep at the restaurant?”
Dana Sue nodded, clearly amused.
“Okay, then,” she said. “That ought to liven up tomorrow afternoon.”
Maddie winced. “We’ll have to work out a schedule. Cal will freak if we start running into everyone we know in the parking lot at the inn!”
“Just so you don’t run into Tom and start giving him ideas,” Jeanette said. “He already has plenty of ideas of his own. Or he did.”
“Call him,” Helen repeated.
“Before tomorrow,” Maddie added. “And apologize to Emily Blanton.”
Jeanette nodded without speaking. It was probably best if the rest of them didn’t know exactly what she was agreeing to do. Talking to Emily Blanton she could handle. Talking to Tom was out of the question. Besides, she’d see him first thing in the morning for the outing to pick out the town Christmas tree. Then maybe she could figure out what was going on with him without putting her heart on the line.
* * *
Tom was going just a little bit crazy wondering whether Jeanette had even noticed his absence. He’d decided to give Ronnie’s advice a try for one week. That week was up yesterday.
Now he was pacing in the parking lot outside of Town Hall waiting for the arrival of the rest of the committee members. Howard had shown up a few minutes earlier with a brand-new minivan with dealer tags still on it for the trip to the tree farm. He’d had the windows rolled down and a Christmas CD blasting away. Tom had shuddered at the thought of being cooped up with all that holiday cheer for several hours.
“Climb on in,” Howard said jovially. “You can ride up front with me. Make sure the CD player has music going. I brought along a dozen Christmas discs. Those should hold us. And there are a couple of Thermoses of hot chocolate and some cups. Help yourself.”
Tom held up the cup of coffee he’d gotten earlier at Wharton’s. “I’m not much for hot chocolate. I have coffee.”
Howard looked disappointed, but he didn’t push. When he spotted Mary Vaughn turning into the parking lot, he beamed. “One more accounted for. Hopefully Ronnie and Jeanette will be here soon and we can get on the road. I’m really looking forward to this.”
Tom spotted Jeanette strolling in their direction, her feet dragging. She clearly wasn’t looking forward to the outing any more than he was. Ronnie caught up with her and said something that made her laugh. Jealousy shot through Tom with a force that stunned him. For the space of one tiny second, he wondered if Ronnie had had an ulterior motive for warning him off, then dismissed the idea as insane. Ronnie was madly in love with his wife.
