The Girls of Mischief Bay

by Susan Mallery

  “Then they’re idiots. What about kids? Do you like them?”

  “Sure. I’ve always liked kids.” She thought about mentioning how she was shocked to find herself turning forty and not yet a mother, but that might sound weird. Or like she was pressuring him.

  “I would still like to have children in my life,” she continued. “In the meantime, I make do with my friends’ kids. Like Tyler. He’s great.”

  “Oliver liked him a lot.”

  “I’m glad. Tyler has this thing for Brad the Dragon.”

  “I’m familiar with the character.”

  Shannon laughed. “You have that same tight voice Nicole gets when she talks about him.”

  “There’s a cultlike quality to the series,” Adam admitted. “I can’t figure out how the author does it, but kids get obsessed.”

  “I know. Tyler’s going to be turning five soon. I’m helping Nicole with his party. I found a store that carries Brad the Dragon everything. She can’t decide if she’s going to go for it or not.”

  He pretended to shudder. “I share her pain.”

  “You should. I think Nicole is going to invite Oliver to the party. Which means if she goes all Brad the Dragon, you’re in trouble.”

  He grinned. “So you have a dark side.”

  “You know it.”

  He drew her against him and kissed her.

  Adam stayed until about two in the morning. Shannon thought about inviting him to spend the night, but decided she needed the space. Maybe next time. For now, the physical intimacy had been enough.

  He’d been gone all of ten minutes when her phone buzzed with a text message.

  “You’re such a romantic,” she said as she reached for the phone.

  But it wasn’t Adam. Instead, the message was from Quinn.

  Whatsup?

  The single word was his way of asking her to a booty call.

  She dropped her phone onto the sofa and walked into the bedroom without looking back. As she got ready for bed, she reminded herself that she couldn’t take credit for being a stellar person. It wasn’t as if she’d grown in the character department and decided to end a relationship that was totally bad for her. Instead, she’d had a great night with Adam. There was a difference.

  Still, she should accept the victory, regardless of its cause. Maybe romance was all it was cracked up to be.

  Nine

  “We’re going to take a picture of the left side of your face,” the woman in the white coat said. Her name—Anne—was stenciled on her coat.

  She was tall, thin and looked maybe thirty, which was intensely annoying.

  “We do the left side,” Anne informed her with what Pam was pretty sure was a smug smile, “because that’s the side that gets all the damage when we drive. Unless you’ve always used sunscreen.”

  Another smug smile that told everyone that Anne knew for a fact Pam hadn’t used much sunscreen.

  Pam had been asked to show up at her consult/BOTOX appointment without any makeup. Being seen in daylight bare-faced should be enough of a punishment. She was committed to have a lethal neurotoxin injected into her face. Wasn’t that enough on the pain and suffering scale? Anne of the white coat didn’t seem to think so.

  The medi-spa was tucked into a corner of an actual medical building. There were plenty of dentists and internists and even a practice devoted to cardiac care. So this place must be okay. It was the one Shannon had recommended. That had to matter more than Anne’s attitude.

  “All right,” Anne said, positioning her in front of a white cone. “Keep very still.”

  Pam did as she was instructed, then was left to wait for a few minutes. She had a feeling the images were instantly available. They were digital after all. No doubt the extra time was for her to fully embrace her lack of sunscreen shame.

  Anne returned and sat in front of her computer. She typed a few keys and an awful purple-and-green-spotted picture of the side of Pam’s face appeared on the large television mounted on the wall.

  The side of her nose was covered in massive craters and dark blotches. Her cheeks looked as if they were as uneven as the surface of Mars. Her forehead was a battleground. She nearly ran for the nearest exit.

  Anne, her power firmly restored, gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “You have significant sun damage. Here, here and here.” She pointed as she spoke, touching the screen on the picture’s nose, cheeks and forehead. “Your number is forty-five.”

  That wasn’t so bad, Pam thought. “So I have the skin of a forty-five-year-old?”

  “No. The scale takes a hundred women your age and tells you how many have better skin and worse skin.”

  “Oh. Which is better? A hundred or one?”

  The sympathetic look appeared again. “Your sun damage is less than forty-four of the women.”

  Rats. “So higher is better.”

  “Yes. Now on to inflammation.”

  Thirty minutes and a half-dozen pictures later, Pam thought seriously about simply slitting her wrists. It would be faster and cheaper. And maybe embalming would make her look fabulous.

  “I’m mostly interested in BOTOX,” she told Anne.

  “Of course. You mentioned that when you made your appointment. I agree.”

  “You do? You don’t want to talk me in to some injections?”

  Anne studied her face for a second, then shook her head. “No. BOTOX will smooth out your forehead. We’ll do the bunny lines, as well.”

  “Bunny lines?”

  Anne pointed to the mirror. “Wrinkle your nose.”

  Pam did as she was asked. Her brow lowered and horizontal lines appeared on the bridge of her nose.

  Anne pointed. “Bunny lines.”

  “Right. Like a rabbit.”

  “Yes. As for the rest of it, injectable will get expensive and won’t give you the results you want.”

  Pam didn’t like the sound of that. “What would?” she asked before she could stop herself.

  Anne rose. “A face-lift. Now if you’ll come with me, I’ll introduce you to Reveka. That is who you requested.”

  Pam followed automatically. Reveka was who Shannon had recommended. She entered a treatment room with an adjustable chair and some scary looking lasers. But none of that registered. She was too busy trying to keep breathing after hearing the dreaded F word.

  * * *

  Pam arrived home in one piece. She was extra grateful not to have been in an accident. Not only had the BOTOX hurt like hell—not just needles piercing her face, but the actual stuff burned as it oozed into her muscles—but Reveka had also told her not to lie down for at least four hours. All Pam could think after that was if she was in a car accident, she was going to have to tell the paramedics to simply leave her in place until her BOTOX had set.

  She greeted Lulu and let her out, then walked into the kitchen. Her face still hurt a little. One of the injections had hit a capillary, which Reveka had said wasn’t uncommon. The downside for Pam was she would have a little bruise.

  She thought longingly of a glass of wine or a very large vodka tonic, only she wasn’t supposed to drink for twenty-four hours. What on earth had she been thinking?

  Lulu walked back inside and raced over. She assumed her pick-me-up position. Pam squatted, rather than bending over, and was careful to keep her body lower than her head. After straightening, she cuddled her dog and tried to tak
e comfort in Lulu’s familiar warmth.

  Her phone buzzed. She fished it out of her bag and glanced at the screen. Brandon, her youngest, had texted to say hi.

  She stared at the phone for a second. Her twenty-four-year-old son in medical school had taken the time to text her to say hi. Steven was thriving working with his father. Jen and Kirk were having their first baby.

  She was married to a wonderful man who loved her, took care of her and who had never once been unfaithful. She had a beautiful house, great friends. In truth, she’d been blessed in every way possible. Why was she suddenly so obsessed with how she looked? So she was fifty. It was just a number. A meaningless number that only had the value she gave it. By itself it was powerless.

  She walked into her small office and booted her computer. When it was ready, she sat down and settled Lulu in her lap, then raised her hands to type. Then she paused.

  What was she looking for? What did she want? Not counseling. Not really. She wanted…

  She wanted to be excited about marriage again, she decided. She wanted to feel like she had even twenty years ago. When they’d been a young family. Or like when they’d first started dating. That would be fun. Like she’d thought to herself the other night, their marriage wasn’t broken but it sure was dusty.

  She typed into the search engine. The first few tries got her nowhere, but eventually she stumbled onto several sites that promised to refresh a strong marriage.

  Are you looking to put passion back in the bedroom?

  Pam clicked on the link and stared at the picture of a nice resort in Palm Desert. The information on the site promised small classes where “laughter and passion are the keys to renewing the bonds of love.”

  As long as it’s not stand-up and bondage, Pam thought. She glanced at the date and saw it was the following weekend. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

  She clicked on the registration link and saw there were still spaces available.

  “If nothing else, we’ll have a weekend away.” She quickly filled out the form and typed in her credit card number. As soon as she got the confirmation, she called her daughter to see if she could take Lulu.

  “It’s just a weekend in Palm Desert,” Pam said. “Your dad and I haven’t been away together for a while.”

  “I think it’s great,” Jen told her. “We’re happy to take her. She’s such an easy dog. Maybe I can practice my diapering skills on her.”

  “Or maybe not,” Pam said. “Thanks, honey.” The phone beeped. “Jen, it’s your dad. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  “Sure, Mom. Bye.”

  Pam toggled to the second call. “Hi. Guess what I just did.”

  “Pam.” John’s voice was heavy and sad.

  She caught her breath and put her free hand on Lulu’s warm back. “Oh, God. What?”

  “It’s Hayley. She miscarried last night. She just got home. Rob called this morning to tell me what had happened and that she wouldn’t be in to work. I asked him to let me know when she was back. I knew you’d want to go over.”

  “I do. Thanks for letting me know.” She paused. “I feel so bad for her.”

  “I know. Me, too. I’m not sure how many times she can keep doing this.”

  “I know. Okay, I’ll go see her right now. Thanks for letting me know.”

  “Sure thing. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  She hung up and printed out their confirmation, then logged off her computer.

  “Come on, pretty girl. We have to go help a friend.”

  She detoured to the laundry room, where there was a spare upright freezer. After checking what she had prepared, she chose a lasagna and a chicken broccoli dish she knew that Hayley liked.

  She put them in a large tote, along with a couple of bottles of wine, then picked up her keys and cell phone and headed for the front door. Lulu trotted along with her.

  Pam had the dog do her business before they crossed the street and walked down two houses. When she reached the front door, she knocked twice, then let herself in.

  “Hey, it’s me,” she called.

  “We’re in here.”

  The voice, familiar, but not Hayley’s, caused Pam to pause for a second. She told herself that it was nice for Hayley to have family around, even if that family was Hayley’s slightly overbearing sister. Rob would have dropped off his wife and then returned to work. Because he had two jobs to deal with, thanks to his wife’s determination to have a baby.

  The logical side of Pam’s brain understood that every woman had to figure out what would make her happy. But her heart ached for her friend and what she was putting herself and her wonderful husband through.

  Pam closed the front door behind her. Lulu took off at a run, headed through the foyer and turned right into the family room. Pam detoured through the kitchen, where she left the chicken casserole on the counter to thaw faster and stuck the lasagna in the refrigerator. She wrote instructions for heating both on a Post-it and stuck the note on a cupboard door. Then she, too, headed for the family room.

  Hayley sat curled up in a corner of the sofa. She had a blanket draped across her lap and a box of tissues by her side. Lulu had already curled up next to her, her brown doggie eyes watching anxiously.

  Morgan, Hayley’s sister, sat in one of the club chairs. She smiled brightly as Pam walked in.

  “You’re so sweet to come by. I appreciate it. I don’t think Hayley should be alone right now, but I have my kids to deal with. Amy has a cold and the other two are…” She trailed off. “It doesn’t matter. The point is I’m superbusy.”

  She was picking up her purse as she spoke. “Hayley, hon, if you need anything, you know you only have to call, right? I can be here in ten minutes. I swear.”

  Hayley nodded.

  “Good. I hope you feel better.”

  With that, Morgan waved and was gone. Pam waited until the front door closed before she walked over to Hayley and hugged her.

  “I counted six Is in less than ten seconds,” she said by way of greeting. “What number did you get?”

  Hayley smiled. She started to laugh, then the humor turned into tears and she covered her face with her hands and cried. Pam scooped up Lulu and sat in her place, then set the dog on her friend’s lap. The little dog trembled slightly, as if undone by all the emotion. She leaned in and licked the back of Hayley’s hand.

  Hayley raised her head and sniffed. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes.

  “I hate this,” she admitted, stroking Lulu. “It’s wrong and unfair.”

  “You know it. Why does Morgan get to pop out kids like she’s a toaster and they’re waffles? She’s so annoying. You, on the other hand, are lovely and everything about this situation sucks.”

  Hayley continued to cry, but she was smiling, too. “You’re my weirdest friend and I love you so much.”

  “I love you, too.” Pam hugged her. “I’m so sorry you’re going through this again.”

  Hayley pulled Lulu close and kissed the top of her fluffy head. “Me, too. I was so sure this was the one. That I was going to be fine.” She sucked in a breath. “The doctor says I can’t keep doing this. You know last time I lost all that blood. This time was better, but she’s worried.”

  “We’re all worried.”

  Hayley shook her head. “I know. It’s just…I don’t want to spend the day crying. Please, please distract me.”

  Pam grinned. “You
know, I can do that. I can make you totally forget how sad you are.”

  Hayley tilted her head. “That isn’t possible.”

  “I had BOTOX today.”

  “What?”

  “I did.” She moved her bangs so her friend could see the puncture marks. “It takes about a week to work and I’m not supposed to lie down for four hours. So if I have a heart attack or stroke, keep me propped up until two.”

  Hayley was wide-eyed. “I can’t believe you did that. Did it hurt?”

  “Yes. A lot.”

  “BOTOX. Wow. Impressive.”

  “I know.” She patted Hayley’s hand. “Now let’s check out pay-per-view. There has to be some trashy movie we’re both dying to see.”

  Ten

  Nicole walked into the bedroom and watched Eric pull on shorts and a T-shirt. It was still dark outside but the sun would be up soon, and with the sun, the waves.

  “I have to leave at eight,” she told him.

  “I’ll be back in time.”

  She nodded.

  For a second they looked at each other. It seemed like there should be something to say—after all, they were married. But lately the words were few and far between.

  Eric still slept in his office. So far Tyler hadn’t figured it out. For the most part, Eric was up before his son and the boy was used to his dad taking naps on the futon. But still… She worried.

  Not just for what Tyler might think but for what it said about their marriage. They hadn’t been much of a couple for a while. Now they were roommates. She knew that his sleeping in the other room was a big part of it, yet she didn’t want to be the one to invite him back into their bedroom. It felt too much like giving in. Yet wasn’t a good relationship based on being willing to think more about the other person? Maybe that was what Eric was waiting for—a little give on her part.

  Marriage should come with a manual, she thought as she walked to the kitchen and started coffee. Outside there was just enough light for her to see the backyard and the stone fence that was nearly as old as the house itself.