Age Before Beauty

by Virginia Smith

  “I’m sure your wish is going to come true when you open my present.” Tori’s grin flashed around the table.

  “Cake first,” Mom said. “Then the presents. Who wants ice cream?”

  “Oh!” Gram hopped up from her seat. “Don’t forget the cookies. I know Eric will want one.”

  A dimple creased her wrinkled cheek as Eric nodded. “I can never pass up your chocolate walnut cookies.”

  “Cake for me,” Allie said as Mom placed a full dessert plate in front of her. “And Moose Tracks ice cream, my favorite.”

  She picked up a fork, then hesitated as it hovered over the plate. How many calories did chocolate cake have? More than iced cinnamon rolls?

  Forget it. Birthdays only come once a year.

  Brushing away thoughts of caloric intake, she plunged her fork into the fudgy icing and fluffy cake. “Oh, yum. Mom, this is delicious.”

  Mom patted her shoulder, then looked at Eric’s mother. “Betty, would you like ice cream with your cake?”

  Betty sat upright as she had all evening, not allowing herself to rest against the back of the chair, her posture so perfect it could almost be called rigid.

  Like the queen of England or something. Allie smashed cake crumbs into the tines of her fork, regretting the unkind thought. Betty probably just felt uncomfortable in front of all these people she didn’t know.

  “It’s really good.” Allie smiled at her mother-in-law to include her in the family atmosphere.

  The corners of Betty’s thin lips turned up briefly. “I’m sure it is, but I rarely eat sweets. Don has problems with sugar, you know.”

  Allie didn’t reply. Granted, she had not spent much time around her in-laws, but she remembered Don scarfing down several pieces of cake at their wedding reception. If he had sugar problems, he certainly hadn’t seemed concerned back then. Allie wondered if he was taking advantage of his wife’s absence to indulge his sweet tooth. Or maybe he was indulging himself in other ways, like leaving his shoes in the living room, or not wiping out the sink after he shaved in the morning. If Allie were in his position, she’d certainly be cutting loose while the Queen Mother was gone.

  Allie! Quit being unkind.

  She finished her dessert with a final giant bite and pushed the plate back. “Okay, I’m done. Can I open my presents now?”

  “Mine first.” Tori jumped out of her seat and retrieved a package from the pile in the corner. She flashed a dimple around the table as she set it in front of Allie. “She’s going to love it. It’s the quintessential Allie present, just perfect for her.”

  Allie noticed Ken watching Tori, trying to catch her eye with a friendly smile, but Tori ignored him as she had all night. Tori disliked Joan’s boyfriend, even though he was a handsome doctor and a really nice guy. Unfortunately, he was also very religious, which, according to Tori, negated all the points on the “pro” side of a relationship with him.

  Personally, Allie did consider him a little over the top with the religion thing, but that’s what made him and Joan perfect for each other. Eric seemed to like the guy, and that said a lot, because Eric was not big on religious types.

  The package was so pretty, so elegant looking with slick white paper and a shiny gold bow. Allie slipped the ribbon off the package and set it aside. Then she turned the box on its end and worked her finger beneath a crease to peel back a piece of tape.

  “Oh, come on,” Joan said. “Go ahead and rip into it. We know you want to.”

  Grinning, Allie did just that. The paper tore with a satisfying shhhhhhhsh, and she wadded it up in a loose ball before dropping it on the floor beside her. The box was plain, and she quickly jiggled the top off, then peeled back a thin layer of tissue paper inside.

  When she caught sight of her gift, she gasped. “Are you kidding me?” Her gaze sought Tori’s, and she couldn’t help returning the wide grin her sister wore. “You bought me a Kate Spade handbag?”

  Tori gave an excited nod as she bent over to lift the bag out of the box. “Don’t you just love the ivory and jade, and those front pockets? And look at the 14-karat gold plating on the leather trim. I’ve been trying to convince myself not to go back and get another one.”

  Beside Allie, Eric wore a bemused expression. “I don’t understand. You already have a purse. Several, in fact.”

  Allie turned toward him. “This is Kate Spade. It’s like the hottest designer bag out there.”

  He looked completely unimpressed as he exchanged a glance with Ken, who shrugged. Just wait till they got home and she told him that this bag probably cost about four hundred dollars. They’d see who was impressed then.

  “Thank you so much,” she said as she squeezed her little sister in a hug. “I love it.”

  “Okay, mine next,” Joan said. “Though I warn you, it’s not a Kate Spade handbag.”

  She rose, selected a small rectangular package from the pile, and handed it to Allie. From the smug grin she wore, Allie suspected she was about to be the butt of a joke.

  Sure enough, she peeled back the wrapping to reveal . . .

  “A laundry pen.” She rolled her eyes upward to catch Joan’s gaze. “You got me a laundry pen for my birthday.” “Ah.” Joan held up a finger like an orator about to make an announcement. “But it’s a Varie Cose laundry pen, far superior to anything you could buy in a store. And twice as expensive, I might add.”

  Allie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Very funny. Just so you know, Tori is way ahead of you in the run for the title of Favorite Sister.”

  Laughing, Joan picked up a large gift bag and handed it to her. “I’m not even going to try. I’m saving all my campaign tricks for Favorite Aunt. Still, see if this gains me any points.”

  It was the Varie Cose Salad Slicer, along with several spare blades and the cheese shredder attachment. She grinned at Joan. “Thank you. It’s exactly what I wanted. Now I have my first demonstration product. No, two.” She picked up the laundry pen and held it aloft. “And while we’re talking about Varie Cose, I want you guys to pick a night next week for a party. Just us, so I can practice in front of a friendly audience. You too, Gram.”

  Seated next to Mom, Gram nodded while she nibbled a cookie. Her blue eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. “Maybe I could bring my friend Myrtle Mattingly with me.”

  “I have a better idea.” Allie hoped her smile was guileless. “You can host another party for Mrs. Mattingly and all the rest of your friends. We’ll hold it at your apartment so they don’t have to worry about transportation from the center. You could all host parties for your friends, in fact.”

  She let her glance sweep from Mom to Joan to Tori. Mom nodded, a curl from her wavy blonde hair flying freely beside the rim of her glasses. Joan and Tori both avoided her eyes.

  “You will host a party for me, won’t you, Tori? Joan?”

  The two exchanged a glance before they turned brave smiles Allie’s way.

  “Sure, Allie,” Joan said. “What are sisters for?”

  Tori nodded.

  “Exactly,” Allie said. She glanced toward the pile of gifts. “What’s next?”

  Eric jiggled a foot beneath the table. His anticipation mounted as Allie ripped through one present after another. She was going to love his gift. It was so much more perfect than that ugly purse, though he didn’t dare voice his opinion after Allie made such a big deal out of it.

  Ken’s gift of an ear thermometer was pretty thoughtful, and Allie seemed to appreciate it. Trust the doctor to come up with a medical gift. And Gram, who was actively divesting herself of her possessions since she moved to her assisted living center, had obviously put a lot of thought into her gift before deciding upon a necklace and earring set Allie’s grandfather had given her early in their marriage. The skirt and blouse Carla gave her daughter looked nice. Allie even acted graciously when she opened his mother’s card and lifted out two twenty-dollar bills.

  At last the time came to give her the present he had selected. He reached unde
r his place mat, where he’d slipped the envelope before dinner started.

  “This is from me and Joanie,” he told her as he laid the envelope on the table in front of her.

  Allie’s blue-green eyes sparkled, and a dimple creased her cheek. “I’ll bet I know what this is.” She leaned sideways and brushed a soft kiss on his cheek. “I appreciate it too.”

  He couldn’t stop a smug smile. She thought she knew what he’d given her. She had no idea. He’d come up with the perfect gift.

  Allie ripped into the envelope and pulled out the card. He’d spent almost an hour selecting just the right one. He wasn’t a poetry kind of guy, but the verse on the front was mushy and romantic and told her just how special she was to him. Her smile deepened as she read it.

  Then she opened the card. The certificate inside fluttered to the surface of the table. She picked it up, a crease appearing on her forehead as her smile dimmed. She looked up and her gaze searched his face.

  “You got me a gym membership?”

  “Yeah.” Excitement spilled over into his voice. “After what you said last night, I knew this would be perfect. It’s a really nice gym, with an Olympic-sized indoor pool and all kinds of equipment. You’re going to love it there.”

  She looked down again, staring at the certificate. Eric felt a growing sense of dismay. This was the part where she was supposed to get excited, jump up from her chair, and shower him with kisses. Why did she look like she was about to cry?

  Beside him, Mother broke her near-perfect silence of the evening. “I think that’s a very thoughtful gift.”

  “I . . .” Allie swallowed. She was about to cry. Tears sparkled in her eyes. They didn’t look like happy tears, either.

  She did get quickly out of her chair then, but she didn’t turn toward him. Instead she ran from the room. In a moment Eric heard the bathroom door down the hallway slam shut.

  What was the matter? What had he done? He looked at Carla, then Joan, hoping someone would explain why Allie was so upset, but neither of them would meet his eye.

  At the far end of the table, Tori shook her head, her shiny pink lips pressed tight. “Way to go, Eric.”

  8

  Eric let the heavy dispatch center door slam shut behind him. Molly looked up from behind her desk in the control room, her bright smile freezing on her features when she caught sight of him. He nodded, then headed for the kitchen to stow his leftover fried chicken in the fridge.

  “Morning, Kathy,” he said as he passed his boss’s office.

  He didn’t stop to chat but went straight to the control room, where he took his time adjusting his monitors and getting his notepad and pen ready for the day. As he went through the familiar daily routine, he let go of the tension in his gut. A knot of resentment remained. He could ignore that here, as long as there was something else to focus on, something he could be successful at. Like dispatching emergency personnel in response to 9-1-1 calls. Much easier than dealing with a difficult wife.

  “So how did it go last night?”

  Molly’s expression was casual, but those dark eyes didn’t miss much. He looked at one of the monitors. “It was okay.”

  “Did Allie like her birthday present?”

  Trust Molly to get right to the point. Eric considered how to answer. He didn’t really want to talk about it yet, because he still hadn’t figured out exactly where he’d gone wrong. He scanned the database and noted which officers had already reported in for the morning, aware that Molly was watching him closely, waiting for an answer.

  He shook his head. “Not really.”

  “What did you end up getting her?”

  “A membership to the Danville Athletic Center.”

  “What?” She rocked forward in her chair. “Did she ask for a gym membership?”

  He glanced sideways. Molly had all the background on this whole birthday present thing since she’d been listening to him try to work it out for weeks. And she was pretty easy to talk to. Besides, she was a girl. Maybe she could help him understand why Allie was so hurt over what he thought was the perfect gift.

  “No. It was supposed to be a surprise. But I think she was expecting me to give her five hundred bucks so she could buy into this makeup sales business.” He swiveled the chair sideways so he faced Molly head-on. “I don’t get it. She hates it when people give her money as a gift, but apparently this time that’s what she wanted.”

  “Did she tell you that before?”

  “Not in so many words, but Wednesday night we did talk about the money and the clothes and her birthday all in the same conversation.” He shook his head. “I can’t remember exactly what she said. She was upset because none of her clothes fit since the baby was born. I figured she’d appreciate the gym membership as a way of losing some weight.”

  “Ah.” Molly tilted her head back against the headrest. “Eric, you might as well have told her you think she’s fat.”

  Allie’s injured expression during the silent car ride home haunted him, and he couldn’t meet Molly’s gaze. “Yeah, I figured that out. And apparently I made it worse by insulting her in front of her family during her birthday dinner.”

  Molly winced. “Ouch. At least you made up before you went to bed, right?”

  Miserable, Eric shook his head. “I tried, but she wouldn’t talk about it. Just kept saying, ‘It’s okay’ and telling me she appreciated how much thought I put into my present.” He caught Molly’s gaze. “I really did put thought into it. I don’t think she’s fat, not really.”

  Molly’s eyebrows arched. “Not really?”

  “Well . . .” Eric hesitated. They were getting close to the heart of the problem here. “She is bigger than before she got pregnant. But she’s not fat like—” He inclined his head in the direction of Kathy’s office. “I know she’s self-conscious about her weight, but she doesn’t talk about it, so I don’t either. It’s not a big deal to me. Allie could never be anything but gorgeous, no matter how much weight she gained.”

  Emotion flickered in Molly’s eyes, and she spoke in a soft voice. “Not all men feel that way, Eric. Does she realize how lucky she is to have you?”

  He snorted. “I don’t think she feels very lucky right now.” Judging by her rigid posture on the far edge of the bed last night, that was a safe assumption.

  Radio static filled the room, followed by an officer’s voice announcing a ten-thirty-eight, a traffic stop. Eric acknowledged the transmission, and typed a note into the database. When he looked up, Molly had turned back to her monitors.

  She watched the flickering letters as she spoke. “Well, there’s only one thing for you to do now.”

  “And that is?”

  “Grovel.” She grinned sideways at him. “It’s the only way.”

  Eric scowled. “I’m not very good at groveling.”

  “Sure you are. Tell her exactly what you just told me. You think she’s gorgeous, not fat, and then apologize for not realizing the unspoken message you would be sending with the gym thing.”

  That sounded good. He’d apologized about a hundred times last night, but the hurt still lingered in Allie’s eyes. She hadn’t really forgiven him. Maybe he could soothe her feelings if he told her how he really felt about her, and especially that he didn’t think she was fat. Scratch that. He wouldn’t mention the f-word, because that would put her defenses up. He’d just tell her he thought she was more beautiful now than when they first met. That wasn’t groveling, it was just communicating, something Allie was always telling him he needed to do more of. He felt better just thinking about it.

  “Thanks, Molly.” He tapped his pen on his notepad, relieved to have a plan of attack. “You’ve been a big help.” “You know you can talk to me anytime, Eric.” Molly’s tone was soft.

  He smiled at her, then pulled his keyboard forward and opened a new window, ready for the next call. Molly was a good friend.

  Allie pressed the doorbell button and listened for the chimes to sound inside. She glanced a
t her watch. One minute before ten. Good. She was on time. Morning sunlight gleamed off a brass plate centered on the door beneath the peephole. The lettering confirmed that she had the right house. Sally Jo Campbell, Varie Cose Regional Director.

  Weird. Why would someone put her full name and title on the front door? Allie had seen people do that in businesses, but never on their homes.

  Of course, Sally Jo worked out of her home. Technically, this was her business.

  She shifted the rigid handle of the infant carrier to her left hand and tugged at the hem of her new blouse. Mom had good taste in clothes, and she’d gauged the size perfectly. This style camouflaged the worst of the tummy bulges. Allie’s mind zipped from bulges to sit-ups to gyms to Eric.

  He thinks I’m fat. Which, of course, I am. She set her teeth and pushed away another wave of melancholy, her fourth or fifth of the morning.

  The door whooshed inward, and Sally Jo flashed her toothy smile.

  “There you are, honey. You’re just in time to grab a cup of coffee before we get started.” Her gaze dropped to the infant carrier in Allie’s right hand. The wide smile wilted. “Oh. You brought your child.”

  “I had to. My mom’s working so I didn’t have anyone to watch her.” Allie refused to ask Betty to watch Joanie. She had no desire to get in debt to her mother-in-law. “I hope that’s okay.”

  “I guess so, as long as she’s quiet.” Sally Jo took a backward step and gestured for Allie to enter. “We’ve got a regular nursery school going on here today. Darcy brought her baby too.”

  “Darcy’s here?” Allie brightened as she stepped inside. “I didn’t know she signed up to sell Varie Cose.”

  The furnishings in the elegant entry hall, though sparse, were stunning. Allie longed to run a finger over the gleaming surface of a gorgeous hall stand with an etched glass mirror on the wall above it. Was it cherry? Whatever it was made of, it matched an exquisite grandfather clock that stood at the base of a wide staircase. If this was how a Varie Cose regional director could afford to furnish her house, Allie would probably triple her income at the state.