“But you’re not going to miss anything,” Emily said. “You are going to beat this. I insist on it.”
Paula chuckled, then swiped at her damp face with a tissue. “God, you sound just like Marcie. You spend too much time together. You’re starting to sound alike.”
“Are you kidding? She’s much more refined than I am,” Emily said.
Paula gave her an odd look. “Why would you say that? Because she spends a fortune on clothes and you don’t? Because she bakes cookies and makes gourmet meals? None of that makes her one bit better than you.”
Emily sighed. “I’m sorry. I sound as if I have a bad case of petty jealousy, don’t I? And I don’t, not really. I adore Marcie.”
“Me, too,” Paula said. “She’s been a godsend with all these appointments.” She frowned slightly. “Have you noticed that she seems a little off lately?”
Emily regarded her with a puzzled expression. “Off how?”
“I’m not sure I can explain it, just not her usual upbeat self, as if there’s something weighing on her.”
“To be honest I haven’t seen her for a couple of weeks, but she was okay last time we were together.”
“Maybe you should give her a call. I asked if everything was okay, but she blew me off. You two are much closer. Maybe she’ll open up with you.”
“I’ll call her the minute I get home. Thanks for saying something. Now you just need to say something about how you’re feeling to your husband. I’ve never seen a man more devoted to anyone than Dave is to you. Don’t shut him out, Paula. Let him be there for you.”
“I just feel he’s had to accept so much already,” Paula said. “The mastectomy, me starting to lose my hair, being sick all the time. It pretty much destroys the mystique that marriage needs to stay alive.”
“Or maybe it puts it on a whole new footing,” Emily suggested, giving her hand a squeeze. “Talk to him, okay?”
“I’ll do it tonight, bossy,” Paula said. “Thanks for being one of my biggest morale boosters.”
“You’d do the same for me,” Emily told her.
As she drove home, it wasn’t Paula’s low mood that was on her mind, though, it was her observation that something was going on with Marcie. As soon as she walked in the door, she picked up the phone.
“Hey,” she said when Marcie picked up, “mind if I run over for a minute?”
To her surprise, Marcie hesitated, then said, “Why don’t I come there instead? Five minutes, okay?”
“Sure,” Emily said, then slowly hung up, trying to recall the last time Marcie had wanted to stop by her house for a late-afternoon visit, rather than having Emily come over.
She waited until she saw Marcie coming through the hedge, then called out, “How about lemonade? I just bought a carton at the store yesterday and I don’t think the kids have been into it yet.”
“Sounds good. Did you see Paula today?”
“Just left her,” Emily confirmed as she went inside and took the carton from the refrigerator.
“Was her mood any better than it was this morning? She was pretty down.”
“The same this afternoon, but we talked a little and I think she felt better by the time I left.” She poured the lemonade over ice and put the glasses on the table, then sat down to join Marcie. “So, how are you? We haven’t had a minute to catch up for a couple of weeks now. How’d your mammogram go?”
“It was fine. Yours?”
“Okay, thank goodness, though I am not anxious to repeat the experience anytime soon.” She studied Marcie’s face and thought she detected a shadow of worry in her eyes. “Everything else okay?”
“Sure.”
“Really? You look as if something’s on your mind.”
Marcie’s smile seemed forced. “Not at all. I’ve just been very busy. Ken’s going out on his own, which means there are a thousand and one details for me to follow through on.”
Emily regarded her with surprise. “He’s opening his own company? When did that happen?”
Marcie avoided her gaze. “Oh, he’s been thinking about it forever and the time seemed right.”
Emily wasn’t buying it. There was something Marcie wasn’t saying, but obviously whatever it was she didn’t want to share it with Emily. “That’s great,” she said with feigned enthusiasm. “He must be excited.”
“And more demanding than usual,” Marcie said, her expression wry. “We’ve been looking at office space and picking out furniture. I could do all of that for him, but he insists on second-guessing every decision I make.”
“You’re not thinking of going to work for him, are you?” Emily asked.
Again, Marcie avoided meeting her gaze. “Just for a few weeks till things settle down.”
“Oh, Marcie, are you sure that’s wise?” she blurted before she could stop herself.
Marcie stiffened. “What do you mean?”
“Just that he can be awfully hard to please.”
“Don’t I know it,” Marcie agreed, visibly relaxing. “But it will only be for a little while, then he’ll find someone permanent.”
“Not if you do the same superb job for him at the office that you do at home,” Emily commented.
For the first time since she’d arrived, Marcie’s smile was genuine. “Honey, don’t you know by now that I am smart enough not to let that happen? I’ve lived with the man for more than fifteen years. I know exactly how to get him to replace me when I’m ready to go.”
Emily laughed. “That’s good then.”
“Everything okay around here?” Marcie asked. “The kids say Derek has been gone for a couple of weeks now. That’s even longer than usual, isn’t it?”
Emily’s good mood faded. “Yes, and it’s getting really old. I hardly feel as if I’m married anymore. Josh is getting to the age when he needs his dad around more than ever, but I can’t even catch up with Derek half the time to tell him what’s going on with his son, much less get his advice on how to handle it. Then when he is here, the kids have figured out how to play us off against one another because they know we never have time to come up with a joint plan. And Derek will always agree to whatever they ask, because he feels guilty about being gone. I’m sick of having to be the bad guy all the time.”
Marcie frowned. “I’ve never heard you say a word against your husband before.”
“I’ve never been this frustrated before,” Emily admitted. “I think watching
