Sisters in Bloom

by Melissa Foster

  “You don’t like to exercise?”

  “I’ve never had to do it before. I guess I’ve just got good genes, but I can take walks, maybe go for a jog or something.”

  “That sounds reasonable. And what happens if the weight doesn’t come off?”

  Kaylie’s jaw dropped. “I’ve only gained twenty-five pounds. I can lose it.” Can’t I? Panic prickled her nerves. “It can’t be that hard. All the actresses lose weight fast. I’ll do it. I know I can.” Kaylie thought about dieting and exercising, and the thought was not appealing in the least. She wondered what she might look like with an extra few pounds on her body. Danica wasn’t really skinny, but she always looked great, and she had to be at least ten pounds heavier than Kaylie. Kaylie tried to picture herself thicker around the middle. “I don’t think I’d look bad if I were to have trouble losing the weight. Besides, I hear that nursing helps, and I planned on nursing anyway, so...”

  “You’re a pretty girl, Kaylie. You’re used to being the pretty girl. Who will you be if you carry an extra few pounds?”

  Ouch. “I’d still be pretty. And besides,” she said indignantly, “I’m a fun, interesting person. I’ll still be me, just a bit bigger.”

  “And how will Chaz react?”

  “He loves me for me. He won’t care if I never lose the weight.” Will he? Of course not. He’d still love me.

  “So?” Dr. Marsden asked.

  “Saying all this to you, out loud, seems really silly. I mean, I’ll have a baby. A newborn baby. Even if the weight doesn’t come off, it will have been worth it. And as for Chaz, if he were so lame not to love me because of my weight, then he’s not really worth being with anyway, right? And I guess I would hope that I’d have made a better choice than that.” The words settled around her, and Kaylie realized that she’d spoken the plain and simple truth.

  She pictured Chaz as she’d left the house that morning in her maternity shorts and enormous tank top. He’d reached out and smacked her butt as she walked by, told her she looked hot. If she could look good pregnant, then she could look good no matter what.

  “I’ll put more pressure on myself than he ever would,” she admitted.

  “And why do you think that is?”

  Kaylie shrugged, but a piece of her was thinking of her mother, how slim she’d been while Kaylie was growing up, and how her father’s mistress had been even thinner and substantially younger.

  “The only thing I’d say to you about that, Kaylie, is that I wonder what else you can discover about yourself. We know that you’re a beautiful girl and that you are talented, but can you tell me what else you like about yourself?”

  “I’m nice and funny. I’m a good friend. I love Chaz, and Danica, and Blake.”

  “I didn’t mean to answer me now. Just think about it.”

  “More homework?”

  Dr. Marsden laughed. “A little.”

  Kaylie drove straight from Dr. Marsden’s office to Chaz’ office. She breezed through the front door with an easy smile.

  “Kaylie, wow, you’re about ready to pop,” Max teased from her perch behind her desk. She came around to give Kaylie a hug. “Listen, I’m really sorry if I caused any confusion about Lea.”

  Just hearing that woman’s name sent a chill down Kaylie’s back. That woman was trying to pull Chaz’s strings in too many directions, but somehow, she had become bigger than life, and Kaylie was going to make sure that, in her mind, she became as small as a speck of dust.

  Max continued. “That was ages ago, not when we were in Hawaii. And definitely not while he’s been with you.”

  Her worry about Lea seemed like it was ages ago, too. “That’s okay. I know. Chaz told me all about it, and I really did appreciate you calling me. Is he in?”

  “I’m glad. I was so worried. Yeah, come on back. I need to tell him something anyway.” Max popped her head into Chaz’s door and said, “Excuse me. Chaz? I’ve got the four-one-one on that new sponsor. They’re clean.”

  “Great. Sign ’em up.”

  Kaylie walked in after Max left and found Chaz sitting at a small table in his office, a stack of documents before him and his hand shielding his eyes. “Hey there,” she said, and touched his shoulder.

  Chaz smiled. “Kaylie. Hey, sit down. I’m just going over the partnership agreements.” He pushed them away and focused on her. “How was Dr. Marsden?”

  “Great,” she said, fiddling with her keys.

  “So, what’s up? Did you want to grab lunch?” He looked at his watch.

  “No, it’s only eleven. I just…I need to talk to you about something. Alex got a call this morning. From a record label.”

  “Wow, really?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled, trying not to concentrate on her racing heart. Chaz’s eyes drew her in, and she knew she had to tell him everything—her fears and her excitement. She took his hand, drawing strength from his touch. “They want to sign us,” she said tentatively.

  Chaz came around the table and hugged Kaylie. “That’s great! See, all your worries were for nothing. Even they know how great you are.”

  She watched him settle back into his chair, his smile reaching all the way to his eyes. “Yeah, but it would mean traveling to LA after the baby is born and then going back and forth while we tape.”

  His smile faltered. “LA?”

  “Yeah. I guess it’s where their studio is.”

  “Kaylie, which label?”

  “A small one. Benton Records. They heard me singing my songs. My lyrics! I can hardly believe it, but they loved them.”

  Chaz wrote down Benton Records on a piece of paper. “Honey, do you mind if I have Max check them out?”

  “No, that would be great,” Kaylie said.

  Chaz called out the door to Max, “Max, can you check out Benton Records for me?”

  “Sure,” Max called down the hall.

  “This is great news. I’m so proud of you.”

  Kaylie searched his eyes for something, anything that would tell her that he was feigning excitement, that he really did want her to stay home with the baby, but all she saw staring back at her in those gorgeous blue eyes of his was pride. She took her chances and laid it out on the line for him.

  “I’m so excited, Chaz. I really want this. I’ve wanted it my whole life. So yes, I want to do it.”

  “Okay, then. That’s an easy decision.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Why? This is what you’ve been working so hard for, Kaylie. This has been your dream since the day I met you.”

  “What if after the baby comes, I don’t want to go? What if I decide I just want to be with the baby? What if I don’t take it, but then, a month, two months, six months after the baby’s born, I’m resentful of the baby, or you, for not taking the offer?”

  “Whoa—”

  “Wait, let me finish. What if I go and I do terribly? What if I stay and all I can think about is how much I gave up to stay home? What if I stay home and you get bored with me? Then I’ve given up my career for you and the baby. I’m left in the cold.”

  “Like your mother,” he said empathetically.

  “Like my mother.”

  “I’m not your dad. You’re not your mom.”

  Kaylie had heard that so often in the past week that she thought she’d hear it in her sleep. “I know, but anything is possible. Good or bad. It’s a toss of a coin, really.”

  Chaz leaned forward, until Kaylie could smell the coffee on his breath and feel the love emanating from every inch of him. “Kaylie, I’ll support whatever decision you make. If you want this, we’ll make it work. If you want to stay home with the baby, we’ll make that work. I can’t promise that you’ll be happy doing either, but what I can promise is to do everything I possibly can to make sure that you never feel like I don’t appreciate you, all that you do for me, and all that I know you’ll do for our baby.”

  “But how can I know what to do?”

  He sat back and shook his head. �
��I don’t understand the real dilemma here. You’ll do whatever feels right. You haven’t even met the company reps yet, so you have time.”

  “They’re coming out Thursday.”

  “Thursday? That’s fast. Okay, so you’ll talk to them then and make a decision after you meet with them. I’ve heard the name before, but I don’t know anything about them. I feel like I should for some reason.”

  “Probably because you love me and want to make sure they’re on the up-and-up.”

  He smiled. “That must be it. So, tell me what they said.”

  “I don’t know much, just what Alex told me. They loved my songs, my sound. They said they thought they could make me a big hit.”

  “Wait till they meet you. They’ll know they’ve made the right decision.” Chaz walked Kaylie to the front and kissed her goodbye, and she left feeling like a world of stress had been lifted from her shoulders. Her belly tightened as she climbed into her car. She leaned back and waited it out. “Settle down in there,” she said to her belly.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Danica spent the morning juggling phone calls. Between that, vendor payments, and the thank-you calls to the parents who had volunteered, she hadn’t left her office since she’d arrived. She finally ventured out around noon, and found Gage at Sally’s desk.

  “Hey, where’s Sally?”

  Gage pointed toward the closed door to the little kitchenette. “She’s on the phone.”

  “How’s she doing? I didn’t see her when I came in.”

  “Okay, I think. She didn’t say anything, so I didn’t ask. Did you talk to her this weekend?”

  Danica shook her head. “Couldn’t reach her.”

  The door to the kitchenette opened, and Gage and Danica snapped their heads in Sally’s direction. Danica realized how obvious they were and scrambled for an alibi. “The county. Yeah, they’re running an investigation.”

  “Can it. I know you’re dying to know what happened.” Sally pulled her hair back and secured it with an elastic band from around her wrist. She crossed her arms over her slim waist. “I don’t know much, but here’s what I could get from Rusty. I guess Brad has been hitting on Michelle, and at the dance, he asked her if she wanted to join the ski team this coming fall.” She had dark bags beneath her eyes, and when she spoke, it was as if all the air had left her words before they left her lips. “He said it would be cool if they could take Little Hellion, and Rusty said the way Brad looked at him made him feel provoked.”

  “The way he looked at him?” Danica asked. “When I talked to Brad, he didn’t even seem to know Dave had died, much less died at Little Hellion.”

  Sally shook her head. “I don’t know what to say. We’re going back to Dr. Marsden again. Rusty said he’d go, so we’ll see what she says.”

  “Good. That’s probably smart.” Danica wished she could help them more, but she knew not to mix too much business with too many personal issues, and lately, it seemed like everything in her life was a bit incestuous. “What about Michelle and Rusty?”

  “I don’t know. I tried to talk to him about it, and he doesn’t really tell me anything.”

  “He’s a teenage boy,” Gage said. “He’s not gonna tell you much, and honestly, you’re lucky if he really does go see a therapist. I mean, at his age, no way would I have gone.”

  “He’s right, you know.” Danica saw defeat in Sally’s eyes. “Do you want some time off?”

  “Of being a parent?” Sally joked.

  “From here?”

  Sally shook her head. “No, I like to be here. It helps keep my mind off of things. I just thought he was doing so much better.”

  “He was,” Danica assured her. “He hadn’t seemed so angry or anything until recently, and if I know teenage boys, this has a lot more to do with Brad and Michelle than with Dave and Little Hellion.”

  Gage stood and Danica made a snap decision. “Why don’t you guys go down to the café and grab lunch. You could both use an hour out of the office, and I can handle things here.”

  “Sally?” Gage asked.

  Danica pretended to look at a paper on Sally’s desk, but gave total concentration to every word that passed between Gage and Sally.

  “You don’t have to,” Sally said quietly.

  “I want to. Come on. We don’t have to talk about Rusty. We’ll just eat.” Gage put his hand on the small of Sally’s back and guided her toward the door.

  Danica pressed her lips together to suppress her smile.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  “What should I do?” Kaylie asked Danica as they rifled through a rack of baby clothes.

  “What do you want to do?”

  “You know that’s no help, right? You sound like Dr. Marsden.” Kaylie lifted a pink jumper and showed it to Danica.

  “How would you know what Dr. Marsden sounds like?” Danica’s eyes grew wide with understanding. “You’re seeing Dr. Marsden? Really?” Then she looked at the pink jumper and said, “Go neutral. You don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy. Do you?” she asked hopefully.

  “No. I told you we weren’t going to find out, and yes, I’m seeing her. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I really wanted to do this on my own.”

  “I’m so proud of you.”

  Kaylie rolled her eyes.

  “Sorry, but Little Miss Therapy is for Losers is seeing a therapist? How is Rhonda?” Danica held up a light green onesie.

  “Oh, I love that! Put it in the cart. Who’s Rhonda?”

  “Dr. Marsden.”

  Kaylie tossed a yellow jumper in the cart. “Rhonda? Really? I saw her more as a…Martha or Mildred, maybe. I really like her. She’s kinda, I don’t know, not very feminine, and she asks really direct questions, but I like her. Anyway, I figured that if I had a chance in hell of not becoming Mom that I had to do something pretty quickly.”

  Danica shook her head. “I never thought I’d see the day.” She laughed.

  “Yeah, yeah, so hell has now frozen over. What do you think of the blue one?” She held up a jumper with yellow flowers along the feet.

  “That’s cute. She’s a great therapist, and she really helped me when I first started out. It’s a shame what she’s gone through.”

  Kaylie put the jumper in the cart and looked at Danica. “What?”

  Danica shook her head. “Uh-uh. That just slipped out. I can’t tell you her personal business. You know that.”

  Kaylie sighed. “Well, she has no photos in her office, so maybe she’s gay.”

  “She’s not.”

  “Well, she must not have kids, or a husband.”

  “Stop,” Danica said sternly.

  “Fine, whatever.” Kaylie looped her arm into Danica’s as Danica pushed the cart to the next circular rack of clothes. “I need some guidance, and I feel like I’m stuck.”

  “I can’t tell you what to do. This is your career, your life. But I will just remind you that once you hold that cute little spawn in your arms, you may not want to leave it for anything in the world.”

  Kaylie sneered.

  “What? I didn’t say evil. You know I can’t wait to meet it, whatever it is.”

  “I know. What if I don’t sign with the record label? What if I don’t go to LA? I could end up hating Chaz, or worse, the baby.”

  “You could, if you were a selfish bitch.” Danica put two receiving blankets in the basket, obviously ignoring Kaylie’s deadly stare. “Look, you’re not a selfish bitch. That’s the point. If you decide to stay home, then it’ll be your decision, and you can’t blame him later on down the line, or the sweet little evil spawn baby, either. If you decide to go, then you can only blame yourself. Whatever decision you make, you have to take responsibility for it.”

  Kaylie put her hand on her hip. “See, that’s what I mean. How come Dr. Marsden or Chaz couldn’t have said that? You’re right. Whatever I decide, I can’t use it against anyone else later. It will be my mistake—or not.”

  “Okay, now that that’s s
ettled. Blake got the house!” Danica closed her eyes and cringed.

  Kaylie knew her sister was waiting for her to scream, or hug her, or do something, anything other than leaning on a rack, rubbing her stomach, and clenching her teeth, trying to breathe through another Braxton Hicks contraction.

  Danica opened her eyes. “What? No reac—” Danica rushed to Kaylie’s side. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” She put her arm around Kaylie and guided her to a chair by the cash register.

  “I’m fine.” Kaylie waved her off. “It’s just those practice contractions. I get them a lot.”

  “Yeah, well, you need to see your doctor.”

  “I talked to her already. She said it’s fine.” She stood up when the pain passed. “Okay, see, I’m fine, and I’m so glad you’re going to be my neighbor!” She hugged Danica before she could brace herself.

  A quick trip to the doctor’s office assured Kaylie that everything was fine with her baby and what she’d been feeling was indeed Braxton Hicks contractions. Your baby is practicing for its big day, the doctor had confirmed. Try to stay off your feet a little more, and enjoy your last few weeks of freedom.

  Danica spent the rest of the afternoon working at the center. By the time she left No Limitz, the evening air had turned brisk. She pulled her sweater around her shoulders as she headed to the rear parking lot, where she found Rusty leaning against the driver’s side door of her car.

  “Hi, Rusty. You okay?”

  Rusty wore a gray sweatshirt with the hood pulled down low over his eyes; his hands were tucked deeply into the front pockets. He lifted his eyes. “I’m all right.”

  “Do you need a ride? I think your mom’s still inside.”

  “No, thanks.” He took off his hood and Danica saw worry in his eyes. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”

  “Nothin’. I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about the other night. I shouldn’t have hit Brad. He’s a good guy.”

  Danica set her purse on the car and leaned against the side, next to Rusty. “Yeah, he seems to be.” She looked at his eyes again and wondered what was weighing so heavily on him. “Did something happen that you want to talk about?”