* * *
Beth could barely remember anything from the previous evening. She seemed to recall Nick coaxing her to eat more food before she stumbled into bed. Apparently, she had been more tired than she’d thought. He had woken her briefly before he left, saying he was going to Charleston for Mericom for the day and that Suzy was picking her up in a few hours. She had tried to argue, but he was adamant.
She expected the worst when she stepped on the scales after eating more than normal the previous day, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that she was down a pound. This day was already starting out better than yesterday. She pulled on her new standard pregnancy attire: a dress. She needed to go shopping for some slacks that she could wear. She was starting to dress like Ella before her makeover.
Suzy burst into the apartment without knocking and walked into the kitchen.
“I know I gave you that key, but could you please knock before barging in? You almost made me pee my pants.”
“Ewww, must we go there this morning?” Suzy groaned. “You know, since you got knocked up, I’m hearing entirely too much about bathroom issues, horniness, and the whole ‘I’m gonna cry any minute’ thing.”
Beth laughed at her sister’s martyr expression. “I’m sure this is tough on you, but your understanding and your compassion mean so much to me.”
Suzy made a face and flipped her off. “Are we ready here or what?”
“Yep, lead the way.” Beth followed Suzy out and locked up. God, how did her sister wear her platform shoes as easily as someone wears a pair of running shoes? Beth liked her high heels, but she had to draw the line at anything that would land her on her ass. She climbed into her sister’s SUV and strapped on her seat belt, and they were away like a shooting star. When they suddenly pulled into the parking lot of an IHOP, she looked at Suzy in surprise.
Shrugging her shoulders, Suzy said, “What? I missed breakfast this morning since I had to come pick you up and I’m starving. I love their Grand Slam Breakfast.”
“Yeah, right. Denny’s has the Grand Slam Breakfast, not IHOP.”
Suzy grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. “I just call them all the same thing, eggs are eggs, right?”
Beth hid her grin as Suzy walked over to a booth and plopped down as if she were a regular. The table full of men beside them almost fell out of their seats. Suzy flashed them a big smile and went back to looking at her menu. When the waitress walked up to take their order, Suzy said, “We’ll both have the Breakfast Sampler, coffee, and juice.”
“Bu—but I was going to have fruit,” Beth stammered.
Suzy raised an eyebrow at her and then turned back to the waitress. “We’ll take some fruit with our breakfast.”
“So, is this some Make-Beth-Eat thing?” she asked.
“I don’t know what you mean. Can’t a girl have some breakfast without the third degree?”
Beth had to give her sister props; when the mountain of food arrived, Suzy dug in as if it were the best meal ever. Much to the delight of the men at the next table, she even licked syrup from her finger. Suzy also watched like a hawk as Beth ate. “Is there something wrong with your food?”
“No, I’m just not used to eating such a heavy breakfast; it might make me sick.”
Suzy took another big bite of her pancakes and said, “Well, I’ve got all day, so take your time.”
Beth had a bad feeling that they weren’t going anywhere until she put a dent in the huge mound of food in front of her. She started with the eggs, thinking they had the least number of calories. When Suzy still looked ready to camp out for the duration, Beth moved to the bacon and one of her pancakes. She wasn’t lying when, a few minutes later, she pushed her plate back and said, “Please, Mom, I’m full. I can’t eat another bite.”
Suzy gave her a satisfied smile and pushed back her clean plate. “Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it? That will tide us over until lunch. I’m thinking Mexican food or some nice buffet somewhere, what do you think?”
I think I’m in trouble.
Operation Feed Beth seemed to be well under way. How in the world was she going to keep from gaining ten pounds this week with her sister determined to eat like a lumberjack for the entire day or, hell, probably the entire week?
* * *
Nick smiled when he pulled in front of the house that he could find with his eyes closed. There wasn’t one bad memory that he could associate with the place or the woman inside. She kept him grounded, and he loved her more than his own life. The smile on his face got wider as he rang the doorbell and waited for his first love to answer. When the door opened, he knew he was home.
“Hello, Nicky-boy. Fancy seeing you here.”
Nick enveloped his mother in a bear hug, twirling her lightly in the foyer. “Hey, Mom. I guess you’ve been expecting me, huh?”