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Carl seemed wrapped up in his own deep musings. “I understand you and Candy are seeing the same gynecologist,” her friend said casually.
“Dr. Wilson.”
He reached for a cookie and broke it in half as though he suspected Mrs. Applegate had hidden something of value inside. “Is everything alright with the pregnancy?”
“So far, so good. Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
The suggestion hung in the air between them like a helium-filled balloon. He seemed to consider the suggestion, then sadly shook his head. “If she needs anything…tell her she can count on me.”
“I’m not Western Union, Carl.” She couldn’t allow herself to become involved with what was happening between these two people she loved. She wanted to help, and tried to be gentle, seeing that Carl had been so kind and patient with her. “If you don’t want to tell her these things yourself, write her a letter.”
His eyes briefly lit up at the suggestion, but she watched as the frustration and discouragement clouded his judgment. ‘I’ve already said everything. She knows I’d help her in any way I could, but she’s just too stubborn to ask.”
Candy, stubborn! It was almost more than Lesley could do not to suggest that Carl take a look in the mirror himself.
* * *
Thanksgiving Day, Candy woke feeling melancholy and fat. She was nearly six months pregnant and there wasn’t a single pair of jeans that fit her any longer. Lesley had opted to buy maternity pants a month earlier, but Candy had held out until that very morning.
It didn’t help any that she would be spending the day alone. Lesley was joining her parents, something Candy had suggested herself. Now she wished she hadn’t been quite so encouraging.
Lesley Ackerman had turned out to be one of the best friends Candy had ever had. Other than the obvious, the two shared a good deal in common.
Not once had Lesley drilled her over her relationship with Carl. Nor had she tried to patch matters up between the two of them or offered her advice. For all three, Candy was grateful. Nothing anyone said would convince her to marry Carl Saks. Nothing.
Candy dressed and dragged herself into the kitchen wearing her slippers. The bouts of morning sickness had long since passed, replaced with a healthy appetite. She’d been careful about weight gain and was well within the parameters Dr. Wilson had suggested.
Maintaining her diet during the holidays couldn’t be any more difficult than abstaining from caffeine. How she missed her morning cup of leaded fuel. If Carl knew…
She paused mid-thought, unwilling to allow her mind to dwell on the subject of Carl Saks. Not this day when she was already feeling abandoned and lonely. Not today when families all across the country gathered together to count their blessings.
Candy had several blessings, but no family. If ever there was a day to treat herself, it was this one. After a meager breakfast and equally dinky lunch, Candy dressed in one of her new outfits and drove to Bluebeard’s, the restaurant where Carl had taken her for their first official date. It seemed far more trouble than it was worth to roast a turkey and all the trimmings for just one person.
The crowded parking lot wasn’t encouraging, but Candy eventually found a spot and hurried inside out of the cold. The weather had dipped below freezing and the sky was dark. The weatherman had suggested snow, and that suited her just fine. In an effort to lift her spirits, she’d decided to decorate for Christmas that evening.
A hostess Candy didn’t recognize greeted her with a warm holiday welcome. Several people crowded around the cash register and the woman wrote everyone’s name down on a waiting list.
“A table for one,” Candy said when it came her turn to give her name. “How long is the wait?” She was already hungry and the smells coming from the dining room were delicious.
“Forty-five minutes, I’m afraid.”
“Oh.” That long. It was difficult to hide her disappointment. She should have thought to make reservations.
“There’s another party here whose name is about to come up that also asked for a table for one. Perhaps you two would be willing to share?”
“It’s fine with me, if the other party doesn’t object” What a lovely solution, Candy mused, delighted with the suggestion. She hadn’t been that keen on eating alone and would welcome the company.
“I’ll be right back,” the woman told her. She returned a moment later. “That will be fine. Follow me.”
Candy’s mistake was that she didn’t stop to look at her dinner companion until they reached the table. When she turned to thank the person who’d been willing to have her join him, her eyes collided with Carl Saks’s brooding gaze.
Her first inclination was to call back the hostess and tell her she’d had a change of heart, but the restaurant was packed. It was exactly the type of behavior what Carl would expect of her.
“Thank you,” she said, making sure her voice revealed none of her feelings. She pulled out the chair and sat down. If he objected, then he could be the one to leave. Squatter’s rights must hold for something!
Candy must have studied the menu for five straight minutes while she gathered her composure. The bus-boy delivered water, bread and soft butter before she set the menu aside. There’d never been any question of what she wanted to order. Turkey and all the trimmings.
Carl looked as if he’d rather be anyplace on this earth than sitting across the table from her. His brow was knit and he couldn’t seem to take his brooding eyes off her.
