“What?” Doreen was stunned. “Why?”
Megan crossed her arms and leaned a hip against the kitchen island. “What has Doreen ever done to hurt Nessa?”
Benita returned to her seat at the tiny table. “Why do teenaged girls usually resent each other? Because of teenaged boys. Apparently, all the boys in high school liked Doreen. But Doreen ended up marrying a very popular college student named Paul Fever. This made the mean girls—Nessa, my mother, a couple of others—green with jealousy. My mother eventually got over her envy when she met my father in college. But Nessa’s story still hasn’t had a happily-ever-after.”
“Is that the reason she’s been smearing Doreen all over town?” Megan sounded incredulous. “Because Nessa couldn’t get a date in high school?”
“That’s ridiculous.” Doreen stirred her brownie batter. “We’re all adults. We don’t need men to define us.”
“That’s easier to believe when you’ve had healthy, loving relationships.” Benita’s voice grew pensive. “From what my mother’s said, Nessa hasn’t had those.”
“Nessa’s marriage was rocky.” Megan leaned a slim hip against the kitchen island. “Then her husband left her for a younger woman.”
“According to Aunt Helen, his mistress was a happier woman,” Benita said.
The conversation halted as Doreen put the brownie batter into the mixer to whip. Instead of giving her greater clarity, Benita’s theory of Nessa’s hostility toward her only added to Doreen’s confusion. The mixer’s hum droned on. The smell of baking dough blossomed in the kitchen. Meanwhile questions continued to stack up in Doreen’s mind.
She turned off the mixer. “Your mother’s theory may explain high school, but we’re older now, much older. Why would Nessa still resent me?”
“My mother thinks it’s because you’re so well liked and well respected in Trinity Falls.” Benita shrugged.
Doreen frowned. “How does your mother know about Nessa’s attitude toward me?”
“Aunt Helen tells us everything that happens in town,” Benita said. “And I read the Monitor online. Nessa’s resentment was pretty clear in some of her quotes during your mayoral campaign.”
Megan paced the kitchen again. “I don’t want Nessa to cause a scene at your wedding.”
“Neither do I.” Doreen poured the brownie batter into a baking pan. “I don’t want any trouble from Leo, either.”
“Leo?” Megan’s eyebrows knitted. “You broke up with him almost a year ago.”
Doreen set the brownie pan into the industrial refrigerator to wait for the bread to finish baking. “He came to see me a while ago. He said he wants me back.”
Both women gaped at her. Megan recovered first. “When was this?”
Doreen thought that over. “A week ago, April eighth.”
Benita’s eyes grew even wider. “And you’re only telling us this now? What did Alonzo say?”
Doreen hesitated. “I haven’t told Alonzo yet.”
Benita looked first to Megan, then Doreen. “Why not?”
Doreen shrugged off a sense of guilt. “He’s still in a strange mood. He won’t tell me what’s causing it, but I’m afraid the fact that Leo came to my house will send him right over the edge.”
“What if Leo confronts Alonzo himself?” Megan returned to her seat at the tiny table.
Doreen shook her head. “I don’t think he’ll do that. Leo isn’t that brave.”
“But what if he does?” Benita asked. “You should warn Alonzo that Leo came to see you. You don’t want him to be caught off guard.”
Doreen still hesitated. “What if telling him about Leo makes Alonzo’s mood even worse?”
Benita leaned forward on her chair. “Knowing Leo is back may be the catalyst Alonzo needs to finally tell you what’s bothering him.”
Doreen’s tension eased. “I hadn’t considered that.”
On the surface, Benita’s idea sounded like a good one. Would it work? Doreen was desperate enough to give it a try. Things with Alonzo had to return to normal—the sooner, the better.