The day she married Josh.
Of course, she’d change into something short and sexy and perfect for dancing the night away after the ceremony, but—
“Oh, what does it matter!” Melissa said aloud. “It’s not going to happen! It’s never going to happen. Josh doesn’t want to date you anymore, much less even think about getting down on one knee.”
She exited the room and hurried down the long hall, tucking the basket just out of sight. They would have dessert, present the gift and then she would find a way to get Josh to take her home as soon as possible.
For the last time.
* * *
This was all Greg’s fault.
As heartbreaking as it was, because she and Frank had always loved Greg, Diana knew deep in her heart that the man they’d welcomed in their home, into their hearts, was on the verge of walking out on their daughter.
How could Greg do this to Abby?
They were perfect together, complemented each other so well because they were so alike. Levelheaded, organized to a fault, methodical even.
Diana paused and grabbed hold of the stairway landing.
Could that be it?
Could Abby and Greg be too much alike? Had her son-in-law found someone else? Someone cute and bubbly who hung on his every word like it was gold?
Abby had mentioned a coworker of Greg’s they’d run into one night while out to dinner. She’d said he’d been reluctant to introduce them, which seemed strange as the woman had literally gushed at how much she enjoyed working with Abby’s husband when she’d stopped by their table.
The need to get to Frank, to squeeze his hand and have him comfort her, rolled over Diana. She needed him to tell her that everything would be all right, that she’d been right all along, and promise her they’d fight tooth and nail for their daughter so she didn’t lose this beautiful home.
“Mom?”
Diana looked up and found Melissa standing there.
“Are you okay?” Melissa asked. “You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’ve got a death grip on the railing.”
Diana immediately released her hold. “I just got a bit light-headed for a moment.”
Concern filled her daughter’s beautiful eyes. She motioned to the steps that led to the second floor. “Here, let’s sit.”
“But your sister is—”
“Perfectly capable of pulling dessert together all on her own,” Melissa took her arm and the two of them sat. “Disgustingly capable, as we both know.”
Diana sat, basically because she had no choice, taking the time to really look at her daughter. She’d been crying. Her baby suffered the same fate as she did when tears came—puffy eyes. And while Melissa had been acting strange during dinner, this was the first true evidence Diana had that something was terribly wrong.
“Darling, you seem a bit…off this evening.” Diana kept her tone light after a few minutes of silence passed. “How is everything with you? You didn’t eat very much tonight.”
Melissa stared at her clenched hands. “Everything is just fine, Mother. It’s been a long week and I’m very tired.”
“Yes, you said you’ve been working long hours. That’s probably cut into your free time with Josh.”
“Y-yes, it has, but I don’t think that’s going to be a problem much longer.”
“What does that mean?”