Free High Anxiety by Charlotte Hughes Page B

“but Thad was upset when he left here.”
    “Would you please tell him I tried to call him back?”
    “Oh, for sure,” Bunny said.
    I barely had time to hang up before my phone rang. Mona was on the other end. “How is your mom working out?”
    “She just cured one of my patients.”
    “No kidding?”
    “There goes a paying customer.” I tried to make light of it, even though I was annoyed as hell. I had gone through about a gazillion boxes of tissues trying to pull Mrs. Bryant from her grief, but she had dug in her heels and refused to budge. Then, with one word from my mother, she had been fully restored.
    “I probably should have checked with you before calling her, but I felt terrible leaving you in the lurch.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” I said, knowing Mona’s heart was in the right place. “How is the rash?”
    “Jimbo agrees that it has gotten much worse,” she said. “I have an appointment with my dermatologist right after lunch. How’s your toe?”
    “Still sore, but it doesn’t hurt as bad as it did.”
    “I have a confession to make,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve been cracking up all morning thinking about it.”
    “Gee, I’m glad I could provide a little comic relief. If it’ll help, I can come by and drop the vase on my other toe.”
    “Only a true friend would offer to do something like that,” Mona said.
    I was glad her mood was better. “Let me know what the dermatologist says,” I said before we hung up.
    I got up from my desk, opened my door, and found Ellen and Gerald Holmes, a couple I had been counseling for several weeks, talking to my mom as she thumbed through the telephone book. Ellen and Gerald smiled at me, which was rare, because they had trouble being in the same room without fighting. Some three or four months ago, Ellen had walked into Gerald’s office and found him in a compromising position with a coworker. She automatically assumed they were having an affair, although Gerald swore it was all very innocent, that he was merely trying to comfort the woman, who’d recently lost a loved one. I did not know where the truth lay, but I was not sure their three-year marriage would survive Ellen’s doubts and suspicions.
    “Ready to come in?” I asked them.
    They headed my way. Ellen paused and glanced at my mom. “You’ll let us know what you find out?” she said.
    She nodded. “I should have all of the information before you leave.”
    They came in and I closed the door. I waited until we were seated before questioning them. “What kind of information are you looking for?”
    “Well—” Ellen slid forward on the sofa. “We got to talking to Dixie, and the next thing I know, I’m telling her the reason Gerald and I have been seeing you. I mean, she’s so easy to talk to, you know? She came up with a great idea.”
    “Oh?”
    “She suggested that we take a second honeymoon.”
    “I see.”
    “Maybe she’s right. She says we need a clean slate.”
    Gerald nodded. “Plus, Dixie has a friend who is a travel agent. She’s going to see if she can get a good deal for us. We want to go to the hotel in Hawaii where we spent our first honeymoon.”
    I looked from one to the other as I tried to keep up.
    “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” I asked. “I mean, we’ve only had a few sessions.”
    They both nodded eagerly, but I didn’t share their enthusiasm. I knew Ellen was no more convinced of Gerald’s innocence than she was the day they first walked into my office. She had huge trust issues, and Gerald resented her accusations.
    “Not that I don’t think a second honeymoon is an excellent idea,” I said quickly, “but it would probably be better if the two of you had more sessions under your belt.” I knew Ellen would never heal until she stopped accusing Gerald of every vile thing under the sun and considered that he might just be innocent of any wrongdoing.
    Ellen looked hurt. “I thought you’d be happy for us.”
    “I am very