lying coward that you didn't even have the decency to tell me the truth."
"Nell," Tim said, backing up, warning in his voice. "Be fair. You always told Jase when he was little that feelings are feelings and you have to pay attention to them."
"That's true, and right now I'm feeling a little angry." Nell raised the crystal over her head and smashed it into a thousand jagged pieces as Tim scrambled around her to grab up as many Icicles as he could.
Peggy came to the door and said, "What-" as Nell picked up an Icicle he'd missed. Peggy stopped, her eyes wide.
Nell ignored her to focus on Tim. "Although actually, if I was following my heart, I'd bury one of these suckers in your spleen."
Tim took a leap back as she smashed the third crystal, smacking it against his desk so hard that the pieces flew across the room.
"Oh, my," Peggy said as Nell picked up another one.
"Okay, that was dangerous." Tim drew himself up, his arms full of Icicles. "If you'll just calm down-"
"This one's for Jase," Nell said, brandishing the fourth crystal at him. "Because I think he knows the truth, which means you forced my son to lie to me." This one she threw all her body weight behind, and it splintered with so much force that one of the shards ricocheted into the window behind her and cracked it.
"Nell!" Tim yelled. "Stop it!"
What she needed was a rhythm. She grabbed and smashed a fifth one, swinging it like a tennis racket served at the floor. The tennis serve smash felt good, traveling up her arms, making her muscles sing. That was what she needed, good pacing and a smooth delivery.
"Goddamn it, I lied for you!" Tim said, trying to pick up another crystal even though his arms were full.
"You lied"-she grabbed the next crystal, swung it, and smashed it on the desk-"because you're a cheating-" swing and smash "cowardly-" swing and smash-"spineless"-swing and smash-"slimy"-swing and smash-"son of a bitch who didn't want to take the responsibility for wrecking his marriage." She stopped to catch her breath and because there weren't any more Icicles on the shelf; Tim was holding the last four in his arms, his eyes defying her to take them.
Nell put her chin down. "Give me those."
"No." Tim stood stern and tall. "Absolutely not. You should see yourself, you look crazy."
"Give me those," Nell said quietly, "or I will take them from you and beat you to death with them."
Tim gawked at her, and Nell reached out and wrenched one from his arms and swung it into the desk, feeling stronger with each explosion.
"This is crazy." Tim tried to scramble around her, and she grabbed another Icicle, tripping him as he went, and smashed it on the desk before turning to scoop up one he'd dropped as he'd staggered over her foot. She smashed that one, too, and then advanced on him for the last one, lusting after it more than she'd ever lusted after him.
"I need that," she said. "Give it to me."
"Stop it," he said, clutching his last Icicle to his shirt. "For heaven's sake, look at this mess."
"You think this is a mess?" Nell said. "Have you seen our family lately? Have you checked out our business? You smashed everything we'd built, everything we worked for, because you wanted to screw a size six. This"-she gestured to the glass-strewn office-"is nothing in comparison."
Although now that she looked around, the place was a pretty significant mess. His desk was destroyed. The window was cracked. The gray carpet was full of crushed glass. She'd done some good work here.
"There's no need to be nasty." Tim's anger made him flush. "Whitney wears a two. And I lied for you and Jase," he said, backing toward the door. "I didn't want you to be hurt."
Nell stopped, dumbfounded, breathless with disbelief. "You didn't want me to be hurt? You spend twenty-two years living with me, working with me, having a family with me, not a cloud in the sky, not a hint that anything is wrong, and then on Christmas you leave me, no explanation, the world suddenly makes no
"Nell," Tim said, backing up, warning in his voice. "Be fair. You always told Jase when he was little that feelings are feelings and you have to pay attention to them."
"That's true, and right now I'm feeling a little angry." Nell raised the crystal over her head and smashed it into a thousand jagged pieces as Tim scrambled around her to grab up as many Icicles as he could.
Peggy came to the door and said, "What-" as Nell picked up an Icicle he'd missed. Peggy stopped, her eyes wide.
Nell ignored her to focus on Tim. "Although actually, if I was following my heart, I'd bury one of these suckers in your spleen."
Tim took a leap back as she smashed the third crystal, smacking it against his desk so hard that the pieces flew across the room.
"Oh, my," Peggy said as Nell picked up another one.
"Okay, that was dangerous." Tim drew himself up, his arms full of Icicles. "If you'll just calm down-"
"This one's for Jase," Nell said, brandishing the fourth crystal at him. "Because I think he knows the truth, which means you forced my son to lie to me." This one she threw all her body weight behind, and it splintered with so much force that one of the shards ricocheted into the window behind her and cracked it.
"Nell!" Tim yelled. "Stop it!"
What she needed was a rhythm. She grabbed and smashed a fifth one, swinging it like a tennis racket served at the floor. The tennis serve smash felt good, traveling up her arms, making her muscles sing. That was what she needed, good pacing and a smooth delivery.
"Goddamn it, I lied for you!" Tim said, trying to pick up another crystal even though his arms were full.
"You lied"-she grabbed the next crystal, swung it, and smashed it on the desk-"because you're a cheating-" swing and smash "cowardly-" swing and smash-"spineless"-swing and smash-"slimy"-swing and smash-"son of a bitch who didn't want to take the responsibility for wrecking his marriage." She stopped to catch her breath and because there weren't any more Icicles on the shelf; Tim was holding the last four in his arms, his eyes defying her to take them.
Nell put her chin down. "Give me those."
"No." Tim stood stern and tall. "Absolutely not. You should see yourself, you look crazy."
"Give me those," Nell said quietly, "or I will take them from you and beat you to death with them."
Tim gawked at her, and Nell reached out and wrenched one from his arms and swung it into the desk, feeling stronger with each explosion.
"This is crazy." Tim tried to scramble around her, and she grabbed another Icicle, tripping him as he went, and smashed it on the desk before turning to scoop up one he'd dropped as he'd staggered over her foot. She smashed that one, too, and then advanced on him for the last one, lusting after it more than she'd ever lusted after him.
"I need that," she said. "Give it to me."
"Stop it," he said, clutching his last Icicle to his shirt. "For heaven's sake, look at this mess."
"You think this is a mess?" Nell said. "Have you seen our family lately? Have you checked out our business? You smashed everything we'd built, everything we worked for, because you wanted to screw a size six. This"-she gestured to the glass-strewn office-"is nothing in comparison."
Although now that she looked around, the place was a pretty significant mess. His desk was destroyed. The window was cracked. The gray carpet was full of crushed glass. She'd done some good work here.
"There's no need to be nasty." Tim's anger made him flush. "Whitney wears a two. And I lied for you and Jase," he said, backing toward the door. "I didn't want you to be hurt."
Nell stopped, dumbfounded, breathless with disbelief. "You didn't want me to be hurt? You spend twenty-two years living with me, working with me, having a family with me, not a cloud in the sky, not a hint that anything is wrong, and then on Christmas you leave me, no explanation, the world suddenly makes no
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