Sweet Magnolias 02 - A Slice of Heaven by Sherryl Woods

Author:Sherryl Woods
Language: fr
Format: mobi
Tags: Contemporary
Publisher: HQN
Published: 2010-07-28T22:00:00+00:00

She found Ronnie alone in the room with Annie. They were playing checkers, which had been one of their favorite after-dinner pastimes since Annie had been old enough to understand the rules.

“She’s still beating the daylights out of me,” he said as Dana Sue pulled a chair up beside his.

Annie beamed. “I am, but I don’t think you’re really concentrating,” she said. She immediately jumped his remaining three men to win yet another game.

Ronnie sighed dramatically. “See what I mean?” He turned to Dana Sue. “She’s ruthless.”

“You taught her that, so don’t start complaining about it now,” Dana Sue said. When Annie started to set up the board for another game, Dana Sue stopped her. “Let’s put it away for tonight, sweetie. We need to talk.”

Annie’s expression turned wary. “About?”

“Your sessions with Dr. McDaniels,” Ronnie said.

Dana Sue gave him a grateful look, relieved that he wasn’t going to leave this whole conversation up to her.

Annie’s good mood vanished in a heartbeat. “I don’t need a shrink,” she said sullenly. “I don’t know why she keeps coming back. I’ve told her I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” Dana Sue insisted. “Look where you are, sweetie. No girl your age winds up in the hospital with heart problems unless there’s something serious going on.”

“But I’m well now,” Annie argued. “I’ve been eating the stuff Lacy and I agreed to, except when it’s totally disgusting. And then I drink those stupid little shakes to make up for it. Ask her. She’ll tell you that she’s gotten my calorie count almost up to normal, or what passes for normal in her world. I feel great. Dr. Lane says I’m getting stronger every day. I bet he’ll let me out of here tomorrow or the next day.”

“It’s not entirely up to him,” Ronnie said, his tone unyielding. “And just so you know, he agrees with Dr. McDaniels that you can’t leave unless you start cooperating with her.”

“They’re sticking together?” Annie asked incredulously. “That sucks.”

“You should be grateful to them,” Ronnie said. “If you don’t get to the bottom of what happened, Annie, you’ll wind up right back in here again—and next time you might not be so lucky.”

Annie locked gazes with her dad and tears welled up in her eyes. “But I’m okay now, really. Please, Daddy, just take me home. This will never happen again. I swear it.”

Dana Sue saw the muscle working in Ronnie’s jaw and knew he was struggling with himself.

“Taking you home before Dr. McDaniels says it’s okay is not an option,” he said at last. “I don’t care how many tears you shed or how many promises you make. Until we know with absolute certainty that you’re not going to stop eating again, we can’t risk it, Annie.”

She looked stunned by his refusal. “You don’t get to come back here after abandoning me, and tell me what to do,” she said bitterly. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have left, and you wouldn’t make me do this.”

Though he was visibly shaken by the accusation, Ronnie’s resolve didn’t waver.

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