My Life as a Doormat (in Three Acts) by Rene Gutteridge Page A

with anti-Leah characters and exotic locations like Detroit. But at the end of the day, I knew the truth.
    The hours ticked by. I’d expected Edward to call to confirm our therapy appointment. I was surprised when he didn’t, and it made me wonder if the relationship was in more jeopardy than I thought. Maybe this was a do-or-die situation and I hadn’t realized it. If I didn’t go to therapy, was Edward going to call it all off?
    My imagination took me back to the impending dinner Kate had referred to, where she would introduce Tall, Dark, and Handsome while I explained that ever-reliable Edward had dumped me because of a pink dress.
    I looked at the clock. It was six. I had half an hour to decide. I snatched up the phone and dialed Edward’s home number. This was ridiculous. I wasn’t going to stand for it.
    I was greeted by his voice mail. A sweaty tingle pricked my skin. Edward was always home at six on Tuesdays. Where would he be? I hung up and redialed. Again, his voice announced he wasn’t home.
    I dialed his cell phone. I’d only dialed it once, when I had a flat on the interstate. Edward made it clear that his cell phone was for emergencies only. I think he purchased a total of twenty-five minutes every month.
    He didn’t answer that either.
    My chest felt tight as I hung up the phone. I staggered to the window in my apartment, which I lifted with a hefty shove. Sticking my head out, I tried to breathe in some fresh air, a near impossibility in the city. Then I heard the phone ring.
    After bumping my head, I hurried over to the phone and snatched it up. “Where are you?”
    â€œLeah?”
    â€œMother?” My heart thumped in my chest. I smoothed down my breeze-blown hair as if she had the power to see me standing in my living room with this shocked look on my face. “Hi there. How are you?”
    â€œWhat’s the matter?”
    â€œWhy?” I asked innocently.
    â€œYou sound frazzled.” A favorite of her words, fraz zled had so many different meanings and intentions. Here it meant that I was doing a poor job of hiding my irritability at a situation that she wasn’t privy to. Yet.
    â€œSorry, I thought you were . . . Edward.” Why lie? Maybe it was time to spread the news about my sudden concerns for our relationship. Maybe Mother could help me through my feelings.
    I could hear her breathing.
    â€œWe’re running late for something, and I don’t know where he is.”
    â€œI was calling about Dillan. Aren’t you thrilled? Kate has finally found someone worthy of her.”
    My eyeballs rolled as far back in my head as they could without rendering me unconscious. “We haven’t even met him yet. He could be a jerk.”
    â€œDid you see the way she talked about him? I’ve never seen Kate that passionate.”
    I didn’t know what else to say. Why was Mother calling anyway? She never called to simply chat. Small talk was a waste of time in her world. I looked at my watch. I would have to leave in five minutes if I was going to make it on time.
    But then again, this could be a good excuse not to go.
    I waited for Mother to continue.
    â€œI just want Kate to be happy,” she finally said. There was something strange in her voice. Emotion. Huh.
    â€œWe all want Kate to be happy,” I said. But I knew Mother was really trying to say she wanted Kate to be normal.
    Mother’s voice reverted to tidy and polite. “Well, I just wanted to see what you thought about the situation.”
    The part of me that admitted I’d been snappy when I thought the caller was Edward also wanted me to confess my hesitations about Kate’s relationship. But my mother sounded so happy . . . so hopeful that Dillan might be the answer to her deepest longings—that one day soon the formal family portrait she’d always dreamed of might become a reality.
    Admittedly, I was curious about Dillan myself. What