Wrong Way Renee (35 page)

“Yes.
”
A million
.
“What are the chances?
I mean, how likely is it that this
could be cancer or something?”

The doctor smiled.
“At your age, very small. But we need to investiga
te further to rule out cancer.”

Her
mind buzzed as she waited for the receptionist to set up her appointments. People raced past her, phones rang, but she was in such a fog, it all felt surreal. She drove to work and did two manicures and three fills, nodding and smiling at her clients as they told her about their job, their boyfriend, their
mother
.

All she could think about was, what if? She wasn't ready to discuss the breast lump with anyone, at least until after her mammogram appointment next week. She fought to push it from her mind and concentrate on other things.

Becky was
washing the floor
while Renee shut down the computer. They were the only ones left in the shop. She told Becky about the trouble between Susan and Zoey.

“I thought something was going on, but I had no idea
it was that bad
or I would have intervened
.”

Renee shrugged.
“It's okay. I mean, I can handle some of this stuff
too. You're just better at it.”

She
'd been handling most of the problems at the salon by herself lately. And there had been more than usual. But Becky had so much going on between building a relationship with her son and planning a wedding. It couldn't go on forever. Could it?

* * * * *

Monday morning, Renee waited at the Women's Radiology Center wearing a hospital gown. After an eternity, a young woman came to the wa
iting area and called her name.
“Right this way, Miss Wright.
”
She led
Renee down a wide hallway to a sterile- looking ro
om where her
breasts were squeezed, pressed and poked. Finally the te
chnician declared her finished.

“Wait here,
”
the woman instructed as she left the room.

Renee thumbed through an ancient copy of Better Homes and Gardens until the technician returned.

“The mammo showed nothing, so we're going to have to do an ultrasound.
”
She
took
her
to another room, this one dimly lit, with a paper lined exam table and a large machine which resembled one of the robots from Star Wars. The technician left the room and another entered, this one much older.

“I'm Lynn. I'll be doing an ultrasound of your b
reasts. Lie back on the table.”

When she did,
Lynn squirted a lubricant over
her chest then
rolled a wand across the area as a picture came to life on the screen. It looked like lines and shadows.

“I'm not seeing anything,
”
she
said.
“
Let's see if the doctor wants to have a look. You can sit up now.
”
She handed Renee a towel to
clean up
, then
she left the room.

Five minutes later, she returned with a thin, middle-aged man in tow.
“Dr. G
rossman, this is Renee Wright.”

The doctor
shook her hand
.
“Well, Miss Wright, nothing showed up on the mammogram or the ultrasound. Do you have
an appointment with a surgeon?”

Sh
e nodded.
“Next week.”

“Good. Any questions? “

A million.
“What types of masse
s don't show up on mammograms?”

“The cancerous kind,
”
he said matter-of-factly.

Her head spun. She thought she might pass out
.

“But I don't think that's the case with you,
”
he continued.

“
Why not?”

“Because you have more
fatty tissue than breast tissue. Chances are it’s nothing.”

Sh
e didn't quite understand what he was saying, but she got that it w
as better that she had more fat—
for this one thing, at least.

“Who’s your surgeon?
”
he asked.

“Dr. Hillard. Do you know her?”

“Yes.
Excellent choice.”

She dressed as the haze returned to her head. Desperately, she tried to think of other things, anything but the possibility of cancer. She was too young. She hadn't had children yet, hadn't achieved so many of the things she wanted. An intense clarity broke through the haze. She had to get on with her life – to live, to enjoy and savor every moment. Her days of coasting to the nearest rest stop on the highway of life were over.

* * * * *

“I think someon
e has love on her mind.
”
Char’s shrill voice instantly flared the headache Renee had been fighting for days. Although she'd told no one about her health issues, she felt that she had a better handle on it. She'd set up an appointment with the surgeon and tried to keep it in the back of her mind so it wouldn't drive her crazy.

“The whole
w
estern world does,
Char
. It's Valentines Day.
”
Renee
let her sister and Gary into Cleave’
s house and
led them out to the pool area where Cleave was setting up his grilling instruments like a surgeon would outfit an operating room.

For the
small
Valentines Day party, Renee had set the table next to the pool with a red and white tablecloth, red candles and white China. Cleave had helped her string red heart garlands and Mylar heart-shaped balloons around the pool.

“You two seem to be getting along great,” Char whispered. “Mama told me you’re going to Atlanta to meet his family soon.”

“Yup.”
Renee had agreed she would accompany him on a weekend trip to Atlanta in March. For now she was concentrating on getting to know the man. He deserved for her to give it her best shot
. But she didn’t feel like discussing the state of her relationship with her sister. “How about some sangria?” She took a healthy swig from her glass.

“Sure. I haven't had that since Gary and I w
ere in Acapulco two years ago. Maybe next time we go you and Cleave can join us.”

Renee rolled her eyes.
Char was always
bragging about all the fabulous vacations she and Gary took.
“So, how are the kids,
Char
? Has Gary Junio
r bitten any playmates lately?”

Char
scowled.
“We're working on it.”

“If he keeps that up, there might be a partnership at the firm for him in a few years,
”
Cleave
chimed in. Everyone but
Char
laughed.

“You know, I've heard that if you bite them back, it cures them,
”
Cleave
said.

Renee gave her sister an
I-told-you-so
look.

When the doorbell rang,
Char
volunteered to answer it. A moment later she returned with Becky and Charles. Renee made all the introductions, then got sangria for the couple.

Charles squeezed his large frame into a plastic lawn chair. He looked older than Renee had imagined with a gray ring of hair around the bald top of his head. He had blue eyes and wo
re jeans with a red polo shirt.

“Glad to see you're seasonally correct, Charles.
”
Renee offered him a stuffed mushroom from a glass platter.

“That was my doing.
”
Becky rested her arm on his shoulder.

“I hear congratulations are in order.
”
Char
gave Becky a hug. Then she shook Charles's hand.

Becky
beamed
.
“We're just getting started on the wedding plans. They're just as stressful as I remember from th
e first time I took this trip.”

Charles squeezed her hand.
“This
will be the last time, honey.”

The women headed into the kitchen to brin
g the rest of the food outside
as Becky told them about her wedding plans.
Char
had all kinds of suggestions for caterers, florists, photographers and the like.
She always
professed to know
the best person
for any job you could think of.

Renee smirked.
“If I told you I was run over by a car, you'd say you were hit by a
Mack
truck that bac
ked up and ran over you again.”

Char
frowned.

Becky
cleared her throat
.
“So, I'm considering burgundy for bridesmaid dres
ses, Renee. What do you think?”

“Oh, Becky, that's like my worst color. Can't it be pink or green or something I don't look dead in?
”

“I'll think about it. I haven
't made my final decision yet.”

Renee gave the women
a tour of the house, pointing out the antiques she'd picked out for
Cleave
.

“Isn't this a beautiful home, Becky?
”
Char
stared
at Renee.
“It would be a pe
rfect place to raise a family.”

“My sister is so s
ubtle, don't you think, Becky?”

“Can I opt out of answering?
”
Becky ran ahead of the two sisters, making her way back to the pool area.

“
I hear
wants you to move in,
”
Char
whispered to Renee.

“Old news
.
”
Cleave must have told Gary.
Rene
e
headed toward the kitchen
to escape.

Char
stayed right on her heels.
“Don't you want to hear what else he said?
”

“Not really.”

“Becky might not be the only bride-to-be here tonight.
”
She pursed her lips.

“I think there has to be a proposal and an acceptance
for there to be a bride-to-be.”

“A certain little birdie might have told another little birdie about a big diamond ring that might
have been purchased recently.”

She froze
in her tracks.
“Are you serious?
”
Her whole body went rigid.

Char
pretended to zipper her lips and throw away the key.

“
Char
, now is not the time for you to turn over a new leaf and keep your mouth shut. Do you know this for sure?
”
Her mouth went dry.

She
nodded then ran out to the patio. Renee
squeezed her eyes shut for a moment then raced
back upstairs
and
into the guest bathroom, her heart pounding. She couldn't marry
Cleave
, couldn't be engaged to him. Not
as long as
s
he was in love with someone else.

Locking the door, she
pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She
mustered up all her nerve then call
ed Joe's number.

As u
sual, his voice mail picked up. She swallowed bac
k the rush of disappointment. “Me
again. I wish you could return at least one of my calls. I miss you terribly. I really need to talk to you. My doctor found a lump in my breast.
”

She’d kept her situation from everyone yet a man she hadn’t spoken to for weeks, a guy who wouldn’t even give her the time of day was the one person she chose to tell.
She smacked her forehead.
“
I'm sorry. Forget I said that. I don't want you to pity me. I
…
I love you, Joe.
”

An electronic beep interrupted her confession, thank God
. She held the phone to her chest.
Something deep inside her ached and the sobs began
. She felt awful for telling him about the lump. It was such an obvious, pathetic ploy.