The Guest List by Fern Michaels Page A

Name-calling. Finger-pointing. Abby was never included in the children’s games or activities. There had been only so much Carol could do, but she’d done everything within her power to make it easier on Abby. Because she loved her— loved her as she would have loved her own child if she’d had one.
    Now Abby would start turning to her boyfriend for help in solving the small problems and to be comforted. Eventually, if things got serious, she would turn to him for everything, leaving Carol out altogether, making her no longer needed.
    There was no doubt about it, her days of having Abby all to herself were numbered unless … the procedure made things even worse … and … the boyfriend couldn’t take it and … She squeezed her eyes shut, not even wanting to think such a thing. She wanted the procedure to turn out well. She wanted Abby to look like the beautiful person she was inside. She wanted all that for her and more. Much more.
    Her stomach clenched tight as she dialed the code to her home phone. She listened, making mental notes until she heard the last message. “Hi, Carol, this is Mallory. I’ll be in townover Christmas. I was wondering if I might invite myself for Christmas dinner. I promise to arrive late and leave early. I have presents for all of you. If you think a visit will make you uncomfortable and you’d rather I didn’t come, I’ll understand. You can leave a message for me at the school at any time. Happy holidays.”
    “Happy holidays, my ass!” she shouted into the receiver. “I’ll leave you a message all right. I’ll leave you one you won’t forget!” She slammed the phone back into its cradle. “I will not allow you to spoil our Christmas, not this year. Not ever,” she muttered, then turned around.
    The startled look on the face of the woman across from her reminded Carol where she was. With a calm she didn’t feel, she smiled at the woman and walked away.

CHAPTER SIX
    Bunny looked up from the magazine she’d been thumbing through when she heard Donovan’s voice. She jumped up and ran to the trio walking down the hallway toward her. She flinched as a lump formed in her throat at the sight of Abby’s face. “Oh, Abby, are you okay?” Abby looked at her through pain-filled eyes but didn’t speak.
    “She’s in a lot of pain, right now, Bunny,” Donovan explained. “She’ll feel better when we get her home.”
    Fifteen minutes later, Donovan pushed the automatic door opener and pulled into the garage.
    Bunny popped out of the backseat before Carol or Donovan could get their seat belts undone and opened the right-front passenger door for Abby. “Give me your hand and I’ll help you out,” she said, ducking down and reaching in toward Abby. She couldn’t even imagine the kind of pain Abby must be suffering. Her face looked like raw meat.
    “Relax, Bunny. I’m okay,” Abby said between her teeth,her lips barely moving. “I’m just a little shaky right now.” She held out her shaking hand to Bunny.
    In spite of Abby’s brave words, Bunny knew her friend was anything but okay, but there was nothing anybody could do now except wait it out and hope for the best. Putting an arm around Abby’s waist, they walked through the garage to the kitchen door, her grip on Abby’s shaking body firm and tight.
    Donovan bolted around to the front of the car and held Carol back until the girls were out of earshot. “It doesn’t look good, does it?”
    “No, it doesn’t,” Carol said, glaring at him angrily.
    Donovan hated it when Carol’s anger erupted. “This is one time I wish you disagreed with me,” he mumbled.
    “Me too,” she said. She turned to follow Abby and Bunny into the house, shaking Donovan’s hand off her arm.
    More often than not, Carol was an open book where her thoughts and feelings were concerned. Right then, she was madder than hell. Mad at him for encouraging Abby to go ahead with the procedure. But there were the other times—the times when she