When Day Breaks by Mary Jane Clark Page B

plans—their mother had to go to work, and they’d be spending much of the day with Mrs. Nuzzo while their father got some sleep after working the night shift—they took the news in stride. Annabelle wondered how much they remembered about the period of Mike’s terrible depression and if they were just so glad to have him back, going to work at the firehouse, reading stories to them at bedtime, and being the loving father they remembered, that they didn’t want to complain about the missed riding lessons lest they rock the family boat.
    “I brought you something,” said Annabelle, holding out a white cardboard box.
    “Magnolia Bakery!” Thomas screeched, recognizing it immediately.
    The kids hopped from one foot to the other as Annabelle opened the box, revealing the three-inch-wide cupcakes, top-heavy from all the pastel-colored vanilla frosting.
    “I want a green cupcake,” said Thomas.
    “I want a pink one,” Tara chimed in.
    “Eat them at the table, please,” said Annabelle.
    While the twins sat in the kitchen, Annabelle went into the bedroom. Mike was standing by the bed with a towel around his waist. He was rubbing his hair dry with another one.
    “Hey, good-lookin’.” He grinned. “Did I hear Thomas yelling about Magnolia Bakery?”
    “Don’t worry,” said Annabelle. “I bought some of the chocolate drop cookies you like.”
    “God, I knew there was a reason I married you.” He kissed her on the neck.
    “I thought it would be a good idea to soften you up before I give you the big news.”
    “What?”
    “I quit my job.”
    Mike sat down on the edge of the bed. “You wanna give that to me again?”
    Annabelle sat down next to him. “I just couldn’t take Linus Nazareth anymore, Mike. He’s insulting and obnoxious, and I can’t work for him. I’ve had it with him, and I quit. But now that I’ve done it, I don’t know how we’re going to pay the bills.” She leaned forward and put her head in her hands.
    “Wait a minute, Annabelle.” Mike pulled her up and put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m not getting something, honey. Linus is obnoxious and insulting every day. Why was today so bad that you felt you had to quit?”
    Annabelle recounted what had happened at Constance’s place, how B.J. had given his information about the stolen unicorn and the dead dog to Eliza rather than Lauren, the uproar that caused, and the general unpleasantness of working with Lauren Adams.
    “I know she’s under a lot of pressure, Mike, but come on. It’s so unprofessional to beat up on the people who are working for you. And then to have to come back to the Broadcast Center only to be abused by Linus—it was just too much.”
    Mike pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “You know what I think?” he asked.
    “What?”
    “It’s not Lauren Adams or Linus Nazareth that’s bothering you. You deal with their stuff all the time, and you usually just let it slide right off your back. No, I think what’s really bothering you is what’s happened to Constance Young.”
    Annabelle looked up at her husband and nodded. “Maybe you’re right, Mike. I’m just so shocked that it’s come to this. How could this have happened to Constance?” Annabelle felt a tear escape from the corner of her eye and trickle down her cheek.
    At one time Annabelle had been so proud of the friend she’d made in her early years at KEY News. They’d both been rookies on the network television news scene, Annabelle as a first-time researcher and Constance as a young reporter, fresh to KEY News after stints at local stations around the country. Constance had kept her nose to the grindstone, while Annabelle devoted herself to getting, and staying, pregnant until the twins arrived. After two miscarriages Annabelle finally had the family she craved, while Constance remained almost monomaniacal in her drive to succeed. Eventually Constance had made it to the anchor chair, and for a long while she managed to