"He left you. Peter really left you for her?" Veronica sat at Chelsea's kitchen table and wondered what the hell was wrong with her hometown. First Ron died and now Peter had left Chelsea for that horrible Mavis Schuyler. Veronica was starting to feel like no one in Schuyler Square was happy--herself included. Well, Mavis Schuyler was probably pretty happy. Not only did she have her Boy Toy in residence but she'd also be getting a hefty check from Ron's life insurance company any day now.
Chelsea nodded, her eyes red rimmed and her nose raw from blowing it every three seconds. She ate a chocolate chip cookie before answering, her tenth cookie in ten minutes. "I still can't believe it!" she said thickly through a mouth full of chocolate chips, sugar and nuts, "I thought he loved me! I thought we had a good marriage--how could he ever choose someone like Mavis Schuyler over me?"
The answer was obvious but Veronica knew it would be cruel to point out that Mavis could offer Peter things like money, cars, panache and excellent table manners while all poor Chelsea had to offer were home-baked goods. "You need to do two things," she told her next-door neighbor firmly. "Get a good lawyer and start circulating." She was going to add "and start a diet" to the list but she didn't want to be too overwhelming.
"I already have a lawyer," Chelsea replied. "My brother Benny does something that's kind of like being a lawyer and he's going to represent me."
"What do you mean 'kind of like' being a lawyer? Either you are or you aren't."
"Not necessarily. Benny runs a business where he'll fill out legal forms for you for a very modest fee. He's going to save me a bundle."
Veronica tried not to whack Chelsea on the top of her head with her coffee mug. Honestly, some people went through life just begging to be skewered by everyone else. "Chelsea, don't you think you should get a real lawyer? I mean, Peter's going to have all of the Schuyler Corporation's legal minds giving him a hand. I don't want to see you end up with nothing."
"Peter wouldn't do that to me," Chelsea said stubbornly.
This poor woman. This poor, dumb, hopeless, clueless fool. "You never thought he'd cheat on you either," Veronica pointed out.
Chelsea's eyes narrowed. "It was all her fault," she spat out. "That woman turned my Peter's head! He never would have looked at her if she hadn't worked her voodoo on him."
Clearly they weren't getting anywhere. "Okay. Let's move on to Point Number Two: circulate. The best thing you can do is go out there and find a replacement for Peter as soon as you can. There are good men in the world, Chelsea. I'm sure there are even one or two in Schuyler Square. The very best remedy for a broken heart is to mend it with someone who will be nice to you."
"I don't want to date."
"Then hit the singles bars. Join a book club. Take up canoeing or photography or anything that will get you out among the living again. I know what I'm talking about, Chelsea. I've been dumped too and the only thing that saved me was a very full social life. It won't help you to sit around and brood."
Chelsea's cell phone played the theme from The Waltons. Veronica prayed that Mavis never heard that ringtone. The woman had enough ammunition as it was. "Hello? Yes, this is Chelsea Van Husen...what? You're sure? All right. I will. Thank you for calling." Chelsea set down her phone and looked across the kitchen table at Veronica. "That was the clinic." Her voice was numb.
Oh, no. More bad news? Veronica didn't think Chelsea could take it. She didn't think she could take it either. "What did they say?"
"I'm pregnant." Chelsea's red rimmed eyes began to shine. "It's a miracle, Veronica! Now Peter has to come back to me!" But Chelsea's smile was short lived. "There's one tiny problem," she added as she reached for yet another cookie.
One tiny problem? Veronica could spot at least half a dozen big hulking major problems from where she was sitting, the first one being that Chelsea's husband walked out on her for someone else. "What?"
"I'm not one hundred percent sure if Peter's the father."
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