monitor his desire for a bass boat or a new hunting rifle. But anyway, Ellery overheard me fussing at Rex for paying all of her bills instead of making her do it. She was angry that we were talking about her, and then she said something that flabbergasted me. Ellery accused me of cheating on Rex.”
“What?” At that Tippy finally stopped looking gleeful. Color flooded her cheeks, and anger crackled in her normally serene eyes. “How in the world did she get that idea? Oh, wait, I know.”
Daphne caught Tippy Lou’s eye, and in unity they both said, “Rex.”
“He implied that when I was traveling for a writing conference I betrayed him. Have you seen the guys who go to children’s writing conferences? I mean, there are a few decent ones in the bunch, but a Clay Caldwell they ain’t.”
“And Rex told Ellery that you cheated on him? I can’t believe that shit.”
Daphne blew out a breath and took another sip of tea. “Oh, he tried to back out of it by saying he never said for certain, but it was as plain as the nose on my face that he’d led Ellery to believe that garbage. I don’t know. It just upset me that she would think that I would do something like that. How could she think I would end my marriage because I wanted to get laid?”
Tippy picked up her cup and sipped. For a few seconds, the older woman stared out the window where the autumn sunlight danced through the dying trees. “You know, Ellery has had a lot of trouble accepting your career. It’s always been odd to me that a girl who claims to be progressive and forward thinking would get so caught up in a net of familiarity that she would forget it’s a net.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Ellery claims to be a feminist, but she’s not putting that claim into practice. She creates the perception of a career woman determined to succeed while at the same time holding on to traditional norms. You were a mother who sacrificed all for a daughter. You worked so she could have ballet lessons, tutoring for AP calculus, and clothes for formals. Ellery liked you as you were because she understood your role. You were her mother, and that meant in itself an ultimate sacrifice for her pleasure. When you signed your first book contract, Dixie Doodle began to compete with her for your time. Traveling as Dee Dee O’Hara meant you were sharing yourself with other little girls. You weren’t always at mother-daughter sorority teas, soccer playoff games, and you sometimes couldn’t bake the cheer squad cookies. Maybe you stopped sending her little ‘thinking of you’ gifts and stopped surprising her with visits to the spa. She may have said it was no big deal when you apologized, but deep down she noticed and didn’t like that you weren’t the same mother you’d always been. She started building up resentment against your career. Pair that with the fact her career never left the gate, and you can see why it was easy for her to believe Rex. Easy for her to be angry at you.”
Daphne sat stunned at her friend’s insight. Ellery was angry because Daphne hadn’t given her the attention she thought she deserved? Or angry because she thought she deserved the success Daphne had? “I always thought she was pleased about my success. I spent so much time feeling embarrassed that I wasn’t a career gal like her friends’ moms. Yeah, I had to sacrifice some things, but I didn’t think she cared. Ellery always seemed annoyed when I volunteered or made a fuss.”
Then she remembered Ellery’s words from a few months ago . . . something about it being unfair that Daphne had bumbled into something she hadn’t even planned for, but that someone like Ellery, who had prepped and planned for her life, had failed. Daphne had wondered about the envy laced in that comment.
“Never had kids, but I taught a few. They say one thing and mean another. They push, they pull. They’ll tell you the truth you don’t want to hear, and they’ll lie as easy as a hot knife through butter.” Tippy sat back and folded her hands over her broad stomach. Her brown eyes watched Daphne.
“Yeah, but overall my career has brought a lot of good things.”
“To you. But not her. Your career changed you, and she doesn’t want you to change. She wants you to be who you