Page 7 of Truly, Madly Viking

"Mom is so beautiful. Just like Demi Moore," Beth added. "Everyone says so. Even with that haircut.

And especially since she got that rad belly-button ring. I still can't believe she did it. She could get any man she wanted."

Maggie didn't know about getting any man she wanted, especially since she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a real date. But she was with the girls on one thing: she couldn't believe she'd gotten the belly-button ring either. It was so out of character for her.

When Maggie was a young girl, she had developed earlier than her friends and was the brunt of many taunts from adolescent boys based on the mistaken belief that big breasts meant hot babe. Of course, the rest of her body had eventually caught up with her breasts—though she was far too curvy for her taste, despite constant dieting— but she'd never gotten over the habit of overcompensating for her endowments with full-cut clothes and an almost prissy social lifestyle. Until recently, that was.

The haircut had been her idea... a breaking free of the old when she'd received her doctorate degree last spring. Who knew the beautician would go so wild?

The belly-button ring, on the other hand, had not been her idea. It was the price she'd had to pay for losing a bet with her daughters, who had amazingly come through with straight As for two semesters, and completed a daily regimen of household chores. Dr. Spock would have been horrified at her lack of parenting skills in using a bet to motivate her daughters. It was worth it, though. Not because of Beth, who loved school, but because of Suzy, who usually cruised along, content with C grades. And having the dishes done and the laundry folded without an argument had been nine months of heaven.

The belly-button ring could be removed. "Yep," Suzy agreed.

Huh?

"Mom is so beautiful she could get any man she wanted," Suzy continued.

Oh. That.

"Even Ricky Martin."

The two girls giggled at that outlandish prospect: Maggie the psychologist and Mr. Teenage Heartthrob.

Actually, that wasn't quite true... he appealed to lots more than adolescent girls.

"The only thing is, Suz, remember our matchmaking effort last year with the assistant manager of Shop 'n'

Save. Whooee! It was a disaster from the get-go," Beth reminded her. "I thought Mom would like a younger man. She is cool... for a mom. And Spike was, you know, major cute! Go figure."

"But eighteen?" Suzy grimaced in remembrance. "Mom about swallowed a bird. She was soooo mad!"

Maggie clamped a palm over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Spike—the little snot— had taken one look at her belly-button ring and invited her to the drive-in. Ha! Not in this lifetime!

"That fiasco came right after we tried to fix her up with Rita's vet," Suzy remembered.

Rita was their ten-year-old, twenty-pound Persian cat. This was the same vet who'd made an astute observation about Rita one day, "Your cat doesn't stray far from her food dish, does she?"

"Who knew Dr. Cheswick was gay?" Beth whispered the last word.

I did. The minute I saw him.

"And then there was the state trooper who visited our school."

"Yeah." Beth sighed. "He had the neatest buzz cut."

It was an attractive haircut. And George was handsome as all get-out. Too bad his political views on guns and minority groups had clashed with hers on the first meeting.

Suzy giggled at some remembrance. "How about the priest you brought home for dinner?"

"How could I know he was a priest? Sheesh! He was wearing a jogging suit," Beth said defensively, "and to-die-for Nike Air Jordans."

Now, that one was hugely embarrassing.

"Well, Christmas is only three months away. She leaves us no choice," Suzy asserted, straightening her narrow shoulders with resolve. "If she can't find a dad for us on her own... well, maybe"—she motioned her head toward the heavens outside their window—"God can help."

Beth brightened with understanding. "Right. How can Mom get mad at God?"

"Exactly. She couldn't possibly blame us." Suzy blinked innocently at her sister.