"Did you try counseling?"

Charlotte shook her head. "He said he refused to talk about something so personal with a stranger."

"Even if it meant losing you?"

Charlotte pulled away from her embrace. "I never gave him that ultimatum. There were times I thought about leaving him, but all I had to do was look at Matt or Hank and that idea lasted about three seconds. But, Bonnie- can I tell you something?"

Charlotte's chin started to quiver and Bonnie felt her own tears coming. "Anything."

"I even fantasized that…" Charlotte broke loose with a sob, wrapped her arms around herself, and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet until she could continue, and it rushed out of her in one long burst: "I fantasized that Kurt would die peacefully in his sleep, and I'd be free, and then he did die! Just like I imagined! And I know this isn't rational, but I thought maybe I was being punished for putting so much emphasis on sex. And, Bonnie-God!-this sounds so stupid when I say it out loud, but I have this fear that if I give in to Joe, give in to lust, something else awful is going to happen. I must sound nuts."

Charlotte sobbed again and Bonnie just barely got her onto the couch before she collapsed. She lay curled on her side and cried so hard, for so long, that Bonnie was afraid Hank would hear her.

Bonnie perched on the edge of the sofa, stroked Charlotte's arm, and told her to go ahead and cry-get it all out-and kept an eye on the door to make sure she had the privacy she needed.

When Charlotte's tears slowed, Bonnie rubbed her back and said, "It was not your fault that Kurt died."

Charlotte nodded in silence, her face still hidden in her arms.

"I don't think the universe sets out to punish any of us, sweetie. You're so young, with so much life ahead of you. Please don't be afraid to live it."

"Can't you let things slide for one night, Charlotte? Just keep the kids home and not run around like a crazy person? For one night?"

Bonnie's suggestion sounded tempting but impossible. "We're hosting the Loveland Little League tonight. The place is going to be a zoo, and I've got snack bar duty."

"Good Lord, Charlotte."

She laughed. It felt good to laugh after all that crying. She'd cried for over a half hour, and now she was behind schedule. The kids were finishing up their dinners but had yet to change their clothes.

"Hank, honey, go put on your leotard. Justin and Matt, put on your uniforms and grab your gloves."

The kids dispersed-her two running up the stairs and Justin bolting out the back door for his own house a block away.

"Let me do something for you tonight," Bonnie said, loading the dishwasher. "How about I take your concession stand duty?"

"No. That's okay, Bon. Really."

"Then let me take Hank to ballet and pick her up."

Charlotte looked at her friend and smiled. Because of Bonnie, she was starting to feel better about things. She felt lighter inside, more hopeful, and a little less burdened by guilt Bonnie had been right about so much. It wasn't her fault that Kurt had died. God-whoever he or she was-didn't take Kurt's life to punish her for having a sex drive. The idea was almost laughable, and one day she hoped to be able to laugh at herself for ever thinking that Right now, she'd focus on trying to find a way to love and honor Kurt's memory but grab hold of her own life-the only life she'd ever get

"Thank you, Bonnie," she said, taking a deep breath. "T amp;at would be great if you could drive Hank tonight."

The phone rang. The news she got caused Charlotte to reach into the pantry and shoot a steady stream of squirt cheese into her mouth. It was either that or cry some more.

"That was the Liebermans." Charlotte took a big swallow. 'They just canceled on me for the concession stand. All three of them."

"Give me that," Bonnie said, holding out her hand for the aerosol can and squirting the cheese on her tongue. "God! This stuff is hideous!"

They laughed loud and long, and Bonnie was saying that she and Ned would take two of the Lieberman spots when they noticed a nicely dressed woman at the back door. Charlotte was surprised when the stranger poked her head inside the house like she was an old friend.:

"Everybody decent?"

Charlotte studied the woman, looked to Bonnie for confirmation, and the two of them screamed out at the same time, "Ohmigod! LoriSue?"

She was getting used to the fuss by now, having spent the last couple days dressed like Hilary Clinton.

It was kind of fun seeing everyone's reaction to her transformation/The girls in the office went ballistic, especially over her hair, Jimmy, the scum bucket, told her she hadn't looked that hot since high school. Justin hugged her and told her she was the prettiest mom in Minton, and she had to admit that that one made her a little teary eyed.

But nothing could compare to the shocked looks on Charlotte's and Bonnie's faces.

"So what do you think, girls?" LoriSue twirled around to give them the full effect of outfit no. 3-a cotton-rayon blend pencil skirt that hit midcalf, topped by a complementary summer-weight twinset, both in a hand-dyed dusky blue. She kicked up her heels to show off her simple but elegant sling-backs. She shook out her hair, which she had to admit felt delicious as it moved freely against the back of her neck, unencumbered by hair spray.

The two women stared in stunned silence. Bonnie was clutching a can of something in her hand, and a little poof of orange goo went shooting out onto the kitchen floor.

"Well?"

Charlotte was the first to speak. "Wow, LoriSue. You are beautiful and sophisticated and stunning-absolutely stunning."

Bonnie nodded in agreement, her mouth ajar. Finally she spoke. "You're Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman- toward the end."

LoriSue liked that analogy. It didn't offend her in the least. In fact, she really did feel like Cinderella.

Justin burst in the door at that point wearing his uniform, baseball mitt in hand. It seemed like Charlotte had everything in control, as usual, and was about to take the boys to the ballpark. LoriSue thought maybe it should be her turn tonight.

"I'll drive Matt and Justin," she said, holding up her digital camera.-'Tin taking pictures for the Web site, so I have to be there all evening."

"Isn't she megapretty?" Justin asked, leaning against her side and gazing at her. LoriSue kissed the top of his ball cap.

"Yes, she's megapretty," Charlotte said.

LoriSue locked eyes with her. Charlotte was megapretty, too, in her own way, and LoriSue wondered why she'd never really seen that before. Charlotte had always seemed plain to her, kind of washed-out and moving around too much. But tonight, as she stood still in her kitchen in a ratty pair of jeans and a simple V-neck T-shirt, LoriSue noticed a glow in her cheeks and a sparkle in her eyes that she didn't recall seeing before.

And LoriSue couldn't help but think that maybe all women were beautiful-even Bonnie, who was still staring at her-each in her own way.

"I don't suppose you'd like to do concession stand duty?" Bonnie asked. "We're short a grill cook."

Not in this outfit. LoriSue held up the camera. "Otherwise occupied tonight, sorry."

Bonnie suddenly grinned real big, looked at Charlotte, and said, "Know of any other warm bodies?"

Charlotte didn't answer. Her eyes were focused on something right behind LoriSue and Justin, something that had transformed Charlotte's face. If there had been a glow about her a minute ago, the woman was now on fire from the inside out. LoriSue knew exactly what she would see when she turned around.