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Joy had

Alison had known her height for what it was, one aze skated over the empty wall unit opposite as well as the pictureless walls She had sold the furniture a week ago to the therapist taking over h unity statue sitting in the center of the coffee table, her office was a desert, as dry as the air outside, as lifeless

Her gaze shifted to the alabaster carving, and a silent curse worked her tongue The last reravating statue She sht twist If only her sister hadn’t called to discuss her love life, maybe she wouldn’t feel quite so ready to screa chill straight down her spine "I really, really think you should try again"

All the breath left Alison’s body as she stared at the alabaster faht of her nephehoht possible, one of her links to normalcy as Aunt Lissy

Her heart fractured then broke into a , this truth, which Joy’s desperate tone had finally unveiled, the reason for her phone call

Oh No

At last she drew breath She took several "Joy," she whispered Her heart thu more than a squeak this ti are you? Six weeks? Eight?"

"Did you just read my mind? You’re not supposed to, remember? You just broke Mom’s rule"

"I didn’t read your mind I wouldn’t, not without your permission" Another breath, another effort to calm her unsteady heart She needed the truth, but she didn’t want to hear it "It’s just that you haven’t brought up my love life in, oh, let’s see, three years Really So how far along are you?" She didn’t want to know Joy, please don’t say it

A heavy sigh followed "Two months, one week I just didn’t kno to tell you"

Alison used her free hand to white-knuckle the arht I’d be upset?" Dammit, her eyes burned like she’d just rubbed thein to describe what she felt Upset would have been a lazy walk on the beach

She squeezed her eyes shut and bent over, folding up like a taco to keep everything inside fro out She had only one wish: that the world would end right now

A second child A husband, a home, little T J, and now another baby on the way

"Of course you’ll be upset," Joy said Her cadence had slowed down "You think I haven’t noticed how anytiive him back until we’ve loaded the car? Even then I have to pry him out of your arms"

"Saw that, did you?"

"Oh, Lissy, I kno you look at Ryan and et how much your heart’s broken? What kind of sister do you think I am?"

Alison could have sworn she’d been more careful,not to be red She should have known her sister would see through her "I’ll be all right" She swiped at dah, then, "Maybe you could--"

"Please don’t," she cried "Not another word Please" She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled herself together "I have an idea Why don’t we just forget about ed position and forced herself to be a good sister "I want to hear every single detail about this new life, so tellWhen did you find out?" More tears tracked her cheeks

The tenor of her sister’s voice returned to the usual soft wind-chime treble as she rattled off all her symptoms, travails, and excitement She had to pee too much already, her he, thank you veryawake But oh, God, she could hardly wait until she felt the firstdeep inside, the certainty a new baby was on the way

Alison listened and h she pressed a hand to her chest the whole tiaze became fixed to the heavy-as-hell alabaster statue, sculpted to show the ies of father, mother, and child, a syoal of therapy She had thought herself so clever at the ti it

"I have to wear maternity pants already…," Joy rattled on, a car on a salt flat gaining speed

Alison stood up and rounded the coffee table She positioned herself opposite thethen looked down to stare at the alabaster figures onceabout the sculpture until her sister’s first child had coed, shifted, taken on razor-sharp edges, which kept slicing Alison up

"We’ve already been talking about nairl…"

Alison’s les She had been born with a bizarre assortet close to a ifts" that didn’t always have a controlled end, especially if she was caught up in apassion

A vow of celibacy had followed the trip to the eiven her oh-so-special abilities

But this, Joy getting to live out her life in the usual manner, had set coals to the botto at cribs toet one of those double strollers…"