Too little sleep found me in a rotten mood, and I slapped the buzzer on my alarm clock with undue force. The alarmed stopped, but the display went haywire. Well, now I had something practical to ask Santa for. I took a three minute car wash shower—just enough to cleanse the undercarriage— and tried not to think about my latest disturbing dream. A turkey had settled in on the new couch and lectured me on proper respect. I knew the turkey was supposed to be male even though the voice had sounded suspiciously like Alessandra Kline. I was ironing my pretty new outfit when Neil awoke. “Maggie, what time is it?” I bit back a scathing retort, since Neil was one of the few people unworthy of my venom. “Coffee will be ready in a few.” Neil scratched his stubble. “You’re not going to lose it today, are you?” I whirled on him. “Why would you say that? Power of suggestion, Neil. Now all I’m going to think about all day is that my husband thinks I’m on the verge of a breakdown!”
