“So you want to win the contest.”

“Well, I couldn’t nominate myself. And you make a much sorrier case than I do. I still have a jackass scumbag loser living at my house.”

Roxanne laughed out loud when she saw the expression on Carl Lawrence’s face. “Don’t mind my sister. She has a very bizarre sense of humor. Her husband is a wonderful man.” She turned back to Renee. “What else are you going to win if I win?”

“Besides the trip to Paris, you get a $5000 shopping spree.”

“And Bob Compton Ford has decided to give you the use of a brand-new luxury minivan for a year if you win the national contest,” Carl added. “He advertises with the station so we worked out a deal. And Food King will give you a year’s worth of groceries. I’ve also worked out promos with Toy Emporium and a kids’ clothing store. All of us at WBAM want you to win this contest. I’d like to take you out to dinner so we can discuss this in greater detail. How about Monday night?”

“I-I can’t,” Roxanne said. “I’d have to get a sitter and-”

“I’ll watch the kids,” Renee offered.

Roxanne shot her sister a frustrated look. “And my minivan hasn’t been working very well-”

“That’s no problem,” Carl said. “I’ll send a car for you.”

“Go ahead,” Renee urged. “It’s about time you did something for yourself.”

“All right,” Roxanne said, realizing that it was better to give in than to face her sister’s badgering. She could always cancel at the last minute if something came up. She groaned inwardly. What would come up? Her life had been pretty much the same day after day since her husband had walked out, the routine punctuated only by the occasional emergency.