Melvin Jacobs hated parties. More so, he hated being dragged through them like a chubby dog on a leash. To be fair to himself, he had lost quite a few pounds recently, but at two hundred and sixty, he still stretched his double-breasted jacket's seams. Tonight his personal hell was a fundraiser for the Pleasant Hills Community Theater production of Guys and Dolls. Denise was their costume designer, and Melvin just had to come. Because he was her husband, her -

"Jessica!" Denise ...