A Turn in the Road (3 page)

“Hello, Grant. Annie told me you called.” She got right to the point; they were both busy people.

“Tell me, when did our little girl become such a dynamic young businesswoman?”

Bethanne smiled. “I believe she inherited her talent from you.”

“I don't know about that,” Grant countered. “You're the business powerhouse these days.”

Grant had always been skilled at making everyone feel special—like the most important person in the room—and it had served him well in his career. Now he was turning that charm on her, something he hadn't done in years.

“I called about dinner on Friday. You never did say if you were available.”

She didn't need a reminder; his invitation had been on her mind for the past three days.

“I thought we'd go to that little Mexican restaurant we used to like so much,” he went on, obviously—and correctly—interpreting her silence as hesitation.

“They're still at the same location, can you believe it?” He laughed nervously. “What do you say? You and me, for old times' sake?”

Bethanne closed her eyes, her knuckles white around the receiver. She was decidedly tired of that expression. “Not all our old times were that happy, Grant.”

“I know,” he was quick to admit. “But we do need to discuss Andrew's wedding.”

“We can do that just as easily over the phone.”

“We could…” Grant conceded. “But I'd much rather do it over a margarita.” She heard him sigh. “You used to like yours on the rocks. Do you still prefer them that way?”

Bethanne couldn't recall the last time she'd even had a margarita. Too many hours in the office and not nearly enough fun. “I suppose.”

“So, will you have dinner with me Friday night?” He wasn't pleading, but she thought she detected a note of yearning in his voice.

She exhaled and, with her arm hugged tight around her middle, finally said, “All right.”

“I'll pick you up—”

“I'll meet you at the restaurant at seven,” she interjected, far more comfortable providing her own transportation.

“Seven,” he repeated, not bothering to hide his enthusiasm. “See you then.”

B
ethanne sat at her desk late Friday afternoon and reviewed the latest figures Julia had given her on the other five stores. She was fortunate that in a struggling economy, Parties continued to thrive. Julia had various suggestions she wanted Bethanne to consider, and in the past months Bethanne had come to rely on her more and more. If it wasn't for her operations manager, she wouldn't be able to take time off to travel with her mother-in-law.

In the years since the start-up of Parties, her business had experienced steady growth and, according to Julia, there was huge potential for the future as long as they were judicious about their finances and their expansion plans.

One of the benefits of her success was the knowledge that she could travel anyplace in the world she desired, something she'd long dreamed about. This was heady for Bethanne. She had good business instincts, as well as basic skills she'd learned watching her husband and his colleagues. Because her ideas were so innovative, she'd received more than her share of attention from the press. She kept copies of the articles written about her novel approach to parties.

Reaching for the folder, she leafed through it, scanning each news clipping and magazine article with a sense of pride and accomplishment. She paused at last year's photograph of herself smiling at the camera, standing outside this building, which housed the original Parties. The photo was flattering. She was at her leanest, her shoulder-length brown hair turned up slightly at the ends. Not bad for forty-seven.

When she'd seen the picture, her thought had been that she looked happy. It was at that moment that she'd realized she was over Grant. Life did go on.

Soon after that photo was published with a profile of her in
USA Today,
Annie told her that Tiffany had left Grant and filed for divorce. A few days later, Grant had called to give Bethanne the news himself; it was the first time they'd spoken in months. He'd sounded depressed, and Bethanne had felt sympathetic. After all, she'd been there….

Grant. Her thoughts had turned to him often since his call earlier in the week. After years of forcing him from her mind, she found it uncomfortable to be entertaining memories of him now.

Bethanne checked her watch. If she was going to be on time to meet her ex-husband at Zapata's, she needed to leave the office now. Because it was the start of the Memorial Day weekend, she was caught in heavy traffic and arrived at the restaurant ten minutes late.

As she entered the dining room, the scent of fried tortilla chips and spicy salsa triggered a wave of nostalgia. When they were first married, this hole-in-the-wall restaurant had been their favorite. They could order a bean burrito, plus two tacos with rice and beans, and split the dinner for $5.50, including tip. If they had extra money, they bought a single margarita with two straws.

It had been important to them both that Bethanne stay home with the children until they were in school. Once Annie went into first grade, Bethanne had been prepared to finish her degree and rejoin the workforce, but Grant had asked her not to. She was his partner, his support—and he liked having her available to manage
the day-to-day tasks that allowed him to focus on his career. Bethanne had agreed; by then he was doing well financially and he always let her know how much he appreciated her support.

Seeing her across the room, Grant stood and waved. The small restaurant was crowded. Almost every seat was taken and the wait-staff angled between tables, carrying trays of drinks with chips and salsa. Mariachi music blared from the speakers.

Bethanne made her way over to Grant, who'd remained standing. He immediately helped her remove her jacket. He'd always been attentive about those gentlemanly details. He would open a door for her or pull out her chair as a matter of course—but he didn't hesitate to rip out her heart.

Stop.

She refused to let the old bitterness overtake her. She'd never been the vindictive type, and she'd worked hard to put the past behind her.

“I ordered you a margarita,” Grant said as he slid her chair under her. She felt his hand graze her shoulder, lingering just a second beyond casual.

The warm chips and salsa were already there. Bethanne's stomach growled as she reached for one, wondering if the salsa was still as spicy as she remembered. One bite assured her it was.

“The menu's almost unchanged after all these years,” Grant said as he sat down across from her. He held her look for a moment before opening his menu again.

Obviously, this place brought back memories for him, too.

“I see the prices have changed,” she remarked, scanning her own menu. A picture of the Mexican general adorned the plastic front.

He smiled. “Well, I guess we can afford it now.”

Bethanne didn't recognize any of the staff. The waitress brought two margaritas over ice, each with a thick ring of salt around the rim of the glass.

“At least we can have two drinks this time around,” Grant said, watching her lick the salt off her glass and take a sip.

His familiar use of
we
made it sound as if they were a couple again, but she didn't react. “I hope the same holds true for dinner,” she said mildly.

“I believe anything you order will fit into my budget,” Grant murmured, still studying the selections.

“I don't think I ever told you I don't like bean burritos,” she blurted out.

“You don't?” He sent her a shocked look over the top of his menu. “But…but we ordered it every time we came here.”

Bethanne said nothing. In their dozens of meals at Zapata's, not once had he asked why she never ate her half of the burrito.

“I thought you were just being generous,” he said. “You know—saving more for me, the way you did for the kids.” He set down the menu, genuinely crestfallen. “I'm sorry, Bethanne, for being so oblivious.”

Bethanne was relieved that the waitress returned at that moment for their order. She chose the Tex-Mex salad, while Grant ordered chicken enchiladas and a bean burrito combination plate.

As soon as the waitress left the table, Bethanne took a long drink of her margarita, savoring the warmth spreading through her. She sat back in her chair and waited. Grant had asked for this meeting. She was curious to hear what he had to say.

“I've met Courtney a couple of times now,” he began, referring to their son's fiancée. “I like her a great deal. She's very down-to-earth, a good match for Andrew, I think.”

“I think so, too,” Bethanne murmured.

“I understand that Andrew and Courtney are planning the wedding themselves, and that you're helping them, which makes sense.” It was rare to see Grant visibly nervous, but he seemed to be so now, fiddling with his silverware and avoiding eye contact. He cleared his throat. “I'd like to contribute.”

“You'll need to take that up with Andrew and Courtney,” Bethanne said.

He nodded absently. They both knew that Andrew had ambivalent feelings toward his father. Bethanne felt a pang of sorrow for
Grant. She knew he hoped the wedding would provide him with a means of getting closer to Andrew. “So,
is
there anything I can do?” Grant asked.

“I'm not sure…. I've given Andrew and Courtney contact information and steered them toward people I trust.” The couple had made their own decisions, and while Bethanne had offered suggestions, this was their wedding. She'd walked a fine line, trying to advise them without being controlling.

“Weddings are expensive,” Grant observed.

“True enough.” Bethanne had seen people spend upward of thirty thousand dollars.

“I'd like to help financially.” He rested his hands on the table.

She sipped her margarita. “That's kind of you, Grant, but you should be telling Andrew and Courtney this, not me.”

“I wanted you to know.”

“You've always been generous with the children,” Bethanne conceded. A slight exaggeration, but close enough to the truth.

“I almost lost them,” Grant muttered, staring at his hands. “I wasn't sure, you know, if it was a good idea to tell Andrew I wanted to help financially… I thought it might be better coming from you.”

Bethanne waited until he met her eyes. “No, you tell Andrew,” she said. “He loves you, Grant. You're his father.”

Grant bowed his head in a gesture of agreement or maybe just avoidance.

“Is that the reason you asked me to dinner?” she asked. Might as well be blunt—it would've saved her a lot of angst if he'd come right out and said so.

He didn't answer for a moment. “I have something else I'd like to discuss,” he said quietly. She strained to hear him over the raucous mariachi music.

“What is it?”

“At the wedding…do you think—” He hesitated. “Would you object if the two of us sat together at the church? As Andrew's parents?”

“Sat together?” Bethanne kept her expression neutral.

“Most divorced couples don't,” he acknowledged.

“True.”

“I'd like to present a united front to our guests and, more importantly, to our families and our children.”

She tried not to grimace. He hadn't been concerned about this “united front” when he'd abandoned them. Oh, why was it so hard to truly forgive? She was shocked by how easily her anger still surfaced, when she'd assumed that she'd moved past the pain.

“It won't be awkward, if you think about it,” Grant reasoned. “You haven't remarried and I'm single again. Wouldn't it feel a bit odd for the two of us to sit separately?”

“You're single now, but you haven't always been,” she said tartly.

Grant stiffened. “All I'm asking is that you consider it. We'd sit together during the ceremony and stand together in the receiving line. If you agree, I'd appreciate it, but if not…” He took a deep breath, as if to calm himself. “Well, if not—I'll understand. I guess what I'm trying to say, and doing a rather poor job of it, is that I'll accept whatever you decide.”

Bethanne couldn't suppress her retort. “In other words, you want the world to know all is forgiven? That we're still friends? That's a noble thought, but I'm not sure it sends the right message.”

He looked down at his drink. “I know it may not be possible for you to ever completely forgive me.”

Bethanne felt a twinge of shame. She sighed heavily. “I apologize, Grant,” she said. “I don't hate you. Really.” She'd given him twenty years of her life. He was the father of her children. And there
was
a part of her that still loved him.

Grant's eyes flickered with hope. “Can we do that? The two of us together for Andrew's sake on the most important day of his life?”

“I'll think about it,” she promised.

“That's all I ask,” he said, and didn't raise the subject again.

Their meals arrived shortly afterward. Grant spooned salsa over
his enchiladas. Bethanne remained silent as she waited for him to hand her the bowl.

“I understand Annie's got a hot date tonight,” he said.

Although Annie rarely mentioned her conversations with her father, Bethanne knew the two of them spoke regularly these days.

“What's your impression of Vance?” Grant asked, sliding his fork under the steaming enchilada.

Bethanne finished spooning salsa over her own dish as she gathered her thoughts. “He's a good kid…a bit immature, I'd say.” She paused. “But then, so is Annie.” She took another sip of her drink. “He's an archaeology major and graduated this year. As far as I know, he's going to graduate school.”

“Annie seems to think he's about to pop the question.”

“So she said.” Bethanne set her fork down. “Frankly, I feel they're both too young for marriage. If they do become engaged, I hope they decide on a lengthy engagement.”

Grant frowned. “You don't feel Vance is a good choice for our daughter?”

“I didn't say that.”

“It's what you implied.”

Bethanne's gaze was direct. “No, what I said is that I hope she'd have the sense to wait before making that kind of commitment.”

Grant took a bite of his enchilada. “Were
we
too young?”

She shrugged, uncertain how to answer. Like Annie and Vance, Bethanne and Grant had attended the same college. He was a business major and she'd been pursuing a degree in education. They'd met over the summer between her junior and senior year. From their first date, Grant Hamlin had become her entire world. They were engaged by Christmas, and while her parents liked Grant, they'd wanted them to delay the wedding until after Bethanne graduated.

Waiting, however, felt impossible. Grant was out of school and job-hunting. He was hired by Boeing in their corporate office, and with his first paycheck bought her an engagement ring.

Against her parents' wishes, Bethanne dropped out of school just six months shy of graduation. From that point forward she'd dedicated her life to being a good wife and mother. She'd worked briefly in a department store, but only until Andrew's birth.

“Too young?” she repeated his question. “Perhaps…”

They finished their meal quickly after that, avoiding awkward subjects. When they left the restaurant, Grant walked her to her car.

“I enjoyed dinner,” he said, standing beside her. “Did you?” The driver's side door was open and she'd already thrown her purse on the passenger seat.

“I did.”

“And your dinner companion?”

She gave him a warning look:
don't push it.
“Tonight brought back a lot of memories,” was all she said.

“It did for me, too.” He touched her car, tracing patterns in the dust. “We were happy, Bethanne,” he said, so softly she almost missed it.

She nodded, suddenly sad. “We were,” she agreed. “At one time.”