Midnight Promises (24 page)

“Not like nothing,” he said heatedly. “You’re the mother of my children.”

“And nothing more,” she said wearily, accepting that her role had been diminished to little more than caregiver to his children. “You’re setting a terrible example for your son, Ernesto. I don’t want him growing up thinking that it’s acceptable for a man to treat a woman like this, with such little respect.” She met his gaze. “And I don’t want him or his sisters to see me as the kind of woman who finds that behavior acceptable.”

He frowned at her words. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I expect you to spend your nights in our home, that I expect you to honor the commitment you made to me on the day we took our vows. If that means we spend the rest of our lives seeing marriage counselors, then that’s what we’ll do. We won’t go on like this.”

“And if I say no?” he asked, clearly confident that she had no fallback position, that she was trying to bluff him into changing.

“Then I will take our children and leave you,” she said, holding his gaze. “And I will take you for every penny I possibly can, to assure that our children want for nothing. I haven’t spoken to Helen Decatur-Whitney, but I’m pretty sure I have enough evidence to make sure the courts will give me everything I ask for.”

He slammed his fist on the top of his desk. “There will be no divorce! Your mother will talk sense into you on that point.”

“Don’t count on it,” she said mildly. “You see, I always worried too much about what Mama would say, but she’s not living this lie that is our marriage. I am.” She held his gaze. “And I’m done with the way things are.”

Before he could reply, she stood up and walked out. Only after she reached her car did she realize how badly she was shaking. But for the first time in years she felt the first tiny shred of her self-respect returning.

13

E
lliott felt as if he hadn’t been home for ages. He’d been spending every evening after leaving the spa with whichever of the other men were available, working on renovations at the new gym. They were making good progress, but knowing that he owed money to his partners was weighing on him. Not that anyone was pressing him, but the sooner extra money started coming in, the better.

He had the added pressure of trying to keep his concern from Karen. She’d completely freak out if she realized that their obligation to the other partners hadn’t been met, no matter how willing the other men were to let it slide until they opened the doors at the gym in a few weeks.

He took a break from hanging drywall and grabbed a bottle of juice from the refrigerator they’d installed in what eventually would be a small café area. It was actually a professional-grade refrigerator, bought used from Dana Sue, who’d conveniently decided it was time for a newer, larger unit at Sullivan’s. He saw Ronnie’s deft hand in encouraging that deal with his wife.

Travis came in and joined him. The ex-ballplayer-turned-country-radio-station-owner was covered in sawdust, but he’d never looked happier. “It’s starting to take shape, don’t you think?” he commented.

Elliott shrugged. “It’s still hard for me to imagine it filled with shiny new equipment. Right now it looks like a big, empty space to me.” He gestured around him. “And I’m still not convinced about this whole café thing. Do men care about something like that?”

Travis grinned. “You’re in here having something to drink, aren’t you?”

“But I’m…” His voice trailed off. “Hot, tired and sweaty, just like anyone who’s been working out.” He smiled as he realized that’s exactly how their clients were likely to feel after a good workout.

Travis lifted his own bottle in a silent toast. “Exactly. I think we have to trust Maddie on stuff like this. And Dana Sue won’t be stocking it with girly food like the muffins and salads they serve at the spa. I think she’s planning some macho, yet healthy alternatives.”

“Speaking of food, I could go for some right now,” Elliott admitted. “Think anybody else would want to order a pizza?”

“Ronnie’s already gone to pick ’em up,” Travis said. “And as soon as I’ve had a slice, I need to get over to the radio station. I go on the air in an hour.”

“The station’s doing well, isn’t it?”

“Despite my cousin Tom’s dire prediction, yes,” he said, grinning. “There’s still room in the world for small-town, local radio. Advertising’s been solid since the day we went on the air. Sarah and I won’t get rich, but we can live comfortably. That’s all I ask of life—that and having our kids healthy.”

Elliott was tempted to ask him how he’d adapted to stepparenting, especially with Sarah’s ex actually working for Travis at the station and underfoot all the time. Instead, he decided to focus on gym business, since Travis would be taking off for the station soon.

“Has Maddie talked to you about scheduling commercials as soon as we have our official opening date?” Elliott asked him.

“Not only has she talked to me, she managed to get me to cut my prices in half,” Travis said, looking impressed. “I’m still trying to figure out how she pulled that off. One minute I had control of the meeting, the next I was signing off on a deal that made my head spin when I looked at the figures later.”

Elliott chuckled. “She’s good, all right. I have to admit I’m happy to leave some of this business stuff in her hands. Of course, one of these days we’ll all need to sit down and come up with a name for this place. We can’t very well call it the anti-Dexter’s.”

Travis laughed. “But that would draw the customers in, I’ll bet. You have all the equipment ordered?”

“And scheduled for delivery in three weeks,” Elliott confirmed, then gazed doubtfully toward the main room. “What are the odds we’ll be ready for it?”

“Ronnie says we will be, and he knows construction,” Travis said. “He says Mitch Franklin has the plumber and the electrician scheduled for tomorrow, so we should be up to code by the end of the week with the locker room and showers just about completed, too. The finishing work and painting should be a breeze with all of us pitching in.”

It should be, Elliott thought. It just meant that he was unlikely to spend any quality time with his wife or the kids anytime in the immediate future.

* * *

Frances was sitting at a table in Wharton’s, enjoying a rare genuine chocolate shake blended with real milk and ice cream the old-fashioned way, when Grace Wharton slid into the booth opposite her. Grace had a reputation for knowing more about what was going on in Serenity than anyone else in town. She didn’t mind spreading the news around, either.

“You’re friends with Elliott Cruz, right?” Grace said without preamble.

“Sure. He and Karen and the kids are like family to me,” Frances said.

“What do you know about this gym he’s opening over on Palmetto?”

“Just that it’ll be a huge improvement over Dexter’s,” she said, then added, “No offense,” because she knew Grace and Dexter had known each other for years. For that matter, everyone in town knew Dexter. They even liked him. They just believed he’d let that gym of his turn into a run-down dump.

Grace shrugged at the undeniable truth of her statement. “Any idea what they’re going to charge for a membership?” She cast a surreptitious look over her shoulder in the direction of her husband. Neville Wharton was the pharmacist who ran the drugstore portion of Wharton’s. “I’m thinking
he
could use a workout from time to time,” she added in an undertone.

“You planning to give it to him for his birthday?” Frances asked, grinning at the thought of Neville’s likely reaction to such a gift. Shock came to mind. He prided himself on the fact he could still get into his wedding suit, though the sad truth was he hadn’t been able to buckle the pants in years, Grace had reported recently to anyone who’d listen.

Grace sat up straighter. “That’s exactly what I’m planning to do. Nothing says I love you like a gift certificate to get your health back, don’t you think so?”

“I’m not a hundred percent certain your husband will see it that way,” Frances said gently. “How would you have felt if he’d given you a membership to The Corner Spa?”

Grace paused. “Insulted, I imagine, though I wouldn’t have minded a gift certificate for some of those massages they give over there.
Whoo-ee,
do those things work the kinks out of my back after a day on my feet in this place!”

Frances smiled at the image of Grace crawling up onto a massage table and allowing herself to be pampered with scented oils and a massage. It wasn’t something she’d ever expected of such a salt-of-the-earth, country-born-and-raised woman.

Grace gave her a wink. “I’ve picked up some pretty good gossip while I’ve been there, too.”

Frances laughed. “Then definitely worth the cost. As for the gym, why don’t I have Elliott stop by with a brochure? I’m pretty sure they’re going to be available any day now. Or I’ll grab one and bring it by next time I come in.”

Grace nodded. “That’ll do. Now, tell me this. How have you been feeling?”

“Just great,” Frances said.

Grace frowned. “Really? I know some folks have been worried about you not being up to snuff.”

Frances’s mood, which had been upbeat only seconds before, sank. She knew once rumors started in Serenity, they took on a life of their own, especially once Grace got hold of them. She gave her friend an indignant look. “Well, you tell those folks, whoever they may be, that you just saw me and I’m in tip-top shape.”

Grace looked disconcerted by her barely disguised hint of temper. “Well, of course, I will,” she said at once. She reached for Frances’s hand. “You do know everyone in this town loves you. It’s just concern, Frances, not an indictment or something. Nobody’s ready to write you off, I promise you that.”

Rationally, Frances understood that, but given everything that had gone on lately, it felt more as if people were making judgments about her, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit.

* * *

With all the extra hours Elliott was spending at the gym getting it ready to open, Karen had hardly seen him. They’d always had a tough time finding time to be together, but it was even worse now with all these new after-hours demands on his time.

At the end of her shift at Sullivan’s, she made a call to Maria Cruz and asked her to keep the kids overnight, then she put together a take-out order for two and headed to the gym. It would be the first time she’d seen it since the men had started the renovations.

Elliott was hanging drywall when she entered, the muscles in his arms and back stretched taut. With a sheen of perspiration on his olive skin, it was a sight to behold, she thought as she studied him appreciatively. He happened to glance over his shoulder and caught her.

“Admiring the view?” he teased.

She pretended to be shocked. “Oh, it’s you? I thought I was ogling some extraordinarily sexy stranger. Kicked my heart rate straight into overdrive.”

He crossed the room and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “And why would you be ogling strange men,
querida?
”

“Well, you see, my husband has been away from home for a long time now, and I’m getting restless.”

He laughed. “This may not be the best place for me to make that up to you,” he told her, glancing around. “Too many interested third parties.”

He spotted the bag she was carrying. “Is that take-out from Sullivan’s?”

She nodded. “Unfortunately I only brought enough for you and me. I’m afraid the rest of the guys are out of luck.”

Ronnie glanced over and spotted the Sullivan’s take-out containers. “Why isn’t
my
wife here with a take-out order?” he grumbled good-naturedly. “She’s the owner of that restaurant.”

“Which means she has to stay there and take care of the many, many paying customers,” Karen reminded him. She turned back to her husband. “Anyplace we could have a little privacy? I’ll feel guilty if we eat in front of all these starving men.”

“You shouldn’t. They just gobbled down three large pizzas,” Elliott told her.

Disappointment spread through her. “You, too?”

“I had some, but you know I’m a bottomless pit, and whatever’s in that bag smells wonderful. We can sit outside on the front porch steps. It’s a nice night, or it was the last time I actually stepped out to breathe fresh air.”

“It’s a gorgeous night,” she confirmed, following him outside.

As Elliott dug into the take-out, she studied him. Despite the long hours he’d been putting in, he looked good. Clearly the excitement of starting this business more than outweighed the stress and hard work of getting the doors open.

“How’s it going in there?” she asked.

“You really want to know?”

“Of course I do. If it matters to you, it matters to me. Are you on schedule?”

“Ronnie says we are. I have my doubts.”