Midnight Promises (35 page)

Karen jumped up and threw her arms around her. “I’m so relieved,” she told her. “And we’ll all pitch in to do whatever we can to help out. If the time comes when you can’t live here, maybe we could work it out for you to live with Elliott and me.”

Frances was more touched by the offer than she could possibly say, and she knew it had been made with the generosity of spirit that she’d always seen in Karen. She doubted her own children would make the same offer. Jennifer and Jeffrey loved her, no question about that, but she doubted they’d want her intruding on the busy, complicated lives they’d established for themselves.

With her eyes stinging with tears, she clung to Karen’s hand. “You have no idea how much it means to me that you would even suggest such a thing, but hopefully we’re a long way from needing to make that sort of decision. If and when that time comes, I’ll not be a burden, Karen, not to you or my family. I’ll make the decision myself to find a place where I’ll get whatever care I need. With this much of a warning, I may even get Liz and Flo to help me start looking now. I’ve thought about this long and hard. I want to be someplace I’ve chosen, not whatever facility happens to be available when the time comes.”

Karen regarded her with dismay. “Then you’re reconciled to leaving your home here?”

“Eventually. It’s something anyone my age needs to consider. I won’t be happy about leaving this apartment or all my friends, but who knows? Maybe Liz and Flo will decide to come with me. I hear there can be some lively men in some of those retirement places. That ought to be enough to get Flo to take a look.”

Karen chuckled. “She’s a real live wire, isn’t she? But I thought she was already involved with someone.”

Frances nodded. “Oh, she is, but she’ll never stop keeping her options open, if you ask me. It’s wonderful to see, actually. She had a tough life. Helen’s dad was gone early and Flo worked hard to make ends meet and make sure her daughter had all the advantages she hadn’t had. It’s nice that she’s finally living life to the fullest after all those years of struggling.”

“You’re all remarkable, in my view,” Karen said.

Frances smiled at her. “Okay, young lady, you’ve done your duty by me. You need to run along and check on your own family. I’ll be just fine.”

“Let me fix you breakfast first,” Karen pleaded.

The chance to leave a meal in the hands of a chef who’d won her own share of kudos at Sullivan’s was too good to pass up. “You know I can’t turn that down,” she told her. “Why don’t you call Elliott and invite him and the kids to join us? It’s still early enough, I think, that they’ll have time before work and school.”

“You wouldn’t mind?” Karen asked.

“Of course not.”

Karen grinned. “I know Elliott’s dying to hear all about last night. He wanted to come pick you up himself.”

“Well, we’ll not discuss it in front of the children,” Frances said flatly. “They’re far too young to hear about my silly shenanigans. I’ll fill Elliott in when I go to my exercise class next week.”

“Are you going to the open house at his gym tomorrow?” Karen asked. “It’s the only time they’re letting women in to get a peek at it. You can ride over with me, if you like. I have to go early to oversee the catering from Sullivan’s.”

“Oh, I’d love to,” Frances said. “Now call that man of yours and get them over here.”

Despite all the craziness of the night before and her worries over what the doctor had—and hadn’t—said, today was getting off to a surprisingly bright start.

* * *

Elliott had been pleased to find Frances so alert and cheerful. Though Karen had quietly cautioned him not to ask about the night before in front of the children, he’d seen the unmistakable twinkle in Frances’s eye when he’d asked if she’d done anything interesting lately.

“Don’t go there, young man,” she said with a warning shake of her finger.

He’d simply laughed, relieved by her attitude.

He hadn’t lingered long, though. He’d planned to see three of his regular clients at the spa this morning, then spend the rest of the day at Fit for Anything to make sure every detail was in place for tomorrow’s open house. He knew it wasn’t necessary, of course—Maddie had lists of her lists—but at least he’d be around if she needed him to follow up on anything.

He finished up at the spa by ten and was about to head out, when he ran into Ernesto on the street.

“I was just coming to see you,” his brother-in-law said. “You going somewhere?”

“I’m heading over to the new gym to get ready for tomorrow’s open house.” He forced himself to ask, “Did you need something? You’ll have to tell me while I walk over there. I’ve got a packed day ahead.” And it didn’t include a pleasant conversation with the man who’d been making his sister miserable. Keeping his opinions to himself was going to be a real test.

Ernesto regarded him with a dark look. “I need you to talk sense into your sister.”

Elliott stopped in his tracks, frowning at his brother-in-law’s tone. “What does that mean? What is it you think Adelia’s done?”

“She’s neglecting the children. She’s throwing away money hand over fist. She’s talking back to me. I don’t know what the hell is going on with her. I do know she’s not the woman I married.”

Elliott had to calm his temper. “Maybe that’s because you’re not the man she married,” he said quietly, his resolve shattered. “I promised I’d stay out of this, but you came to me. I know all about the way you’ve been disrespecting her, Ernesto. I’m sure half the town knows, since you’ve done nothing to hide your sleazy affair. The only reason I haven’t tried to beat some sense into you is because Adelia asked me not to.”

Ernesto didn’t have the grace to look even remotely embarrassed that Elliott knew of his cheating. “I’m entitled to a little enjoyment after all these years,” Ernesto said defensively. “Your sister was paying attention to the children, not me. She didn’t take care of herself. You saw how she looked. She gained weight.”

“Carrying your children,” Elliott said incredulously. “You ought to be down on yours knees every day thanking God for the way she’s taking care of your family, the support she’s given to you so you could focus on making a successful career for yourself.”

“I’ve given her a fine home. She has everything money can buy,” Ernesto argued. “Is she grateful? No. Apparently that’s not enough for her.”

“I doubt it would be enough for any woman whose husband is cheating on her,” Elliott said. “You said before that you’re entitled to that. I’m here to tell you that you’re not. Whatever Adelia’s dishing out to you these days, trust me, I’m on her side. It’s probably not even half what you deserve.”

Ernesto scowled at him. “I’m not doing anything your own father didn’t do,” he said.

Elliott stared at him in shock. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. My mother would never have put up with him cheating.”

“She turned a blind eye to it, just the way most wives do,” Ernesto said confidently. “Ask her, if you don’t believe me. Or tell Adelia to ask her. I’ll bet Maria would give her an earful about what a dutiful wife should do in this situation.”

With that he turned and walked away, leaving Elliott reeling. Surely Ernesto couldn’t have been right about his father. It was true that his mother had treated his father like a king, leaving most of the family decisions in his hands, but cheating? She wouldn’t have tolerated it. She had more self-respect than that.

Or did she? he wondered. Given how she felt about divorce, would she have sealed her lips and endured the situation?

Suddenly he found himself once again questioning all the values that had been drilled into him over the years. While he knew he’d never believe it was his right to cheat on Karen, how many other aspects of his father’s attitude toward marriage had he inadvertently accepted? Was there more validity to Karen’s charge that he was behaving just like his father than he’d wanted to believe?

He stepped into the gym and asked Maddie, “Can you spare me a few more minutes?”

“If you’ll pick up a few things while you’re out,” she said.

“Sure.”

He made a list of everything she wanted, then went back to the spa parking lot for his car. Five minutes later, he was parked in front of Raylene’s dress shop on Main Street.

He felt completely out of place walking inside, then found himself grinning when Adelia stepped out of the back, looking great in a dress perfectly suited for her curvaceous figure.

“Don’t you look like the height of fashion,” he commented.

“I bought it with last week’s paycheck,” she said. “Every penny of last week’s paycheck, in fact. I probably should have charged it to Ernesto.”

“You probably should have,” he said, his good mood fading. “I just had a little chat with your husband.”

“Elliott, I asked you not to,” she said, looking dismayed.

“Hey, don’t blame me,” he said, hands in the air. “He came to me. He wanted me to get you to shape up and behave the way a proper wife should.”

She stared at him incredulously. “Are you kidding me?”

“Not so much,” he said.

“In that case, I hope you told him off.”

“I told him you probably weren’t treating him half as badly as he deserved.” He glanced around. “Are we alone here?”

“Unless a customer comes in, yes. Why?”

“Ernesto did say a couple of things that got to me,” he admitted.

“About me?”

He shook his head. “No, one was about Dad. He said he’d cheated on Mom.”

Adelia hesitated so long, he knew what she was going to say before she ever opened her mouth.

“I don’t believe it,” he said.

“She never said a word, but I knew,” Adelia said. “I have no idea how long it went on or why she tolerated it.” She shrugged. “That’s one reason I know she won’t understand why I’m so furious with Ernesto. She’ll just tell me that’s one of the crosses I need to bear to have a lovely home.”

Elliott muttered an expletive.

Adelia smiled at his rare loss of control. “My sentiment exactly.” She studied him. “Is there something else?”

He took a deep breath. “Am I like Dad?”

She regarded him intently. “You’re not talking about being a cheater, I assume.”

“Never,” he said flatly.

“Then it’s about his general macho attitude,” she concluded. “And I’d have to say yes. It’s the way you were brought up, just as our sisters and I were raised to think women were to stay in their proper place.”

Elliott was shaken by her confirmation. “Really? You think I’m like Dad?”

“In the best ways, yes,” she said in an effort to console him. “Dad always put his family first. He didn’t see cheating as the antithesis of that. Don’t ask me why, but he obviously didn’t. He made the decisions he thought were best for our own good. He worked hard, so he thought he deserved unquestioning loyalty. I’ve seen a little of that in you.”