Midnight Promises (36 page)

Before he could respond, she put a hand on the clenched muscle in his arm. “Don’t take that the wrong way, because there’s another side to you that balances it out. You’re sensitive and compassionate in ways Dad never dreamed of being.” She regarded him with concern. “Why are you asking about this?”

“Karen’s called me on it a few times. I’ve always thought she was overreacting or misinterpreting what I was doing, but maybe she’s not. Maybe I need to take a harder look at how I handle the decisions in our marriage.”

“You mean share them with her?” she asked, amusement threading through her voice.

He winced at the accuracy of her guess. “Yes.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” his sister agreed. “You love her. She loves you. You know she’s smart. Doesn’t that lay the groundwork for a great partnership?” She shrugged. “Not that I’d know anything about how that works. Ernesto’s world veers toward a dictatorship. He’s having a little trouble with the fact that I’m changing up the rules.”

Elliott regarded her with admiration. “Good for you. Any predictions for how it’s going to go?”

“If he’s running to you for backup, I’ve at least shaken him up,” she said. “But I’m not counting on much more than a few seconds of guilt. He’s not that introspective.”

“Leave him,” Elliott said, not sure which of them was more surprised by his impulsive words. “He doesn’t deserve you.”

“No,” she said. “He doesn’t.” Then she sighed. “We’ll see, though. There’s a lot to consider.”

“Whatever you decide, I’ll back you up. I mean that, Adelia.”

She gave him a hard kiss on the cheek. “And
that,
” she said, “is what makes you different from Dad.”

20

E
lliott had been totally shaken by his conversation with Adelia, both in terms of her situation and what she’d told him about how he’d inadvertently patterned his own marital behavior on his father’s. It was something he needed to correct, no question about it.

He realized now that he’d been so busy protecting Karen the way he thought a good husband should—at least in his mind—that he’d failed to acknowledge what she’d kept trying to tell him, that she wanted their marriage to be a real partnership. That meant sharing everything, even the worries. It would require a shift in thinking, but he could do it.

Now, though, he had to focus on getting the gym ready for tomorrow’s open house. There was too much riding on it for him to be distracted over the next couple of days.

Once he’d picked up all the supplies on Maddie’s list, he went back to the gym, toted everything inside, then went in search of Maddie. He found a note on the desk in what would eventually be his office. For the moment, they were sharing it.

“Crisis at Katie’s school,” she’d written. “Back as soon as I can get here.” She’d noted the time at 10:45, shortly after he’d spoken to her. It was now after noon.

Since he knew what needed to be done before tomorrow’s event, he got started with the final checklist on each of the areas to make sure every piece of equipment was spotless, every square inch of the floor polished and swept. He even checked to assure the supply of brochures and membership applications at the reception desk was adequate and that there were plenty of pens.

He was about to run through the checklist for the café when Maddie finally arrived, Katie in tow. Judging from the scowl on Maddie’s face, all was not well.

“Suspended,” she said by way of explanation as she ushered her daughter into the office.

When she emerged a few minutes later, she released a heavy sigh.

“Want to talk about it?” Elliott asked.

“I would if I actually knew much. She was suspended for skipping class. Apparently it’s not the first time. She refuses to say why. Cal tried to mediate, but the principal wasn’t budging. Frankly, I don’t blame her, especially since this is a repeat violation. I never knew about the first one, because Katie somehow forgot to bring the note home. How she kept the news from Cal is beyond me. He knows everything that goes on at that school.”

“Would they fill Cal in, rather than your ex-husband?”

“No, but he didn’t know, either. I called him to make sure.” She gave Elliott a weary look. “Do we have any odious tasks left to accomplish around here? I want her to suffer, rather than sitting in my office sulking over the injustice of it all.”

Elliott grinned. “Sadly, I’m afraid all the floors have been scrubbed and the locker rooms are spotless.”

“Too bad,” Maddie murmured. “Maybe I should take her over to The Corner Spa. Those locker rooms are always in need of a good scrubbing.”

“Go ahead. I think everything here is under control, at least based on those checklists of yours that I found on the desk.”

She gave him a grateful look. “Would you mind? I feel like I have to deal with this as quickly and firmly as possible. Katie needs to learn a lesson. She’s always been such a good kid that this has come as quite a shock.”

“Do what you need to do,” Elliott said. “I’ll call if I run into anything I don’t know how to handle.”

“Did you see that a reporter from the local paper is stopping by in an hour for a tour and an interview?” she asked. “Think you can handle that?”

“I’d rather eat dirt, but I’ll manage,” he said.

She laughed. “Get used to it. You’re the very sexy face of this place now. I’m thinking billboards showing off those excellent abs of yours might not hurt at some point.”

He regarded her with horror, certain she had to be teasing. “No way,” he protested.

“Oh, yes,” she said, grinning. “You are definitely the poster boy for fitness in Serenity.”

Elliott groaned. “Heaven help me!”

“God’s already done you many favors,” she teased. “And you’ve made the most of them.”

Elliott felt heat climb into his cheeks. “Get out of here, Maddie. You’re embarrassing me.”

“Garnet Rogers and Flo Decatur have said the same and more,” she said, laughing. “Buck up and take it like a man.”

He was still shaking his head, when she returned with Katie, who followed her from the gym, her expression glum. He watched them go, wondering if that’s what the future held in store for him and Karen. Given what he’d already seen of Selena’s behavior and now this, he was pretty sure Daisy was destined to follow along the same troubling path of rebellion. It seemed to come with being a teenager. And, from what he’d observed recently, girls were much trickier to manage than boys.

* * *

Dana Sue had assigned Karen to handle the on-site part of Sullivan’s catering for the open house at Fit for Anything on Saturday. She’d obviously known Karen would want to be there to share in Elliott’s big day.

Maddie had scheduled the event from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon on Saturday, so families could stop in, look over the facilities, chat with Elliott or her about memberships, and enjoy the miniwraps and other hors d’oeuvres being served in the café.

To Karen’s delight, the gym had been packed from the moment the doors opened. She’d barely caught a glimpse of Elliott, who’d been besieged by men wanting to sign up for personal training or asking about the various classes being offered early in the morning, during the lunch hour or in the evening to accommodate the schedules of working men. She’d had to call Sullivan’s twice for refills on the wraps and other food. The second time, Dana Sue had come over herself.

She looked around at the crowd with a pleased smile spreading across her face. “I’d love to get close enough to Maddie to ask, but it looks to me as if this is going really, really well.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” Karen said. “I don’t know if even half these men are signing up, but if so, I may never see my husband again.”

Dana Sue gave her a knowing look. “Are you feeling better about your investment now?”

“You have no idea,” Karen said with genuine relief. “I should have trusted Elliott from the beginning.”

Dana Sue nodded. “I do understand why you were nervous, though. I can admit now that I had a few qualms of my own.”

“Gee, thanks for sharing,” Karen said. “I felt as if I was out on the skeptical limb all by myself.”

“You were scared enough without me adding to your worries,” Dana Sue said. “I guess I understood how women would react to a place like The Corner Spa, but men? Who knew if they were this eager for a clean, state-of-the-art place to exercise? They could have been content jogging around the track at the high school.”

“I could have filled you in on that point,” a man said as he reached for a miniature chicken-caesar wrap and popped it into his mouth.

“Dexter,” Dana Sue said, recognizing him at once. “How nice to see you! How are your plans for Florida?”

“Coming along nicely, thanks to this place opening,” he said without even a hint of bitterness. “I know what everyone thought of my gym, but it filled a need in this town. Elliott, Ronnie, Cal and the others saw that. Men aren’t that different from women. Plenty of ’em will exercise to stay in shape if there’s a convenient place to do it and their friends go there. Give ’em an introductory discount, and they’ll flock right in. That’s what I told Maddie, and just look around you. That woman knows good advice when she hears it.”

“She does, indeed,” Dana Sue said. “I’m so glad you’re excited about retirement. I know the guys were worried about driving you out of business.”

“I’d have told ’em not to worry, if they’d asked. I was more than ready for this change. I can’t wait to get close to those casinos,” Dexter said. “I’m feeling lucky.”

He popped another hors d’oeuvres into his mouth, then wandered away.

“He’s quite a character,” Karen said.

“But smarter than people ever gave him credit for, I think. He knew that gym of his would draw customers whether he ever put a dime into it or not. He recognized the need, even before Maddie, Helen and I did. I think he viewed The Corner Spa as the first step in his retirement plan.”

“It certainly sounded that way,” Karen replied just as Frances came over.

“I don’t suppose you girls are serving margaritas,” she teased.

“Not to you,” Dana Sue responded, a twinkle in her eyes. “From all reports, you can’t handle them.”

“Just a minor miscalculation,” Frances said, waving off the incident. “Next time we’ll water ’em down a bit.”

“Maybe you should just join us,” Dana Sue suggested. “We can keep an eye on your intake.”

Frances’s eyes immediately lit up with delight. “Seriously? You’d let us be Sweet Magnolias for a night?”

“If you ask me, you all were the original Sweet Magnolias,” Dana Sue confided. “We just came along later and carried on the tradition.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Liz and Flo,” Frances said eagerly, hurrying off.

“You just made her day,” Karen told Dana Sue.

Dana Sue chuckled. “But probably not Helen’s. She’s going to freak out when she hears the news.” She shrugged. “However, in my humble opinion, it will be good for her to bond with Flo in a whole new way.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate your consideration,” Karen said, not even trying to hide her amusement over the likely confrontation.

“I’m not worried,” Dana Sue said cavalierly. “Ronnie will protect me. He likes a good go-round with Helen from time to time. And speaking of my husband, I’d better find him and congratulate him before I get back to Sullivan’s. Call if you need anything else over here.”

“It’s already two o’clock. The party’s bound to wind down soon,” Karen said. “Especially if the food disappears.”

“You have a point. I’ll check with Maddie and see if she wants it to die out or if she wants the crowd to linger.”

As Dana Sue headed off into the crowd, Karen walked around the café, checking on platters and taking away those that were empty, refilling a few others with the fresh supplies Dana Sue had just brought over.

When her body began to tingle, she knew Elliott was nearby even before she turned around and found him right behind her.

“Congratulations!” she said, giving him a kiss. “It looks to me as if you have a major success on your hands.”

“It is going well, isn’t it?” he said, looking around at those who continued to linger. “It’s almost scary how well it’s gone.”

“I’m so proud of you,” she said sincerely. “Not just for succeeding, but for sticking to your guns even in the face of my panic. You believed in this. I should have, too.”

He seemed surprised by her words. “You mean that, don’t you?”

She nodded. “You’ve never given me a single reason to doubt your intentions will always be for the good of our family. I owe it to you to trust you more than I did. I’m sorry.”