Midnight Promises (18 page)

“What happened today has taken a lot out of you, hasn’t it?” Karen asked as they ate their ice cream on a bench in the shade of a giant pin oak draped with Spanish moss.

“I’m worried about Adelia and that family,” he admitted. “Something’s seriously wrong. I think she needs backup, but she’s refused my offer to help.”

“That’s her way, isn’t it?” Karen reminded him mildly. “She knows any of you would leap to her defense if she asked. If she’s not asking, there must be a reason for it.”

There was something in her tone that set off an alarm bell. “Do you know something I don’t?” he asked.

“Not firsthand,” she said slowly. “And Daisy told me in confidence what Selena had said to her. If I tell you, you have to promise not to jump back in the car and go charging after Ernesto.”

Elliott froze at her grim expression. If she feared he’d go after his brother-in-law, it had to be bad. “What?” he demanded tightly.

“Remember, this is what Selena saw and her interpretation,” she cautioned. “She could have it all wrong.”

“Just tell me.”

“She thinks he’s cheating with some woman who lives nearby. She saw them kissing, and she’s slipped out of the house and seen his car over there at night. She thinks that’s where he’s been since he walked out on Adelia.”

Elliott felt his muscles bunch as anger roared through him. “In the same neighborhood with his family?”

Karen frowned at his choice of words. “Do you think that’s the only thing that’s wrong about this?”

“No, of course not. I just meant that it makes it that much worse to do such a thing right under the nose of his wife and children. Do you think Adelia knows about this?”

Karen nodded. “She hasn’t said a word about it to me, but I think she does. Women generally know, unless they choose not to. It would certainly explain why she’s been under such terrible stress.”

“Good God,” Elliott murmured. “What a mess!”

He was about to stand up, when Karen put a restraining hand on his arm. “You promised not to go over there.”

“We’re talking about my sister. Nobody gets to disrespect her like that.”

“I agree, but Adelia has to ask for your help,” Karen said reasonably. “Otherwise, you’ll just humiliate her. You certainly can’t go rushing over there and cause a scene in front of the children.”

Though it went against every protective instinct that had ever been instilled in him, he stayed where he was.

“I hate this,” he said eventually.

“Me, too,” Karen said, reaching for his hand.

“What should we do? Could I at least go find Ernesto tomorrow and beat him to a pulp?” he asked, half hoping Karen would agree that it was a perfectly logical next step.

She smiled. “I think you already know the answer to that.”

“It’s just so wrong to let him get away with it.”

“I agree, but the best thing you can do is keep a closer eye on your sister and be there whenever this thing blows up. I don’t think she knows it yet, but she’s a strong woman, and she’s not going to sit back and tolerate this forever.”

Elliott thought he detected the unspoken message in what she was saying. “Divorce?”

“Can you think of another option?”

“There has to be one,” he said at once. “Divorce is unacceptable.”

“You would have her stay with a man who disrespects her so openly?” Karen asked incredulously. “Is that what you would have wanted for me?”

“Of course not,” he said, referring only to Karen’s situation. “Ray left you. You couldn’t remain in limbo.”

“And Ernesto? What would you call what he’s doing?” she asked pointedly.

Elliott hesitated. He saw the depths of the dilemma clearly for the first time. His family’s strong faith was pitted against the reality of a marriage descending into despair. When it hit home like this, the answers were not nearly as clear or as simple as he’d always believed them to be.

* * *

On Wednesday Frances was fifteen minutes late getting to The Corner Spa for the weekly seniors’ exercise class. She spotted the questioning look in Flo’s eyes when she finally arrived.

Thankfully, though, Elliott turned on the CD player just then and started the dance exercises that had become everyone’s favorite part of the class. With the music at high volume, Flo couldn’t ask all the questions that were obviously on the tip of her tongue. By the time they were ready for a break, everyone was too out-of-breath to discuss anything.

When the class finally ended, Frances hurried to catch up with Elliott for her weekly update on Karen and the children. And, if she were being totally honest, to avoid Flo.

“Do you all need me to babysit this week?” she asked Elliott hopefully. Despite a few disconcerting moments, the time she spent with Daisy and Mack was very special to her. It filled the void that should have been filled by her own grandchildren. She felt better when she was around all that youthful exuberance and wonder.

“Honestly, I have no idea how this week is going to play out,” Elliott said, his frustration plain. “We were supposed to have some time to talk Sunday when we took the kids over to the lake, but something else came up and we never got around to talking about anything we’d planned to discuss.”

“Then it sounds as if you need another night out. Other than playing cards at the senior center tonight, my calendar’s clear. Just give me a call if you want me to come over or want to drop the kids off at my place.”

Elliott leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, which drew hoots from the other women who’d lingered after class.

“Hey, no playing favorites,” Garnet Rogers called out.

“And if you’re looking for an older woman, I’m a better bet,” Flo teased him.

Frances rolled her eyes. “Ladies, act your age.”

“Good heavens, why would we do that?” Garnet responded. “The more frequently I can recapture my youth, the better I like it.”

Elliott kissed Frances again, just to stir the pot, no doubt, then gave her a wink before heading for his next client.

Frances turned to leave, only to be intercepted by Flo.

“I know what you’re doing,” Flo accused. “You’re trying to avoid me. Liz, too.”

“I most certainly am not,” Frances said with what she thought sounded like suitable indignation.

“You skipped cards last week.”

“I had things to do,” Frances said.

“And you deliberately came late today so I couldn’t ask you if you’ve made an appointment with the doctor yet. And that private little chat you just had with Elliott was part of your strategy, too. You were hoping I’d have to rush right out of here.”

“Well, if that was my strategy, it didn’t work, did it?” Frances retorted.

Flo held her gaze. “You can’t avoid Liz and me forever,” she said quietly. “Nor can you put off making this appointment, Frances. It isn’t like you to pretend everything’s fine, when you know it isn’t. Wouldn’t it be better to know, so you can be treated and make whatever plans need to be made?”

“I think we’ve all overreacted,” Frances said, even though she knew all too well there had been a couple of more troubling incidents, including an embarrassing moment when she’d been speaking to the preacher after church just this past Sunday and had suddenly lost her train of thought. Lots of people did that, she knew, but she’d panicked just the same. The problem was there were times, like right now after her exercise class, that she felt better than ever. Her physical stamina was remarkable for a woman of ninety. Everyone, including her own doctor whom she’d seen last year for a flu shot, agreed about that.

Flo regarded her doubtfully. “We both know that no one has overreacted. And I understand why you’d be scared.”

“Not scared,” Frances corrected. “Terrified.”

“But isn’t it better to know?” Flo repeated, obviously frustrated by Frances’s stubbornness.

Frances looked directly into her friend’s compassionate gaze. “Have you found any cures on that computer of yours?”

“No, but—”

Frances cut her off. “Then what difference does it really make if I find out now or a few months down the road?”

“There
are
medicines that can help for a while, at least,” Flo argued. “They could buy you time to spend with your family. More importantly, you might not even have Alzheimer’s. Think of the relief a proper diagnosis could bring you.”

“We both know that’s a long shot,” Frances said.

“You’re not going to do this until you’re ready, are you?” Flo finally said, her expression resigned.

Frances nodded. “That’s right, and it’s my decision to make when that is.”

Surprisingly, tears welled up in Flo’s eyes. “Liz and I just want you to be all right.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Frances said, giving her an impulsive hug. “You two are the best friends I could possibly have. I know you care about me, and I truly do appreciate it. One more incident and I’ll see the doctor. I promise.”

Flo gave her a doubtful look. “Do we have to witness this next incident for it to count, or will you keep the promise even if we’re not around?”

“No matter who’s around,” Frances said, “I’ll keep the promise.”

Because even though she wanted to believe these lapses of hers weren’t the first signs of Alzheimer’s, she wasn’t about to put anyone else at risk because of her foolish refusal to accept the possibility that her health was deteriorating.

10

F
rom the very first time Elliott had taken Karen home to meet his family, it had been clear that her relationship with Elliott’s ardently Catholic mother was going to be incredibly rocky. Maria Cruz had disapproved openly of Karen’s divorce. Only after Karen had confronted her and told her the details of her failed marriage had Mrs. Cruz relented and agreed that divorce had been her only option. Karen’s willingness to go through the annulment process had eventually appeased her and Elliott’s sisters. By the time she and Elliott had married, they’d silenced their disapproval.

Still, old resentments lingered and occasionally stirred, especially after scenes such as the one at the Cruz house on Sunday. Karen wasn’t all that surprised to hear from her mother-in-law, insisting that she stop by before work, only that it had taken her so long to call.

Karen knew she probably hadn’t done a very good job of hiding her disdain for her brothers-in-law the previous Sunday. She’d managed to keep quiet, but she had walked out in the middle of the family discussion in which the men were spouting some of their offensively macho, old-world nonsense.

It wasn’t in her nature to stir that particular pot and try to cause some kind of feminist uprising among the Cruz women, but when she saw signs of the same behavior in Elliott, she was determined to nip it in the bud. Her sisters-in-law could manage their own lives in whatever way they saw fit.

Since Mrs. Cruz had finely tuned antennae when it came to her children, Karen wondered just what sort of lecture might be on today’s agenda. Would she warn Karen against interfering in Adelia’s marriage? Or was something else on her mind?

When she arrived, two of the Cruz grandchildren under the age of five were playing out front. Mrs. Cruz was waiting on the front stoop. She clapped her hands to get the children’s attention.

“Inside,
niñas!
” she commanded, and though both children protested, they immediately headed inside as she’d asked.

When she’d settled them in the living room with a favorite movie, she led Karen into the kitchen, the true heart of her home. A pot of her coffee, far more palatable than Elliott’s, was brewed, and there were fresh, traditional guava pastries just out of the oven.

“You are working today?” Maria Cruz asked as she poured the coffee and set a plate of the still-warm pastries in front of Karen, no doubt expecting her to eat more than one.

“I’m due there at ten,” Karen said. “We have a little time.”

“Then I will be direct,” Mrs. Cruz said. She leveled a concerned look into Karen’s eyes. “You and my son are fighting. May I ask why?”

Despite her understanding of Serenity and the Cruz family dynamics, Karen could barely keep her mouth from dropping open. It had never occurred to her that this petite, formidable woman, who was totally focused on her family, would choose to cross-examine her about something so personal. Then, again, Maria Cruz considered herself the matriarch of the family whose duty it was to keep things running smoothly, even for the children who were long since grown with families of their own. If she meddled in the other family marriages, why not Elliott’s?

“Where did you hear that?” Karen asked, more out of curiosity than anything.

“It does not matter,” Mrs. Cruz replied with a dismissive shrug. “Is it true? Is that why you and Elliott have asked that I take the children several times recently, so they wouldn’t hear you fighting?”

Karen debated the best way to answer. “There have been things Elliott and I needed to discuss, yes, but mostly we’ve been trying to find some time just to be alone together. With our schedules, privacy is hard to come by. Most couples don’t start their lives with two young children already underfoot.”

Though she nodded in understanding, Mrs. Cruz didn’t look entirely satisfied by her response. “These discussions, as you call them, are they about serious issues?” Her brow furrowed and her expression appeared genuinely troubled. “Things that could lead to a divorce?”

“Good heavens, I hope not!” Karen said. “We want the time to ourselves to work things out before they turn into real problems.”

Relief washed over Mrs. Cruz’s face as she sketched a cross over her chest. “It would break my heart for my son—or any of my children,” she added pointedly, “to be divorced.”

She held Karen’s gaze. “You knew our beliefs when you married Elliott. I expect you to do whatever it takes to make your marriage work.”

Karen frowned. “Why is that only my responsibility? Have you said the same to Elliott?” She was a little too tempted to toss Adelia’s name out there, too, but she owed her sister-in-law some discretion. Her mother-in-law might have alluded to Adelia’s problems just now, but she hadn’t brought the subject into the open. Karen wouldn’t, either.

“Not yet, but I will,” his mother said. “I wanted to speak with you first. It is always a woman’s place to smooth the waters, to keep peace.”

“I don’t see it that way,” Karen argued, determined to stand up for her own beliefs. “Men are just as responsible for the state of a relationship as the woman is.” She regarded her mother-in-law curiously. “How did you deal with it when Mr. Cruz bossed you around or treated you condescendingly? I know he did, because your daughters have mentioned it. You don’t strike me as a woman who would accept such treatment.”

A secretive smile crossed the older woman’s face. “I had my ways. Diego was never harsh or unyielding. He was a kind man, who’d grown up to believe men behaved in certain ways. I like to think I showed him that he could get better results another way.”

“But you argued?”

She shrugged. “Of course. We both had tempers and strong views. But no matter how vehemently we disagreed, we always ended the day with a kiss.”

“Did he recognize what a strong, capable woman you are?”

“In his way,” she said with a shrug, as if it were unimportant. “But unlike you or my daughters, I was content to run this household, to put my family above all else. I had no need of another career. Only Adelia has followed in my footsteps, though she’s involved in so many activities, she might as well have a full-time job.”

They’d had this conversation before, so Karen refused to take offense. “There are different ways to put your family first,” she said quietly. “Being responsible, working to give my children the life they deserve, is one way. Yours was another.”

“Agreed,” Mrs. Cruz said with a smile. “See, I’ve learned something from you,
niña.
Perhaps if you listen closely, you will learn something from me from time to time.”

Karen laughed. “No question about it. Your secret recipes alone have kept my husband very happy.”

“Marriage is about more than keeping a man’s belly full of his favorite food,” Mrs. Cruz chided. “But you know that, don’t you?”

“I still have a lot of lessons to learn,” Karen agreed. “And I’ll always hear your advice with an open mind. Anyone who raised such a wonderful man has to be very wise.”

“Now you are just flattering me so that I will tell you how to make that special
mole
sauce that Elliott adores,” she teased. “I believe I will keep that one in reserve for when I have a very big favor I need in return.”

Karen laughed. “Elliott told me I was never going to get that recipe out of you. He says even his sisters know only that it contains a variety of peppers and maybe a hint of chocolate?” she said, hoping for a confirmation of that much at least.

“A very clever try,” Mrs. Cruz praised. “But I believe I will keep that one to myself a while longer. I have to have some reason for my children to keep coming home.”

“I don’t think they come for the
mole
sauce,” Karen told her with total sincerity as she hugged her goodbye. “They come for the love.”

Mrs. Cruz kissed her enthusiastically on both cheeks. “And
that
is why you are my favorite daughter-in-law.”

“I’m your
only
daughter-in-law,” Karen said. And, despite this awkward conversation, it was a role in which she was slowly becoming comfortable. She wished it were as easy as being with Frances, but maybe, with time, that would happen.

She was on her way to her car when Adelia pulled up in front of the house. She frowned when she spotted Karen, jumped out of her car and crossed the lawn.

“Why were you here? Were you talking to Mama about me and Ernesto?” she demanded, alarm written all over her face.

“Absolutely not,” Karen said soothingly. “Why would I do that? Your marriage is private, Adelia. You’ve not said a word to me about what’s going on, and even if you had, I would never tell your mother.”

Relief washed over Adelia’s face. “Sorry. My nerves are shot. I was summoned over here by Mama, so I’m already on the defensive.”

Karen chuckled.

“You find that amusing?” Adelia asked, frowning.

“I was summoned, as well. Today must be your mother’s day for solving the family marital issues.”

Adelia’s scowl slowly faded, and she, too, began to chuckle. “You, too?”

“Yep.”

“How’d it go?”

“I think I managed to reassure her.”

Adelia’s momentary good humor disappeared. “I’m not sure I’m a talented enough actress to pull that off.” She squared her shoulders. “But I am certainly going to try. Things are difficult enough without getting Mama worked into a frenzy.”

“Good luck,” Karen said, then watched Adelia walk into the house. She didn’t envy her the likely interrogation that lay ahead.

* * *

Adelia would have given anything to flee her mother’s house right behind Karen. She’d tried to put her mother off by claiming several meetings today, but Mama had been insistent. When Maria Cruz spoke to her children in a certain tone, they all understood that there was no room left for argument.

“Good morning, Mama,” she said, forcing a cheerful note into her voice as she entered the kitchen. She made sure that her smile was bright, as well.

“Adelia,” her mother said, her own expression solemn. “Would you like coffee?”

“I’ll get it,” Adelia said, trying to buy time. “And the pastries smell wonderful. Guava is my favorite. Mine never turn out as well as yours do.”

Her mother simply lifted a brow at the comment. “Enough small talk,” she said firmly. “We have important matters to discuss. You left this house last Sunday without a word to anyone. That was inexcusable. Nor have you called to apologize. You were not raised to behave in such a way. And then your daughter announced to all of us that Ernesto has left home. What is the meaning of that?”

“Ernesto’s back home,” Adelia said quickly, hoping that would be enough to cut off further questioning.

“Why did he go in the first place? You know it is your job to keep your husband content at home.”

Though she’d been hearing the same tired admonition her entire life, Adelia was suddenly sick of it. “Mama, it takes two people to make a marriage work. I can’t fix things alone.”

“Then I will speak to Ernesto myself,” her mother said at once. “Or I will have Elliott have a word with him.”