Midnight Promises (29 page)

“That’s because renovations take brute strength, which we have in spades,” Cal said. “A name requires finesse, which is maybe not our best attribute.”

“Speak for yourself,” Travis said, grinning. “I’m all about finesse. Ask Sarah.”

“We could ask the women for their input,” Tom suggested.

“And admit we’re stumped?” Ronnie protested. “We’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I think Tom’s right,” Cal said. “We should buy them some tequila and margarita mix, let them have one of their infamous margarita nights and leave them to it.”

“It’ll be some girly name,” Ronnie argued. “I guarantee it. They’ll do it just to spite us.”

“Do you have a manly alternative?” Cal asked him.

Ronnie gave him a sour look. “If I did, don’t you think I’d have thrown it on the table by now?”

Elliott listened to the exchange with growing amusement. After growing up in a household of mostly women, he’d had only his father’s example to go by of how men were supposed to behave. As Karen occasionally suggested, it was a macho style that could be objectionable to a more modern woman. These guys were showing him a different path. While their status as sexy, virile, strong men could never be questioned, they knew when to admit defeat and share the power with their other halves.

“You all seriously don’t mind never hearing the end of it if we ask for help?” he inquired.

“We’ll never hear the end of it if we get it wrong,” Cal said with a shrug. “I say this way’s better.”

“Agreed,” Tom said.

Travis, Erik and Elliott signed on as well, leaving Ronnie the only one with doubts.

“Oh, what the heck,” Ronnie said eventually. “If you all can take the gloating, so can I. Now let’s get back inside and do something that requires that brute strength someone mentioned earlier. My testosterone level needs a serious boost.”

“Elliott, you’ll speak to Maddie?” Cal asked as they went inside. “This may have been my idea, but I really, really don’t want to be the one who has to admit to my wife that we’re stumped.”

Elliott laughed. “Nice to know you have some boundaries. I was getting worried there for a minute.”

“Trust me, once you’re married a few more years, you’ll be more than eager to concede certain things to your wife,” Cal said to nods of agreement from the others. “There’s a nice ebb and flow to the balance of power. It generally works out in your favor in the end.”

And once again, Elliott was struck by how different that philosophy was from the way he’d grown up. Definitely something to keep in mind when Karen gave him one of those looks that hinted he was treading all over her ability to think for herself.

16

“E
mergency margarita night tomorrow,” Dana Sue announced to Karen as they were closing up at Sullivan’s. “Maddie just called. Apparently the guys have asked for our input on naming this new gym of theirs.”

Karen stared at her incredulously. “Seriously? They’re leaving it up to us?”

“I know,” Dana Sue said with a chuckle. “I’m as shocked as you are. The only one who’s not is Maddie. She said it’s been obvious for a while now that they’re clueless. She finally backed them into a corner and demanded a name so she can get going on advertising and signage.”

“And we’re supposed to come up with suggestions while we’re looped on margaritas?” Karen asked, loving the idea of it.

“Apparently our success with The Corner Spa played into their confidence that we can do this better than they could. That and the fact that the only suggestion they’ve had so far was The Club.”

“Isn’t that some tool to keep people from stealing cars?” Karen asked.

Dana Sue laughed. “I hadn’t even thought of that, but, yes. Obviously not the right name for this business, if we all imagine something different when we mention it.”

Karen studied her. “You do know that we could probably each come up with a list and just hand ’em over to Maddie.”

Dismay registered on Dana Sue’s face. “What would be the fun of that? They’ve given us an excuse for a bonus margarita night only days after we were last together. They’ve even offered to buy the tequila and to babysit. Why on earth would we turn that down?”

“Good point,” Karen said. “So being a good Sweet Magnolia implies seizing any opportunity for a get-together.”

“Not just any get-together,” Dana Sue corrected. “We have picnics and barbecues all the time that are not official Sweet Magnolia events. It only counts if it’s a girls-only margarita night, where we get wild and crazy.” Her expression turned thoughtful, and then a sparkle lit her eyes. “Or at least they think we do. It seems to make them happy to try to envision what goes on when we have these secret gatherings where they’re not allowed.”

“Including the possibility that we’re misbehaving?”

“Especially that,” Dana Sue confirmed. “After all, that’s how Helen, Maddie and I became such good friends back in the day. We were almost always in trouble in high school. I think that’s why Helen became a lawyer. She figured sooner or later one of us would need legal representation.”

Karen thought of what Frances had told her about Helen’s mother having a new boyfriend and Helen’s likely reaction to it.

“Can you tell me something I’ve been wondering about?” she asked Dana Sue. “How’d Helen turn out to be so different from Flo? It seems Flo pretty much goes with the flow, so to speak, while Helen is…” She searched for the right word.

“An uptight control freak?” Dana Sue provided with a grin. “She is by comparison to Flo, that’s for sure, but Helen has her moments when she loosens up. That’s part of what makes margarita nights so much fun. We get to see her lose her inhibitions.”

Karen couldn’t honestly imagine Helen ever loosening up that much. Then, again, she’d only been to one margarita night so far, and she’d had to cut out early. Maybe tomorrow night would be a revelation.

* * *

Karen was the first to arrive at Maddie’s. At Dana Sue’s recommendation, she’d come with a tray of buffalo chicken wings and blue-cheese dip that she’d had time to prepare before leaving Sullivan’s. Erik had put them on the menu as tonight’s appetizer special, so she’d doubled the usual recipe and brought the extras along with her boss’s permission.

She found Maddie looking surprisingly distracted, worry creasing her brow. Since Maddie was usually so in control of things, even with two toddlers and a teenager still at home, it was a shock to find her looking so out of sorts.

“Is everything okay?” Karen asked hesitantly, still not entirely comfortable in the role of friend, rather than just the wife of someone who worked with Maddie. “Is there anything I can do to help you get ready?”

Maddie immediately forced a smile. “Don’t mind me. I just had a thoroughly exasperating conversation with Katie. Before I could get to the bottom of something, she flounced off and went to her room. Living with a teenager means living in the middle of a never-ending mood swing. I don’t remember Ty or Kyle being nearly this impossible, though. Maybe it’s just teenage girls.”

Karen winced. “Gee, I can hardly wait. You make it sound like so much fun.”

Maddie’s expression turned rueful. “Sorry. It does have its moments of pure joy, too. I can vaguely remember a few of them.”

“Do you need to deal with Katie now? I can answer the door when the others get here,” Karen offered.

“Believe me, by now she has her earphones on and her music turned up. I won’t get through to her till she calms down.”

“Not that it’s any of my business,” Karen began, “but is there a problem at school?”

“I think so,” Maddie said. “But she won’t admit to that. She won’t say if she’s upset about a boy. Bottom line, she doesn’t want to talk to me at all. With any luck, Cal will be able to shed some light. Working as a P.E. teacher and the high school baseball coach, he not only understands teenagers better than I do, but he’s tapped into the school grapevine.” She smiled at Karen. “Enough of that. Let’s get these buffalo wings on a plate. They smell fabulous. A new addition to the Sullivan’s menu?”

Karen nodded. “Erik persuaded Dana Sue that chicken, in all its forms, is a Southern dish. It doesn’t always have to be fried to qualify.”

Maddie chuckled. “I’d love to have been there for that discussion. Dana Sue is very protective of the integrity of her Southern cuisine menu.”

Within the next few minutes, as Karen arranged food on plates and Maddie carried them into the living room, the rest of the women arrived. Helen immediately went to work making frozen margaritas, handing them out as each batch was completed.

As soon as everyone was settled, the usual gossip started flowing, but Maddie clapped her hands. “Okay, ladies, no time for that. We’re on a mission. We have to name this gym. Gossip to follow.”

Suggestions poured out, from the fairly obvious, The Boys’ Club—to one they all concluded was vaguely pornographic-sounding—The Blue Room.

“To say nothing of the fact that it’s been painted sage green,” Maddie said, shaking her head at the suggestion.

“Ooh, I love sage green,” Jeanette said, immediately distracted. “It’s so soothing. I wanted to paint the guest room that color, but somehow it wound up being dark blue, of all things. Tom painted it before I could stop him.”

“Well, you can thank me for the green,” Maddie said. “If they’d had their way, the entire place would have been industrial gray.”

“Maybe we need to be more systematic about this,” Karen said hesitantly. “You know, decide on one word first, like
gym.
Is that going to be part of the name for clarity’s sake? Or fitness something?”

“Great idea,” Maddie enthused. “What do you think of when you hear gym?”

“Sweaty clothes and Dexter’s,” Helen said, wrinkling her nose.

“Bad connotations,” Maddie concluded. “Are we agreed about that?”

Everyone nodded.

“Then is
fitness
the right alternative?” Maddie asked. “Or some variation?”

“How about Fit for Life?” Raylene suggested, testing it out slowly.

Sarah’s eyes lit up. “I like it. It sounds healthy and not too girly. It has a proactive ring to it.”

“I don’t know,” Dana Sue said skeptically. “I’ll bet there’s already some chain of gyms with that name. We’d need to check, but I think we’re on the right track. Any other spins on that?”

“I have one,” Karen said. “What about Fit for Anything?”

“Ooh, I really like that,” Annie said. “It sounds young and hip.”

Maddie looked around the room, a grin on her face. “Does it need anything tacked on? Club? Gym?”

“Nope. I think it works all on its own,” Helen said. “A show of hands? All in favor?”

As every hand shot into the air, Karen grinned, pleased to have her suggestion approved. For the first time, she felt a tiny sense of ownership in the whole gym proposal.

“That’s it, then,” Helen said. Turning to Maddie, she handed over the cell phone that was never far from reach.

“Call Cal,” she instructed. “Run it by the guys. I think they’re all at Rosalina’s having pizza with the kids. Some kind of misery-loves-company thing or babysitting co-op.” She grinned. “Somehow Erik persuaded Ronnie to take Sara Beth with him, since Erik’s stuck at Sullivan’s till closing and I, of course, was needed here.”

Maddie was on the phone for several minutes, while they waited. Her grin spread as she finally hung up.

“We have ourselves a name. The guys wholeheartedly approve.”

“Great,” Helen said briskly. “Now we can get to the serious stuff. Who has good gossip?”

“Grace Wharton,” Sarah commented wryly. “But she’s not here.”

Raylene nudged Sarah in the ribs. “But she tells you everything. Spill.”

Karen had little to offer herself, but sitting back and listening, she couldn’t help being amazed at how tapped in these women were. More fascinating, though, despite their salacious interest in the latest town news, there was an underlying note of concern for anyone who seemed to be going through a tough time. She didn’t detect a single mean-spirited word, which told her a lot about their character.

They’d been chatting for the better part of an hour when Sarah turned to her. “There is something else I heard this week,” she said, keeping her worried gaze on Karen. “Someone told me Frances might have Alzheimer’s.”

Helen nodded. “My mother mentioned something about that, too. She’s worried sick about her.”

Sarah kept her gaze on Karen. “I know the two of you are close. Is she okay? Are you holding up okay?”

To her dismay, Karen felt her eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t really know. The doctor’s sending her to see a specialist. Please don’t say too much around town. I know that’s like trying to stuff something back in a box after it’s been taken out and assembled, but Frances is such a proud woman. She doesn’t want people pitying her.”

“We just want to help,” Sarah protested. “She’s always been there for everyone else.”

“Nobody knows that better than I do,” Karen said.

“I think we need to let Frances guide us,” Helen said. “Once she knows what’s going on, if she wants help, she’ll ask for it. And my mom and Liz are going to be right there, too.”

Karen nodded. “I know Frances will appreciate the fact that you’re all so concerned, though. I’ll definitely let her know. I think she forgets sometimes now many lives in this town she’s touched.”

Helen’s attention remained focused on her. “What about you, though?” she inquired quietly after the others had moved on to different topics. “I know how much she means to you. You couldn’t have had a more caring neighbor when your life was in turmoil.”