Seasoned

by Delaney Diamond

  “Hello, Hector, how are you?”

  Adelaide kept her eyes trained on Hector, watching his reaction.

  He didn’t react much, except for a quick frown. “Hi Rita, how are you?”

  “I’m doing fine, thanks. This is my brother, Bert.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Bert said.

  Hector stood and shook the other man’s hand. “Hector. Nice to meet you. This is my…this is Adelaide.”

  “Adelaide?” Rita said her name in surprise. “The ex-wife?”

  Interesting. He’d talked about her with this woman.

  “Yes,” Hector said shortly.

  “Nice to meet you.” Rita extended her hand.

  Adelaide stood and shook hands with Rita. “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “Are the two of you back together?” Rita’s voice sounded normal enough, but the smile on her face looked unnatural and stilted.

  “I think we better go,” Bert interjected, cheeks turning red.

  Rita laughed self-consciously. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you later, Hector. The two of you have a nice meal. The food here is delicious. Good night.” Once more Rita glanced at Adelaide before they both disappeared.

  Hector and Adelaide sat down and Adelaide sipped her water. She avoided Hector’s eyes but could feel him looking across the table at her.

  “Do you want to ask me anything?”

  She could say No and ignore the weight of suspicion in her gut, but she couldn’t.

  She looked across the table at Hector, suddenly having difficulty with the idea that he was her ex-husband and not her husband.

  “Have you slept with anyone since our divorce?” The question came out softer than she expected because she was afraid he’d give the answer she expected.

  He answered gently, his eyes never leaving her face. “Once. Right after we divorced.”

  She let him take her hand while her heart broke a little. She didn’t want to think of him making love to another woman.

  “With Rita?” she asked dully.

  “Yes. She’s my next-door neighbor and I shouldn’t have done it. I wasn’t ready and it felt unnatural, like I was cheating on you.”

  “Why did you sleep with her in the first place?” Adelaide asked.

  “I don’t know…loneliness? I was at a low point, and she was kind and friendly. I regretted it afterward.” Hector rubbed his thumb over her fingers. “No one in the world can replace you, Addie. I’m right where I want to be, with the woman I should have never left. I should have said no when you asked for a divorce. I hate like hell I gave up when I should have fought for us.”

  His sentiment went both ways. Maybe she gave up too easily. True enough their marriage hadn’t felt happy for a few years, but what was a few years’ rough patch in light of two decades of love, laughter, and happy times?

  “Do you want to know about me?” she asked.

  “No,” Hector answered swiftly, his hand tightening over hers. The lines in his face became sharper.

  “I didn’t sleep with anyone else though I thought about it, as a way to exorcise the ghost of you in my head.”

  He closed his eyes briefly and squeezed her hand again. “It wouldn’t have made a difference to me if you had, but I…”

  “Didn’t want to know,” Adelaide finished for him.

  “Right.”

  She wished she hadn’t asked him about Rita. Knowing he’d been with someone else, even once, hurt. But knowing he loved her and regretted what he’d done, eased the pain.

  “We should call the waiter. I’m starving.” She sent a reassuring smile across the table.

  “Te amo, mi rosa,” he said, gaze intense.

  “I know. I love you, too.”

  They loved each other, and that’s all that mattered.

  15

  “My favorite couple has arrived! I don’t care who else shows up.”

  While it was strange to be considered a couple again, Adelaide took the compliment in stride. She always enjoyed dinner at Matt and Eleanor’s house for the adult conversations, good food, and plenty of laughs.

  Eleanor flung her arms wide and embraced first Hector and then Adelaide. Decked out in a black dress, pearls, and heels, with her blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail, Eleanor was, as usual, overdressed for her own dinner party.

  Behind her, her husband Matt, dressed more comfortably in jeans and a short-sleeved button-down shirt, nudged his glasses higher on his nose and smiled. “Welcome.”

  Adelaide and Hector entered the open great room and were greeted by the other two couples present. A Caucasian couple named Jessica and Brad—both lanky with dark hair—and the couple she’d been looking forward to seeing—Martin and Paula.

  “Eleanor acts as if we’re not even here. I’m kinda hurt.” Paula stood and greeted Adelaide with a warm hug. A statuesque woman with brown skin and thick natural hair, Paula wore her hair in a blonde Afro. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time, since Paula was busy flying back and forth to Jamaica to look after her family.

  “You know I love you, but I’ve never made a secret of my love for the Floreses, and of course I have a soft spot for Adelaide because she always brings the most delicious dishes.” Eleanor removed the casserole dish from Adelaide’s hands. “Please tell me this is mac and cheese.”

  “Mac and cheese, as you requested.” Adelaide knew she couldn’t walk into the house without the dish. Though Eleanor was hosting and provided the food, Adelaide was the only one she asked to bring side dish. “I also brought an apple crumb cake. I practically had to beat Hector to keep him from cutting a slice.”

  Holding the plastic cake dish in hand, Hector deadpanned, “I’ll show you my bruises later. Just know that it wasn’t easy to behave myself.”

  “But I’m so glad you did. I would hate to cancel our friendship over crumb cake.” Eleanor shot him a teasing smile and then glided toward the kitchen. Matt took the cake from Hector and followed. “The roast is warming in the oven. Give us five minutes and we’ll be ready,” she added.

  Little more than five minutes later, they were all seated around the dining room table with the food spread out family-style. Matt said a short prayer and then they started passing around the dishes.

  “I have good news,” Jessica said, spooning a hearty serving of macaroni and cheese on her plate. “I got the promotion!” Blushing and smiling, she accepted the round of congratulations that filled the room.

  “I’m so glad to hear your hard work paid off. You’ve worked in HR for how long…twenty years now?” Eleanor asked.

  “Almost, and when Lola retired, I knew this was my chance to become HR director, but I wasn’t sure if they’d give me the position or hire someone from the outside.”

  “I retire next year and she starts bringing in the big bucks. Perfect timing,” Brad said with glee.

  They all laughed.

  “I predict you’re going to be very bored at home. Ask Matt how he feels about retirement.” Eleanor looked pointedly at the other end of the table where her husband sat.

  Matt grunted as he placed a portion of the delicious-smelling roast onto his plate.

  Plates continued to be passed around before everyone settled down with their meals. Eleanor arched an eyebrow. “Can I be the one to mention the elephant in the room?”

  “Eleanor…” Matt warned.

  “What?” Eleanor widened her eyes innocently. “We’re all thinking it, aren’t we?” She looked around the table.

  Hector put down his knife and fork and shook his head. “Go ahead and ask, Eleanor.”

  “Well, if you insist. Are the two of you getting back together, for good?”

  The room fell quiet. Adelaide looked at Hector, and he took her hand.

  “Yes. We’ve decided to give marriage another try.”

  “Hallelujah!” Eleanor threw up her hands. “You have no idea how invested I was in your marriage. Before Matt and I got married, I told him this is my second marriage and this time I want
to do it right. I said I wanted a marriage like yours. Real and loving. I was devastated when you divorced, so I’m glad you’re back together. We have to do drink to that.”

  There were big smiles around the table, as well as “Congratulations” and “We’re so happy for you two,” all of which brought a smile to Adelaide’s lips. It was nice to be in the company of her friends again, and even nicer to know how happy they were that she and Hector were reconciling.

  Eleanor held up her glass of red wine. “Cheers!”

  They all clinked their glasses together.

  “Lots of good news tonight,” Martin said. “Might as well tell you all about the third store Hector and I are opening. This one is in Carlsbad.”

  “Wait a minute, aren’t you supposed to be retiring to Jamaica, but you’re opening another store?” Jessica asked.

  “I still plan to retire if I can get this man right here to buy me out.” He pointed his fork at Hector.

  “I want to, believe me. It’s definitely something I’m thinking about.” He glanced at Adelaide beside him, sending a silent message that he hadn’t yet told Martin he’d been approved for the loan. Knowing what a perfectionist he was, she figured he was still crunching numbers and ironing out the details.

  “Do you need Adelaide’s permission, is that it?” Eleanor asked mischievously.

  “He does not,” Adelaide said. “Don’t start trouble, we just got back together. He’ll make the decision on his own, when the time is right. You know Hector—he’ll sit down with his calculations and turn the numbers over in his head, and then decide.”

  Hector slipped his arm along the back of her chair. “Until then, she’s been very supportive. She’s coming with me next week to watch them put the permanent sign on the store.”

  “Aww, how sweet. See, that’s what I was talking about when I said I want a marriage like yours. You’re supportive of each other.”

  “I’m supportive of you,” Matt said, sounding a little hurt.

  “Yes, you are, darling.” Eleanor blew him a kiss. “Everyone is doing so well. Hector and Adelaide reconciled. Hector and Martin opening a new store. Jessica got a promotion, and Adelaide starts classes in the fall.”

  “Classes?” Paula said.

  “Yes, I start culinary classes in September. I’m going for my diploma from the School of Culinary Arts.”

  Eleanor beamed at Adelaide. “She’s going to start catering, and I can’t wait to be her first customer!”

  “That’s wonderful!” Paula said.

  “I thought you were putting that on hold.” Beside her, Hector’s voice didn’t carry the same enthusiasm as their friends.

  “I never said that.”

  He slowly removed his arm from the back of her chair, and silence filled the table as they stared at each other.

  “Once we’re remarried, when will you have time to cater events? Not to mention you’re going to be helping Danny and Jamie with the baby, aren’t you?”

  Adelaide bristled. He was doing it again—squashing her dreams, and this time in front of others. “Actually, I’ll have plenty of time because although I’ll help Danny and Jamie with the baby, the baby is their responsibility, not mine.”

  He looked at her. She looked at him.

  “More wine?” Eleanor asked cheerily, holding up the bottle.

  “I’ll have some,” Paula said, overly bright.

  Brad groaned. “This is really good macaroni and cheese. I can see why you want to start catering. The dishes you bring are always delicious.”

  Jessica kicked him under the table and he jumped.

  “Ow! What did I say?” he asked, oblivious to the tension.

  “Did I mention that Matt and I are thinking about getting a dog? We came up with this crazy idea after visiting my mother and seeing how her dogs…”

  Adelaide tuned out Eleanor and watched Hector from the corner of her eye. He chewed slowly and like her, no longer participated in the conversation around them.

  Three years ago, she allowed him to talk her out of her idea of starting a business, and he placated her by giving the kitchen a facelift and creating an outdoor living area that was great for entertaining. But her satisfaction had been temporary. She wanted to do more, but clearly he didn’t think she could do more. In his mind, she was simply a mother, a wife, and a soon-to-be grandmother. He couldn’t see her as a businesswoman.

  His words hurt, and at some point they’d have to discuss why he had such a poor opinion of her and constantly tried to kill her dream.

  Tonight was the night.

  16

  Hector slammed the door on her side. If slamming wasn’t enough to convey he was upset, his rigid back as he walked around the front of the SUV certainly did.

  Adelaide fastened her seatbelt and waited until he was settled behind the wheel before she spoke.

  “I cannot believe how you embarrassed me front of our friends. I’m going to take the classes whether you want me to or not.”

  “Obviously. What I think doesn’t matter.”

  “What exactly do you think? What’s your problem with me taking the culinary classes?”

  “It’s not the classes,” he said between gritted teeth.

  “So it’s as I thought—you just don’t want me to start a business, am I right?”

  “Could we not do this right now when I’m driving? Let’s talk when we get home, all right?”

  Adelaide folded her arms cross her chest and stared out the side window.

  “All right?” Hector prompted again.

  “Fine,” she answered between gritted teeth.

  They arrived at the house in record time. It seemed as if he’d pressed his foot all the way down on the accelerator, speeding through intersections and careening around corners like a madman. He completely ignored Adelaide’s grunts and the times she grabbed onto the seat because of his reckless driving.

  When he pulled into the garage, she glared at him. “Nice driving. Did you want to get us killed so we wouldn’t have to talk?”

  He ignored her and she exited the vehicle, following him into the house and into the master bedroom.

  “Now are you ready to talk?” she asked.

  He let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face her. “Yes, I’m ready to talk about why you feel the need to get a job when all your needs have been taken care of. When we’ve talked about getting back together. I don’t understand why you’re so adamant about starting a catering company when, for years, you told me that being a mother is the hardest and greatest, most satisfying job ever. What happened to all of that?”

  “I used to feel that way.”

  “And now?”

  “I want more, Hector. I want something else. The job is finished. Yes, I know we still have children and they’ll always be my babies, but for all practical purposes, the job is finished. Junior is on another continent. Karen is in another city pursuing her dreams. Danny has a job and is about to start a family. They’re all grown up. They don’t need me anymore.” Her voice quivered. “I need this, Hector. Why are you so against me starting a business?”

  “Why am I so against you starting a business?” He laughed bitterly.

  She had no idea why he was behaving this way. “It’s not enough that I worked hard all these years, taking care of the kids, making sure you have a hot meal twice a day during the week and three times on the weekend? I did my part, so why can’t you be happy for me? Why won’t you support my dream?”

  “I have supported you and done everything humanly possible to make you happy. You wanted this house.” He gestured widely in the general vicinity of the walls. “I bought it for you. You wanted that kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances, and we did the renovation. You wanted three kids and a patio so you could socialize with your girlfriends. Everything you wanted, I gave to you.”

  “You gave me this and gave me that. That makes you feel like a big man when you say that, doesn’t it? Look at what I’ve done for my wife, fellas. Ma
ybe I want something that I earned on my own, that you didn’t give me. And frankly, while I admit you’re very generous, you didn’t give me everything I wanted, as you so glibly put it.”

  “Tell me what you wanted that I never gave you. Tell me!”

  Because he was yelling, she yelled, too. “Your time!”

  His eyebrows snapped together. “Did you tell me that? Because I don’t recall having that conversation. You clearly articulated your need for a state-of-the-art kitchen, but when did you tell me you wanted to spend more time with me? I’ll tell you when. Never. Not once.”

  “Because I didn’t want to beg. Why didn’t you want to spend time with me, the way you used to? I never had to tell you that before. I was your wife.”

  She’d been embarrassed about her need to be with him, especially when it was so obvious he didn’t feel the need to be with her. Coupled with the fact that the kids were all independent, she’d felt like a useless appendage.

  “I didn’t have time because I was busy giving you the life that you wanted.”

  “No, don’t you dare blame this on me.” Adelaide marched over to him and jabbed a finger in his face. “You wanted the three stores and the SUV and the family vacations. You’re the one who sends money to your family back in Mexico and helped support your aunt when she got sick and couldn’t work. That was all you. Choices you made that meant you had to work harder and longer hours.”

  “That’s what a man does.”

  “You know what, I’m sick of your macho bullshit.”

  “Oh, now it’s bullshit. Now you’re sick of it.” Bitterness filled Hector’s abrupt laugh.

  “A man isn’t supposed to only provide financial security. Emotional security, caring, that’s all part of marriage.” Adelaide trembled with finally unleashed rage. She didn’t have to hide her feelings and comments anymore.

  Hector narrowed his eyes. “You know what else is part of marriage? Getting the support you need from your wife. Hearing a goddamn ‘thank-you’ every now and again for providing a roof over your head and taking you and the kids on those expensive vacations once a year. But that’s too much to ask because this marriage should only center around you.”