Husband for a Weekend

by Gina Wilkins

  Kim shook her head. “No, not at all. And she makes no secret that she isn’t particularly happy with some of the choices her progeny have made in the past few years.”

  “How do you think she would really react if she knew the truth—about us, and about Daryn, I mean?”

  Kim chewed her lower lip thoughtfully for a few moments, then shrugged. “I’ve wondered that myself. She’d be furious with Mom, of course—so mad that things could be very awkward between them for a long time. I’d hate to cause that, because Grandma needs Mom and Treva to watch out for her, especially now that she’s getting so fragile. Even with the hired companion she has during the days now, she won’t be able to live alone much longer and she’s going to need her daughters and son to rally around her.

  “As for how she’d react to me being an unmarried mother—I don’t know,” she admitted. “She’s old-fashioned about certain things. She’s outspoken in her disapproval of all the divorces in the family, but I don’t know how she’d feel about me skipping the marriage step altogether.”

  “You could be underestimating her, you know. She seems quite fond of you, in her own way.”

  “I guess she is. Like I said, it’s hard to tell with Grandma.”

  The fresh air and the quiet, combined with the congenial conversation, was draining some of the tension from her shoulders, as Tate had certainly hoped when he’d suggested this outing. For the first time since she’d stormed out of the house, she felt like she could take a full breath again. She filled her lungs and then exhaled slowly, releasing a little more of the stress.

  “Thank you,” she said. “For the walk, but mostly for taking care of Daryn. I would have thanked you sooner for that, but I had to wait until I could do so without falling apart.”

  “I’m enjoying the walk very much, and as for taking care of Daryn, I simply reacted faster than anyone else. I had a CPR class fairly recently and I guess the training just kicked in. The whole episode was over in only a few seconds, though it seemed longer at the time. Daryn’s fine.”

  She had to check again, making sure her daughter was sleeping peacefully, breathing evenly. “Yes, she is. Thanks to you.”

  He smiled down at her, his gaze holding hers, his hand covering hers on the stroller handle. “Don’t mention it.”

  She found it hard to make herself look away from him. Even harder to move her hand from beneath his. It felt unnervingly good to be so connected to him, both visually and physically.

  Don’t do this, Kim.

  Tate’s mouth quirked into a sudden, rueful grin. “Okay, I have a confession to make.”

  “Um—?”

  “Everyone keeps talking about how cool and calm I was—but truth is, I was scared spitless. When Daryn burst into tears afterward, I damn near joined her.”

  She knew he wanted her to smile, but she could only swallow hard instead.

  Tate glanced down at the sleeping child. “Just reminded me how much responsibility they are. I mean, elm trees and roses I understand. Babies…well, they terrify me.”

  She told herself her heart didn’t actually sink in response to that admission. That would mean she had almost let herself start to believe in this fantasy they were acting out.

  “I guess it’s time to start heading back,” she said regretfully as they reached the roundabout at the end of the residential street. “Grandma said something about wanting to take pictures while everyone is together. After that, we can make our escape.”

  Tate nodded and helped her turn the stroller while Daryn slept peacefully on. Taking a deep breath, Kim gave a little push to get them started and Tate again matched his steps to hers. She didn’t really need his help pushing the stroller, of course—but just for a little while longer, it was nice to have someone there beside her, helping her face the remainder of this fiasco.

  It would be time soon to return to the life she truly loved, she reminded herself. Her job, her house—rented, but home, nevertheless—her evenings and weekends with her adored daughter. She couldn’t ask for more.

  * * *

  Getting everyone posed for photos was definitely a challenge. Grandma Dyess had very specific ideas about how she wanted to pictures to look, but her orders were more easily barked than executed. There were just so darned many of them, Kim thought with a shake of her head. Fortunately, Grandma had chosen an outdoor setting, giving the kids room to run and play in the yard between poses, though Patty continuously fussed at her girls to please try to stay clean for their pictures.

  Grandma Dyess had actually written out a list of the shots she wanted taken. The first was of her surrounded by her three children. That one was easy enough. With only a little jostling and arguing about who should stand where, Betsy, Treva and Nelson gathered around the wrought-iron patio chair from which their mother reigned. It took only about five shots before Grandma was satisfied with what she saw on the screen of Bob’s high-quality digital camera.

  Next came a pose with her grandchildren. Handing Daryn to her mother, Kim joined her cousins around Grandma Dyess’s chair. She noted in wry amusement that there was much less arguing about positioning from this generation than there had been from their parents.

  The great-grandchildren were somewhat more of a test. Lucas didn’t want to pose and had to be bribed with candy. Grandma Dyess was reluctant to hold Daryn for fear that her arthritic hands would not be up to the task, even though Kim thought Daryn would be fine sitting up in Grandma’s lap. It wasn’t as if Daryn were an infant who couldn’t even hold up her own head. They compromised by perching Daryn on Grandma’s knee with six-year-old Abby keeping one hand on Daryn’s back for added support. Bob took those photos quickly, before Lucas’s patience and Grandma’s knee wore out, but everyone proclaimed the shots quite satisfactory.

  Individual family photos were next. Only as Treva, her daughters and granddaughters arranged themselves around the chair did Kim realize how awkward this session was truly about to become. She looked at Tate, to find him gazing back at her with similar questions written on his face.

  “Um, Mom—” She pulled her mother aside, whispering in her ear. “What are we going to do about Tate?”

  Her mother smiled at her serenely. “What do you mean, dear? We’ll have him join our family picture, of course.”

  “But, Mom—”

  “Oh, don’t be silly, Kim,” her mother managed to snap even in a low murmur that no one else could hear. “What does it matter if Tate stands with us? Now, make your grandmother happy and do what she asks, please.”

  Kim sighed and moved closer to Tate. “Looks like you’ll be posing for photos. Sorry about that.”

  “I’ll stand on the end,” he said with a chuckle. “That way I can be edited out if you ever want to erase me.”

  Suspecting her answering smile looked rather feeble, she turned away to watch Nelson’s sons and grandson move toward “the throne,” as she had begun to think of Grandma’s patio chair.

  “Sandi, you should join them,” Betsy instructed loudly, even though Nelson had already invited his girlfriend into the pose. “These pictures are a nice record of everyone who joined us for this lovely gathering today, right?”

  Though the words were undoubtedly directed straight toward Kim, they seemed to make sense to everyone. Sandi moved to stand beside Nelson, visibly pleased to be included. The poor woman probably took Betsy’s words as a signal that she was forgiven for allowing Betsy’s grandchild to choke, Kim thought. As for herself, she held no ill will toward the effusively apologetic woman. Babies were notorious for getting their little hands and mouths on things they shouldn’t. Perhaps Sandi shouldn’t have let herself be distracted from her volunteer babysitting duties, but truth was, it could have happened to anyone.

  Inevitably, it was time for Kim’s family to gather round the chair.
Bob turned the camera over to Rusty so he could take his place with his wife. Stuart grudgingly set aside his computer to amble into position, though Kim doubted he would bother to smile. Holding Daryn on her hip, she stood beside Tate and faced the camera, suspecting her own smile was a bit forced.

  The final pose was a group shot of everyone. Bob set the camera on a tripod, activated the timer, then hurriedly returned to his place by his wife. Three times he went through that procedure, just in case any eyes were closed or heads turned away, and because Lucas was sobbing in the first shot and had to be soothed for the next two.

  “That’s enough pictures for now,” Grandma finally announced after reviewing the shots on the camera screen.

  Kim fancied the collective sighs of relief from her relatives ruffled the leaves of the bushes in Grandma’s backyard.

  Grandma reached for her walker and rose slowly from her chair. The walker wobbled a bit on an uneven patio brick. Though she was never in danger of falling, Tate moved to steady her, as he happened to be standing closest to her just then. Kim watched her grandmother give him a curt nod of thanks and then regally allow him to escort her inside. Following behind them, Betsy gave Kim a smug look that made Kim want to snarl in return, though she managed to resist.

  To reward everyone for the photo shoot, and to cool them down after standing around in the afternoon heat outside, Betsy and Treva brought out pitchers of iced tea and lemonade, along with the leftover desserts from lunch for late afternoon snacks. Again, it was all set out buffet-style, and everyone milled around the tables, sipping from glasses and nibbling cakes and pies and cookies.

  Glancing at her watch, Kim spoke to her grandmother. “Tate and I are going to have to leave soon, Grandma. We still have a long drive ahead.”

  “You aren’t staying for the entire weekend? I thought maybe you’d attend church with us in the morning.”

  “We’d love to, Grandma, but we really need to get back home. Tate has a big client presentation first thing Monday morning and he needs to prepare for it.” Once again, she’d been able to tell the truth. Kim chided herself that she shouldn’t be so proud of that fact, considering the big lie she was allowing to be perpetrated about her and Tate.

  Her grandmother nodded in resignation. “I want you and Tate to come with me for a few minutes. Bring the baby, too.”

  Kim and Tate swapped a quick look. Judging by his expression, she wondered if he, too, questioned whether Grandma had somehow seen through their deception.

  She swallowed a bit nervously, but nodded. “Of course.”

  Without saying anything else, Grandma turned toward the hallway that led to the back of the house, her walker thumping against the floor. Kim and Tate followed, Kim carrying Daryn.

  “Where are you going, Mother?” Betsy asked, rushing forward when she saw them. “Is there something you need?”

  “I need you to stay in here while I talk to my granddaughter,” her mother answered flatly. “Try not to get into a fight with your sister for the few minutes while I’m out of the room.”

  Good luck with that, Kim thought with a slight smile that faded when Grandma led them into her bedroom and ordered Tate to close the door.

  Kim wasn’t sure she’d ever even been in her grandmother’s room. She took a quick glance around, noting the four-poster bed with a hand-crocheted spread, and the nightstand that held a lamp with a beaded shade, a soft leather bible and a photograph of the grandfather who had died when Betsy was still in high school. A double dresser with an attached mirror sat against the opposite wall, an antique silver dresser set with hand mirror and brush centered precisely on the gleaming surface, along with a bottle of rose-scented face cream.

  Grandma moved straight to that dresser, where she opened a drawer and drew out a small cardboard box. She turned and looked at Kim. “Give the baby to Tate for a minute.”

  “Um—”

  Tate reached out for the sleepy baby and cradled her against his shoulder as if he did so every day. If he felt any hesitation about taking her, he didn’t allow it to show as he nodded slightly toward Kim.

  Kim felt her heart beating in her throat when she opened the little box her grandmother pressed into her hands. She had a sick feeling of what she was going to find inside—and she was right.

  “I can’t take this, Grandma.”

  “It’s the engagement ring your grandfather gave me back in ’54. I can’t wear it anymore because of my arthritis. I want you to have it.”

  Kim’s hands were shaking as she closed the lid of the box, hiding the pretty little platinum band with its small, but perfect, round diamond. “You said this ring was to go to one of your grandchildren who was a part of a long, stable marriage. That isn’t me, Grandma.”

  “I know you and Tate aren’t much more than newlyweds, but I have a good feeling about this one.” Grandma nodded firmly as she spoke, as if there was no use arguing with her “feelings.”

  Kim looked despairingly at Tate. His gaze locked with hers over Daryn’s head, he gave a little shrug, effectively leaving the decision about what to do next entirely up to her.

  She drew a deep breath. “Grandma, there’s something I need to tell you. Maybe you should sit down.”

  Chapter Seven

  Stark silence reigned in Grandma Dyess’s bedroom when Kim finished speaking. Kim sat on the bed beside her grandmother, one hand resting gently on Grandma’s arm. Tate had settled onto a little boutique chair nearby. At any other time, Kim might have found some humor in the sight of him perched precariously on that delicate little chair, cradling her sleeping baby in his strong, tanned arms.

  “I’m so sorry, Grandma,” she said when the quiet became too awkward to bear. “I really wasn’t trying to pull anything over on you. But I wanted to see you, and, well…”

  “And your mother put you in such an untenable position that you didn’t know what else to do,” Grandma concluded for her, a scowl on her face. “I swear, I don’t know where I went wrong raising that girl. She wouldn’t recognize common sense if it walked up and bit her in the butt.”

  Kim heard a faint sound from Tate, but she knew he wouldn’t dare chuckle at that moment.

  “I know you’re probably angry with her—and with me, for that matter—but I hope you can forgive us both.”

  Her grandmother was still frowning. “Now that I think about it, you haven’t really flat-out lied to me, have you?”

  “I tried not to. But by omission, I suppose…”

  “For more than a year, whenever she has mentioned you, Betsy has referred to your husband and child. Now I will say, she hasn’t talked about you much. You know Betsy, always more interested in herself than anyone else, even her children. But all this time, she has led her family to believe that you were married. And then she had the nerve to blackmail you into cooperating.”

  “It wasn’t blackmail, exactly—”

  “Coercion, then. If you wanted to see your ailing grandmother, you had to play along with your mother’s trickery.”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  Grandma nodded. “I should have taken her behind the woodshed more when she was a child. I blame her father. He spoiled her rotten.”

  Kim didn’t quite know what to say to that.

  “So.” Grandma looked narrowly at Tate. “Is your name really Tate?”

  He did chuckle then. “Yes, ma’am. Tate Price. Not Trey.”

  “Good. Always thought Trey was a silly nickname.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And you and my granddaughter are—?”

  “Friends,” he supplied with a smile for Kim. “Very good friends.”

  “Hmm.” She studied him for a few moments later, then glanced at the dozing baby. “Not yours?”

  “Daryn is mi
ne,” Kim said firmly. “Her father was a decent man, but not interested in having a family. He’s no longer in our lives.”

  It was obvious that her grandmother did not like hearing that. “Don’t you be following in your mother’s footsteps, Kim. You got tangled up with one man who didn’t stick around, but I hope you learned your lesson that time.”

  “Trust me.”

  Grandma looked at Tate again. “What about you, young man? How did you get roped into this?”

  “I volunteered, actually. Kim mentioned her mother’s request and said she wasn’t planning to attend. I could tell she wanted to see you, so I suggested I come along to appease her mother.”

  “Humph. Can’t say I approve of what you two did, but I guess I can understand how it came about.”

  “I’m sorry, Grandma. I know you’re angry with Mother—and heaven knows you should be—but, well, I hope you can find a way to forgive her. I mean, she’s definitely difficult, but—”

  “But she’s my daughter,” her grandmother filled in with a rueful shake of her head. “And your mother. We can’t just cut her out of our lives, no matter how tempting she makes it at times.”

  “I guess that’s true,” Kim agreed with a similar resignation in her voice.

  Grandma sighed lightly and patted Kim’s knee. “I’ve understood why you felt the need to distance yourself from the family for a while. Wasn’t sure if that fictitious husband of yours had anything to do with it, but mostly I figured you just needed a break from the chaos your mother seems to enjoy surrounding herself with. Last time we all got together was at the reception she pretty much threw for herself and Bob, though she somehow strong-armed Treva into hosting it, along with that husband of hers at the time…what was his name?”

  Kim figured her grandmother was fully aware of the name, but she supplied it, anyway. “Greg.”

  “Right. Couldn’t stand that one. Anyway, Treva and Greg were already headed for a split by that time. That reception was filled with tension and back-biting and your mother’s melodrama, and I could see even then that you’d had your fill of it. Next I heard, you’d married and had a baby. I hoped you’d finally found the security and stability you lacked when you were growing up.”