Swan Point

by Sherryl Woods

  “I’ll go next door and apologize,” he muttered.

  Lynn tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin. “There may be hope for you yet.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You recognize that you went a little crazy just because a friend dared to tease you.”

  “I barely know Raylene.”

  Lynn rolled her eyes. “That’s the part of what I said you want to focus on?”

  Gabe scowled. “Okay, yes. I went a little crazy. Maybe even a lot crazy.”

  “I wonder why,” Lynn said, studying him speculatively. “Did she hit too close to home, suggesting that you and Adelia are a couple?”

  “It wasn’t that,” he said, accepting the coffee she’d finally poured for him without his needing to beg. He drew in a deep breath. “Suddenly I was a teenager again and people in this town were dissecting my mom’s life. I know I came back here to try to put all of that behind me once and for all, but suddenly it smacked me right in the face.” He met Lynn’s suddenly worried gaze. “To tell you the truth, I’m not sure I can do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “Stay here.”

  Now there was real alarm in Lynn’s eyes. “You want to take off? You didn’t just say that to provoke Raylene?”

  “I do and I don’t,” he said candidly. “And here’s the real kicker, either way it’s about Adelia.”

  Lynn waved him toward a table. “Maybe Adelia was right,” she mumbled as she followed him.

  “Adelia was right about what?” he asked, confused by the odd remark.

  “She suggested I get a degree in psychology and start holding my sessions right here. Since you’re my second client of the day, she might have been on to something.”

  “Who was your first?”

  “Adelia, of course. She’s as confused as you are, by the way.” She leveled a look at him that held his attention. “And do you know what that tells me? It tells me that whatever’s between the two of you matters. Otherwise neither of you would be wrestling with it. You’d give in to the attraction, settle for a fling and then move on.”

  “I’m not having a fling with Adelia,” Gabe said heatedly, outraged by the suggestion. He had more respect for her than that. He frowned at Lynn. “After everything she’s been through, don’t you think she deserves better than a fling?”

  “Absolutely, and I’m thrilled that you recognize that,” Lynn said approvingly. “And what do you deserve, Gabe?”

  “Not a woman like Adelia,” he said at once.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake, do I have to sit here and list all your attributes the way I did for her?”

  “You were trying to sell her on my good points?”

  “No, on her own,” Lynn said impatiently. “Neither of you seems to have a lick of self-esteem, and, frankly, I think that’s just pitiful.”

  “I imagine there are a few people who’d tell you my ego’s in pretty good shape,” he replied.

  “Well, they’re not here, and I am. From where I’m sitting, you don’t seem to be giving yourself half enough credit for the decent, honorable man you are. Let me ask you something, and I want you to think about the answer for a minute.”

  “Okay, shoot,” he said agreeably, though there was little doubt that he couldn’t stop her if he wanted to.

  “You think Adelia is an admirable woman, correct?”

  “Of course.”

  “Smart?”

  “Absolutely.” His eyes narrowed. “Where are you going with this? Do you want me to realize she’s too good for me?”

  Lynn merely rolled her eyes. “No, my point is that she likes you. She’s been spending time with you. She seems to be at least a little bit infatuated. Maybe you should trust her judgment about how worthy you are. She obviously sees something in you that you don’t see in yourself.”

  She’d gotten Gabe’s attention at last. “Okay, let’s say I’m a great guy, in her eyes, anyway. And we know she’s terrific. That still doesn’t mean we’re a good match.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Lynn agreed.

  Her candid reply caught him off guard. “I thought you were a big booster of this relationship.”

  “Not exactly. I’m a big booster of the two of you getting out of your own way and finding out if you’re a good match. She needs to stop throwing up her defenses and you need to stop looking for ways to bail.” She stood up and held his gaze. “And that is all I intend to say about that. Mull it over.”

  Gabe sat where he was and let Lynn’s advice sink in. It didn’t take long for him to realize she had a point. Maybe more than one. So maybe he wouldn’t leave Serenity just yet. Maybe he’d hang around and see how things played out, at least for a little while longer. The grand prize—marriage and a family he’d never dared to envision—just might be within his grasp after all.

  * * *

  Adelia had barely walked in the door at the boutique before Gabe stuck his head in.

  “Hey,” she said. “You coming in?”

  He looked uncomfortable. “I was looking for Raylene.”

  “I’m here,” Raylene called out, stepping out of the office.

  “I just wanted to apologize for jumping down your throat before,” he said. He glanced at Adelia. “I’m sure Raylene will explain. I’ll see you at the house later?”

  “Sure,” Adelia said, though she was thoroughly confused and wanted answers now.

  Gabe nodded. “Later, then.”

  “Well, that was odd,” Adelia said, watching him back out and take off down the block.

  “Not from where I’m standing,” Raylene said, a grin on her face.

  “What on earth happened while I was gone?”

  A guilty expression passed over Raylene’s face. “I might have freaked him out just a little.”

  “How?”

  “By teasing him about whatever’s going on between the two of you,” Raylene admitted. “I don’t think he was quite ready for the full-on Sweet Magnolia treatment. You know, prying inappropriately.”

  Adelia shook her head. “I can imagine. I’m still having a tough time with that myself.” She waved off the situation with Gabe. Right this second it wasn’t that important. “Do you need to leave right away or can we talk?”

  Raylene regarded her with immediate concern. “Of course we can talk. Sounds as if we should have some privacy for this. Not that the office is all that private, but it’s better than out here where anybody could walk in and overhear something they shouldn’t.”

  When Raylene was seated at her desk, Adelia had no choice but to sit on the folding chair next to it. There was no room for the nervous pacing that might have made the conversation easier.

  She filled Raylene in on what was going on with Carolina, then concluded, “She needs help, but she doesn’t want it. I’m way out of my depth here. I don’t know what else to do.”

  “The sad reality is that there’s not a lot you can do,” Raylene said. “If your sister won’t admit what’s going on to Carter or agree to press charges, his hands are tied. I think if he got a call to the house and saw evidence of the abuse, he could act, even if she denied it, but she’s not going to call, is she?”

  “I don’t think so,” Adelia said. “She keeps saying it’s all her fault, as if she’s triggering Ricky’s rage and, therefore, his reaction is acceptable.”

  “Been there, done that,” Raylene said wearily. “My husband was very good at isolating me, making sure I understood that no one would listen to me, the little nobody from Serenity. Because he had this sterling reputation in Charleston and an important family, I believed him.”

  “I think that’s exactly what Ricky is doing,” Adelia said.

  “Well, sadly it took losing the baby I was carrying before I finally had the courage t
o get out and to file charges,” Raylene said. “I didn’t think there was a chance the charges would stick given his reputation and ability to wiggle out of tight spots, but some doctors stood up and testified about what they’d seen, not just that awful night, but on other E.R. visits. Not even his expensive lawyers and doting parents could save him at that point. These were respected colleagues speaking out, not just me.”

  “I don’t want it to take something terrible for Carolina to wake up,” Adelia said.

  “Then be there for her as much as you can be. Don’t let her push you away. Keep reminding her that help’s available, that she has family who loves her, that her kids deserve a mother who doesn’t tolerate abuse, that she needs to set an example for them.”

  Adelia nodded. “That’s what finally did it for me with Ernesto. I realized Selena was losing all respect for me because I stayed after finding out about his affairs. And I didn’t want Tomas to grow up thinking that men had some inalienable right to cheat. It’s surprising how much strength you can find when you see how your decisions are affecting your children.”

  She thought about Joey and his tendency to lash out with hurtful comments. “I think the situation is taking more of a toll on her oldest than I realized,” Adelia said. “I’ve thought for some time that Joey was just a brat, but now I wonder if he’s not acting out either because he’s hurting or, even worse, because he’s mimicking his father’s attitude.”

  “Give me an example,” Raylene suggested.

  Adelia described his deliberately mean remarks to Selena about the kiss Adelia and Gabe had shared.

  “Maybe you need to tell Carolina about that,” Raylene suggested. “Or did you?”

  “No. I let it pass. I was more concerned with Selena’s reaction.”

  “I think you need to tell Carolina,” Raylene said. “It’s a concrete example of how her son is being affected by what’s going on. She’s a mother first. That instinct to protect her kids is strong.”

  “She doesn’t think they’re in danger,” Adelia lamented.

  “Maybe they’re not, physically,” Raylene said. “But that doesn’t mean the situation isn’t harmful to them. Just what you described about her oldest suggests that much.”

  “I’ll try bringing that to her attention,” Adelia said. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t thank me,” Raylene said. “I owe a lot of people for standing by me. If I can do even half as much for someone else, it’ll go at least a tiny bit toward paying back that debt.” She held Adelia’s gaze. “Don’t stay away, no matter how hard Carolina tries to push you out of her life. When things get worse, and there’s little doubt in my mind that they will, she’ll remember that she can come to you.”

  Adelia sighed, thinking of her conversation earlier, the one in which her sister had expected her to gloat. “I hope so,” she said softly. “I really hope so.”

  * * *

  For the second day in a row, Adelia went home exhausted and emotionally drained. Just inside the front door, she paused and listened to the laughter coming from the kitchen. The happy sound washed over her, easing just a little of the tension she’d been feeling ever since her visit to Carolina.

  She walked into the kitchen and found the girls once more around the kitchen table doing homework. Selena jumped up and hugged her, then bounced toward the refrigerator.

  “I’ll put dinner in the oven now,” she said. “I’ve set the dining room table already.”

  “Mama, look at the A I got on my book report,” Juanita said, interrupting them.

  “And I got a B plus on my math test,” Natalia chimed in, eager to share her own success. “It’s the first time ever!”

  Adelia smiled at them. “Then we need to celebrate.” She turned to her oldest. “And how did you do on your history test?”

  Selena made a face that had Adelia’s heart dropping. Then her daughter grinned.

  “An A minus,” Selena said, then confided, “It’s because Gabe helped me.”

  “He helped us, too,” Natalia said.

  That came as a surprise to Adelia. “How did he help?”

  “He came up with a way for me to remember all those dates,” Selena said. “While he was working, he’d play this game he made up, sort of like Jeopardy only just about history. For the first time ever, history was actually fun.”

  “He showed me what I was doing wrong on my math problems,” Natalia revealed. “He never once said I was dumb for not getting it.”

  Adelia’s temper stirred. “Who told you that you were dumb?” she asked. “You know that’s not a word I like you to use.”

  “The teacher,” Natalia said.

  “She actually said that you were dumb?” Adelia pressed, increasingly infuriated.

  “Kinda,” Natalia said, backing off a little. “The other kids laughed.”

  Adelia vowed to have a talk with that teacher first thing in the morning. Nobody should be telling a student, any student, that they were dumb just because they were having trouble grasping a concept.

  Biting back her annoyance, she turned to Juanita. “Did Gabe help you, too?”

  Juanita nodded. “He asked me to tell him what my book was about,” she explained. “Then he told me I should write the report just the way I’d told him. So that’s what I did. The teacher said it was the best book report she’d heard all day.”

  How had she not been aware of any of this, Adelia wondered. She joined her children at the kitchen table. “So maybe we should have more than a celebration,” she suggested. “Maybe you could think of some way to thank Gabe for his help.”

  “We already did,” Juanita said, bouncing in her seat. “Show Mom, Selena.”

  Selena rolled out a banner they’d made: Gabe, you’re the best! The colorful letters were decorated not just with bright drawings of balloons and streamers, but with an assortment of tools. There was even a sparkling tiara over his name.

  Adelia touched a finger to that tiara and smiled. “Nice touch.”

  She glanced around. “Where’s your brother, or do I even need to ask?”

  “Helping Gabe, of course,” Selena said.

  “And his homework?”

  “He did that first. Gabe said if he didn’t get it finished, he couldn’t help. Now Gabe’s working on his spelling words with him.”

  Amazing, Adelia thought. She couldn’t recall a single time when Ernesto had even asked to see homework, much less helped any of the kids with it. That, he’d insisted, was her responsibility.

  “What’s Gabe working on today?” she asked as she rose to go upstairs and check on him.

  Selena smiled. “I think it’s a surprise. You should probably stay here. I’ll go check.”

  Though Adelia wanted to argue, a part of her couldn’t resist the prospect of a surprise, especially one that put a smile on her daughter’s face. Most of the surprises that had come her way lately had been less than positive.

  “I’ll check the freezer for ice cream while you’re gone,” she told Selena. “Then we can celebrate after dinner.”

  “There isn’t any,” Selena said. “I checked.” She regarded Adelia hopefully. “Instead, maybe we could walk to Wharton’s after we eat.”

  “Yes, please,” Natalia said. Her plea was echoed by Juanita.

  Adelia looked into their happy, expectant faces and realized how far they’d come in just a few weeks. “Wharton’s it is,” she agreed.

  “Great. I’ll tell Gabe,” Selena said, bounding off.

  Shaking her head at her daughter’s burst of enthusiasm, Adelia wondered if Gabe had any idea of the role he’d played in the miracle that was happening in her home. He still thought he wasn’t cut out for family life, but around here, it sure seemed he was slowly becoming the center of hers.

  * * *

  Ga
be looked around Adelia’s bedroom worriedly. He’d tried to put it together in the way he thought she’d want it, but he was a guy and he was pretty sure she’d have her own ideas. Selena walked in the door and uttered a gasp. He turned to look at her.

  “Was that an ‘oh my gosh what a mess’ gasp?” he asked, frowning.

  “No, it was a ‘you got it exactly right’ gasp,” she said, grinning at him. “Mom’s going to love it.”

  “I hope so. She did pick out the color.”

  “It’s not just about the paint,” she told him. “It’s all the stuff you got, the pretty pillows, the new comforter.” She gestured toward the nightstand. “The flowers. I can’t remember Mom ever getting flowers before.”

  Gabe didn’t find that especially reassuring. Sure, Ernesto was a jerk, but maybe she was allergic. Maybe she didn’t like flowers.

  “She doesn’t have an allergy to flowers, does she?” he asked worriedly.

  “No, she loves them,” Selena said. “You should have seen our garden at the old house. She was out there all the time. Sometimes she’d pick this huge bouquet and make a centerpiece for the dining room table. It was as pretty as anything I’ve ever seen in a magazine.”

  “Maybe this won’t seem like much, then,” he said, unable to stop himself from fretting. It was ridiculous. It was a bouquet of flowers, not a declaration of some kind.

  “Gabe, she’s going to love them,” Selena reassured him. She glanced around the room. “Is everything ready? Can I let her come up?”

  He surveyed the room one more time and concluded it was as ready as he knew how to make it. “Send her up.”

  Selena nodded and beckoned for Tomas. “Come downstairs with me.”

  “But I want to be here when Mom sees the surprise,” he protested.

  “It’s Gabe’s surprise,” she said emphatically. “Let him show Mom. Otherwise, I’ll tell her you don’t deserve to go with the rest of us for ice cream after dinner.” She glanced at Gabe. “That’s one reason I came up here, to tell you we’re going out to celebrate all the good grades we got. You have to come, too.”