Adam Then and Now

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  Anita took a drink from her water goblet. Her hand shook as she returned the goblet to the table. “Really, Adam, I think you’re blowing this all out of proportion. A few chance remarks, a few mistaken impressions...”

  “More than a few. I want you to tell Daphne everything you can remember.”

  “Now? That’s why we’re having lunch?”

  Adam nodded. “Since you haven’t seen fit to handle this yourself, I decided to observe and get my money’s worth. I figured a public place like this, where you’re known, would prevent you from having one of your dramatic tantrums.”

  Anita pushed away from the table. “I don’t have to do this.”

  “True. I’m sure I can get a refund from the bail bondsman once you’re behind bars again.”

  Daphne grabbed his arm. “What are you talking about? You just got her out of jail!”

  “Apparently, she’s ready to go back.”

  “Dad!”

  Anita sighed and rested her head in her hands. “All right, Adam.” Then slowly she raised her head and gazed at Daphne, who stared at her in fascinated horror. “There have been some occasions in your life when I thought it...more appropriate if you spent time with me, instead of your father.” She waved her hand at him. “He wanted you riding in eighteen-wheelers and being an office slave. I didn’t.”

  Daphne glanced at her father in quick surprise. So he hadn’t made that up. He’d wanted her with him. The quick burst of joy she felt died when she realized the role her mother had played. But her mother had been thinking of her welfare, hadn’t she? “What about the air show?” she asked. “Do you remember Dad wanted me to go on my ninth birthday?”

  “Vaguely. As I recall, I couldn’t imagine you traipsing around an air show when we could have a nice lunch with your friends and go shopping.”

  Daphne felt as if someone had squeezed her lungs like a damp sponge. “Mom, I would have loved that air show.”

  “Then I’m sorry. I thought”

  “But you didn’t even ask me. You shouldn’t have made that decision for me.”

  “Shall we discuss the flying lessons?” Adam asked.

  “Oh, that.” Anita waved her hand again. “Any fool could see you were too busy to teach her.”

  “Except for one thing,” Adam said, his voice deepening. “I’ve been thinking back over our years together. And I remember that afternoon when Daphne got her learner’s permit to drive a car. I remember sitting in our kitchen after she’d gone to bed. I’d just bought a new plane for the business, and I was excited about that. Do you remember what I said?”

  Daphne listened with rapt attention.

  “That was three years ago, Adam. How am I supposed to remember things you said three years ago?”

  “Take time to think. I didn’t remember it, either, at first. But I do now. It was only days before Daphne started lessons with someone else, too short a time for you to have forgotten that conversation, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Well, I”

  “Anita!”

  “Okay, okay. Don’t make an issue out of it. You said something about wanting to teach Daphne to fly if she ever showed an interest.”

  “What?” Daphne glanced at her mother, but Anita wouldn’t meet her gaze. “But I asked you if I should ask Dad, and you said no.”

  Anita looked everywhere but at her daughter. “I must have forgotten he said that.”

  “How could you forget something like that?” Daphne’s voice rose in pitch. “But you didn’t, did you?”

  “No, she didn’t,” her father said. “Her actions were deliberate. Maybe not every time, but enough of the time. I wasn’t giving her what she wanted. I’m willing to take the blame for being a bad husband. But what I can’t forgive is her calculated campaign to keep us apart, to have you all to herself.” His voice grew husky. “She stole eighteen years from us, Daphne.”

  The truth of it washed over her, making the room spin. One look at her mother confirmed that what her father said was true. Her mother had filled her full of lies just to get revenge. And now her parents weren’t going to make up at all. Her father was probably still interested in that woman in Sedona. Daphne had lost them both.

  She pushed back her chair and got unsteadily to her feet. Then she retrieved her small shoulder bag from where she’d hooked it over the back of the chair.

  Her father shoved his chair away and rose with her. “I’m sorry to spring it on you like this, Daphne, but I was afraid your mother would never tell you if I didn’t insist.”

  “It’s okay, Dad.” She took a deep breath. “I just need to get away and think. I’ll catch a cab to the mall, or something.”

  Anita’s voice was shrill, bordering on hysteria. “Don’t let her just go off, Adam.”

  “Have some confidence in your daughter, Anita. She has a lot more sense than you do.”

  Daphne gave him a weak smile of gratitude. At least he wasn’t treating her like a baby. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll call you tonight.”

  “Do better than that,” he said, his gaze intent. “Come over. We’ll order a pizza. I have something else to talk to you about.”

  Daphne had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach for what that something would be, but she nodded, anyway. Maybe she’d be wrong.

  Five hours later, she found out she wasn’t.

  “Loren’s a wonderful woman,” her father said, leaning toward her across the kitchen table. “Give her a chance, Daphne.”

  Daphne picked pepperoni slices from her serving of pizza and squeezed them between her fingers. Dammit to hell. Why did she have to be right?

  “She wrote you this note,” her father said, sliding an envelope toward her.

  She didn’t touch it for a while, but finally curiosity got the better of her. Not bothering to wipe the pepperoni grease from her fingers, she opened the envelope and took out the folded piece of paper.

  “Dear Daphne,” the note read. “Your father and I will be married a week from Saturday in a sunrise ceremony at Red Rock Crossing. Josh will be the best man. I would be so pleased if you’d be my maid of honor. Sincerely, Loren.”

  Sunrise at Red Rock. She glanced up. “The picture in your office. She took it, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  Anger swelled within her. “If you loved her all this time, why did you marry Mom?”

  He looked sad, but he held her gaze. “Because I’m human and I make mistakes.”

  “Was I a mistake, too?”

  “God, no.” He reached for her hand, pepperoni grease and all. “You’re what’s made my life worth something.”

  Daphne fought tears. “But now you have her. You don’t need me anymore.”

  “I need you both.”

  Sure you do. Daphne stared hard at the note on the table, wondering if she could make it catch fire with her gaze. Finally, she composed her expression carefully before looking up. “Okay,” she said. “I’ll be there.”

  He grinned, and she almost felt guilty for what she was thinking. Almost.

  “Thanks, Daph.” He squeezed her hand.

  “Don’t mention it.” The way she had it figured, she had no choice. Because if she expected to stop the wedding, she’d have to be in Sedona to do it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  A BRUSHED-PEWTER SKY arced over the russet spires of Sedona as Walt drove Loren and Josh to Red Rock Crossing. Rain the night before had left water dotting the red earth like beads of mercury. Bridal bouquets of wild daisies clustered beside the roadway, lending their delicate scent to the fresh-washed tang of sage and juniper. A soft breeze blew in the open window of the Suburban, ruffling the lace trimming the neckline of Loren’s wedding dress.

  She and Adam had found the dress in one of Sedona’s shops. She’d protested the expense, but he’d insisted, after seeing how the handkerchief-soft material draped her breasts and swirled at her knees. She wore no veil, only a circlet of miniature white roses in her hair. A bouquet of miniature roses and baby’s
breath rested on the dashboard of the car. When she’d walked into the kitchen that morning at four-thirty, both Walt and Josh had gaped in wonder, then verbally tripped over each other showering her with compliments.

  The simplicity of Loren’s dress dictated a similar mode for the men. Walt and Josh wore open-necked white tux shirts and gray slacks. Adam’s attire would be the same. Daphne’s dress would be the only bit of color in the wedding party. Adam had told Loren she’d found an elegant shirtwaist in lavender silk. She would carry the bouquet of violets that rested next to Loren’s on the dash.

  Red Rock Crossing was in a small state park. Adam and Loren had chosen a relatively level picnic area close to the creek and had hired a furniture-rental company to set up several rows of folding chairs. They’d decided to have no altar and no containers of hothouse flowers. Nature had sprinkled the area with daisies, purple lupine and pink globe mallow, and an altar would be superfluous in the face of the turreted magnificence of Cathedral Rock with the sun rising behind it. A local musician had agreed to play a lilting song on the flute as Walt led Loren down the aisle between the folding chairs, and again when she retraced her steps with Adam. Other than that, the only music would be the bubbling magic of Oak Creek flowing at the base of Cathedral Rock.

  Loren glanced around as Walt pulled into the parking lot. The chairs were in place; the flutist stood ready to play, and the minister was just getting out of his car. Everything looked perfect—except for one thing.

  Adam’s red Mercedes wasn’t in the parking lot.

  Loren’s father leaned over and patted her hand. “He’ll be here. You just stay put in the car and I’ll make sure the guy with the flute knows when to play and when to be quiet.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll go with you, Gramps.” Josh squeezed her shoulder as he climbed out of the back seat. “Don’t be nervous, Mom. He’ll be here.”

  The folding chairs filled with guests. After the ceremony, a caterer would arrive with breakfast. Adam had arranged that, too. He was a dynamo of organizational skills. No wonder his business had flourished. He was creative, thorough and...always on time. So where was he?

  As the sky lightened to the blue-white translucence of fine milk glass, Loren began to worry in earnest. Five more minutes and they should be starting down the aisle. Ten more minutes and the shimmer of sunlight would halo Cathedral Rock. Twenty more minutes and it would rise. By then they were supposed to be husband and wife.

  Walt came to her side of the car. His overly hearty smile told her he was worried, too. Perspiration glistened on his bald spot. “Might as well climb out of there and get ready to walk down the aisle with your old man,” he said. “Adam should be here any minute. Probably wants to make a grand entrance.”

  “Assuming he gets here.” She glanced at the gold aura surrounding Cathedral Rock. “He’s already ten minutes late. Do you think maybe he’s had car trouble? Or an...accident?”

  “Not an accident,” her father said quickly.

  “How can you be sure?”

  He touched her shoulder. “We would have heard sirens. But maybe that fancy Mercedes did break down. If you want, Josh and I can cover the route from here to Los Arboles.”

  “Not yet.” Besides, Loren didn’t think car trouble would have stopped Adam. He would have commandeered another vehicle, hitchhiked if necessary, to be here. A mere machine wouldn’t deter Adam from a goal. But a duty to his daughter might.

  And that was what she feared. His sense of duty had taken him away from Loren before. What was to prevent it from happening again?

  Only his love for you, whispered a voice. But rays of sunlight streaked the sky behind Cathedral Rock, and Adam wasn’t here....

  “Here he is!” her father exclaimed. “I told you he’d make it.”

  Loren whipped around in the direction her father was pointing, and sure enough, the red Mercedes was tearing down the road, far exceeding the park’s speed limit. As the car screeched to a stop, Loren’s throat tightened. Daphne was not with him. He’d arrived, but had he come to marry her or call off the wedding?

  She opened the door of the Suburban and her father helped her down as Adam ran toward her. She braced herself.

  He was breathing hard, his hair disheveled. “Let’s go,” he said, panting. “Sorry I’m late.”

  At that moment, the sun rose over Cathedral Rock.

  Adam glanced up and swore softly. “We missed it,” he said gently, turning back to her. “God, I’m sorry, Lor.”

  She looked at him with brimming eyes as the sun gilded his hair. “We didn’t miss anything,” she murmured, her voice husky with tears. “You’re here.”

  He took both her hands in his. “Of course I’m here. Did you think I wouldn’t be?”

  “I...well, Daphne...”

  “She thought she could stop the wedding by throwing a tantrum at the last minute. Eventually, I gave up trying to talk her out of her fit and left her there.”

  “Do you think she’s okay?”

  “I bribed a maid to sit outside the door and listen. If she hears anything suspicious or it gets too quiet, she has permission to go into the room and check on her.”

  Josh walked up, his young face creased in a frown. “Where’s Daph?”

  Loren noticed his use of the nickname. Coming from Josh, it sounded nice. Familiar and brotherly. “She decided not to come,” Loren said.

  “Aw, man.” His voice rose on the second word as he turned away in frustration.

  “It’s okay, Josh,” Adam said. “We can do this without her.”

  Josh glanced at them. “Look, I know you wanted this to be a sunrise ceremony and everything, but” he turned and gestured toward Cathedral Rock that program’s out the window. How about giving me half an hour? If I can’t convince her in that time, I’ll drive back and we’ll have the wedding without her.”

  Loren had been thinking as Josh talked. She was basing a lot of hope on his affectionate use of a nickname for Daphne. And the two of them had survived some tough times together. Maybe Josh had more sway than the rest of them. She laid a hand on Adam’s arm. “Let him try. Thirty minutes isn’t very significant when you consider your whole relationship with her may be at stake.”

  Walt broke into the conversation. “Caterer’s here. She thought she’d timed it so the ceremony would be almost over, but I told her we were running late.”

  Adam glanced at Loren, and they both seemed to have the idea together. Loren smiled. They were getting pretty good at this mind-reading business. “Why not?” she said. “As Josh said, the plan is out the window, anyway, so let’s feed people before the wedding instead of after.”

  “Excellent!” Josh said. “Can I have the keys, Gramps?”

  Adam fished in his pocket. “Take the Mercedes.”

  Josh’s eyes lit up. “Really? Cool!” He trotted off toward the car. “And save some food,” he called over his shoulder.

  “Save lots of food,” Walt said, his eyes shining with pride.

  Loren watched Josh backing the Mercedes out of the parking space. “Adam, that’s a very expensive car. Are you sure you want him driving it?”

  “If he can bring Daphne back with him, I’d be willing to give him that car.”

  She gasped. “But you wouldn’t really!”

  “No,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I won’t mess up the values you’ve given him. Come on. Let’s take a walk and watch the sunrise.” Ignoring the curious stares of the guests, he led her down a trail beside the creek.

  And as they walked, the chatter of the guests faded and disappeared. Gradually, the magic of her surroundings enveloped Loren. Bird song mingled with the gurgle of clear water and the soft buzz of insects. In the distance a hawk called to its mate as the large birds circled on a current of air high above Cathedral Rock. A cottontail hopped across the path and disappeared in the grass and rushes growing beside the water.

  “You know, I think this was the atmosphere we had in mi
nd,” Adam said after several minutes.

  “Yes. Too bad we can’t have a wedding all by ourselves.”

  He turned and faced her, capturing both her hands and gazing into her eyes. “Have I told you how beautiful you are this morning?”

  “Not yet.” She smiled, thinking of all the times she’d pictured him as a groom, in tie and tails, with all the formal trimmings. Yet she loved the way he looked now, his shoulders flexing beneath the soft shirt, his throat unconstricted by a tie, the gray slacks hugging his hips with no jacket to obscure her view of his magnificent physique.

  “You are beautiful,” he said. “You are...” He paused. Finally, he sighed. “I can’t find words expressive enough. But all this” he released her hand and flung his arm out to encompass the spectacular scenery “—all this is nothing when I look at you.”

  “And I don’t care where I am, as long as you’re with me.”

  “So you’re not terribly disappointed that we didn’t pull it off just as we planned?”

  “No. Are you?”

  “As long as I have you, I can’t imagine ever being disappointed.” He gave her hands a squeeze. “Let’s start back. No matter what happens, Josh will be there soon, and I’m very impatient to become your husband.”

  “And I’m impatient to become your wife.”

  His eyes shone with love as he took her hand again.

  They were nearly halfway back when his grip tightened. Two people were walking toward them, their hair golden in the sunlight. Josh and Daphne.

  She wore shorts and a rock-concert T-shirt. As she drew closer, Loren could tell she hadn’t put on makeup and her eyes were rimmed with red, yet Loren thought she’d never seen a more beautiful maid of honor in her life. Josh grinned, his face alight with success. Her heart swelling, Loren stood with Adam and waited for them.

  When they were a few yards away, Josh paused and let Daphne go ahead. Taking her cue from her son, Loren urged Adam forward while she stayed behind.

  Daphne looked into her father’s face and swallowed. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’d love to be in your wedding.”

  Loren’s heart wrenched as Adam wrapped his arms around Daphne. His head bent over hers and his broad shoulders quivered. They stood in a quiet embrace for several long seconds. Loren caught Josh’s eye. He looked a little overwhelmed by emotion himself. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Loren made a circle of her thumb and forefinger and smiled. Josh smiled back.