I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

by Francis Ray

  She studied him looking for a trace of the anger she’d felt earlier. She couldn’t see any. “You aren’t angry?”

  “That you’d insinuate in front of total strangers that I might beat my kids? You were just making a point,” he said.

  She saw it then, the angry glint in his dark eyes. “I didn’t mean—”

  “Yes, you did,” he told her, stepping closer. “Were you that desperate to send me packing?”

  “I simply wanted you to understand why I do what I do. It’s not a job to do until I get a better one. It’s what I do. My mother refuses to believe that.”

  “She worries about you.”

  “Because of one incident.”

  His eyes went glacial as his hands circled her upper arms. “What happened?”

  She didn’t even think of not answering. “A man I opened a case on broke into my apartment. I managed to lock myself in the bathroom with the cell phone. It’s a procedure that abused women are taught.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “Where he can’t hurt me,” she answered. She touched the rigid line of Gordon’s jaw. “I’m all right.”

  He stared at her a long time. “Now. What about then?”

  “I was so shaken I had to take off work for two weeks. I jumped at everything that moved,” she confessed. “I know mother is afraid for me, but I have to live my own life, my own way.”

  “Yet you went back.”

  “Children go back to their abusers day after day,” she said. “It may be the only way out for some of them. If they have that much courage, how can I do less?”

  He kissed her, a gentle touching of lips that was as tender as it was fleeting. “It’s going to be interesting getting to know you better.”

  Her body went into hyperdrive. She desperately tried to gather her scattered thoughts. “I—I still don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “One date. We’ll see what happens and go from there.” His thumb stroked her bare arm.

  Her breath trembled out over her lips. Lips that she wanted on his again. From the hot way he looked at her, he did too.

  “Please. I want to see you.”

  His mouth hovered over hers. Their breaths mingled. Her nipples peaked.

  “Eight,” she said shakily.

  “You won’t regret it.” He brushed his lips across hers again, then stepped back.

  For a moment, Camille considered dragging him back and fastening her mouth on his, then his words reached though the sensuous haze. “I told you about your arrogance.”

  He smiled. “So you have. Come on, I’ll see you to your car, then home.”

  She frowned. “I can get home by myself.”

  “Humor me.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that wasn’t necessary, but his next words stopped her.

  “If you insist on trying to dissuade me, I might have to kiss you until you forget to argue. I won’t mind, but you might.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” she told him.

  She had the pleasure of seeing his eyes go dark with passion and need before she blithely strolled off. Tomorrow night was going to be very, very interesting.

  It was after nine. He wasn’t coming.

  Lifting the sheer curtain from the elongated window by the front door, Madison stared at the empty driveway illuminated by two gaslights at the beginning of the drive, then beyond to the street in front of her house. A truck passed, but it wasn’t the one she wanted to see. Letting the curtain fall, she slowly went to the kitchen and began gathering up the plates.

  She didn’t know why she felt so sad and restless. Just this morning she had tried to push Zachary out of their lives, telling him he had a life of his own. Now that he wasn’t around, she ached a little inside. Shaking her head at the odd feeling, she put up the plates, closed the cabinet door, then finished clearing the table.

  It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen him today, she tried to tell herself. He’d even called to make sure she reached home without any more incidents. He had warned her before they hung up that he might not be able to come over tonight. She’d hoped he would.

  She wanted to tell him she’d received Manda’s medical record from her pediatrician in Amarillo. Manda was as healthy as the nurse at Children’s Medical Center had said.

  Pulling containers from beneath the cabinet, Madison put the Chinese takeout away, cut off the light, and started toward the bedroom. She glanced at the double front door and saw a beam of light arc across the sheer curtains.

  Anticipation surging through her, she raced to the door and opened it just as Zachary stepped out of the truck. Without thought she was off the steps in an instant. Her arms closed around him. The loneliness vanished. “I didn’t think you were coming.”

  He hesitated, then he pulled her closer. “I know it’s late.”

  “It’s never too late.” Stepping back, she grinned up at him. “After all my talk this morning, I missed you.”

  “I’m glad,” he told her, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I’ve been putting out fires all evening.”

  “You can tell me all about it over dinner.” She looped her arm through his. “I just put the food away. You can look in on Manda while I heat it up.”

  As they went inside, neither noticed the car parked down the street or the camera clicking away.

  At Zachary’s suggestion they sat side by side and ate out of the containers. Their chopsticks crisscrossed without a moment’s hesitation while they told each other about their days. He seemed as disappointed as she felt when he said he wouldn’t be able to stop by in the morning, but he said he’d be there that evening.

  It was only after Zachary had left, when Madison was standing in front of her mirror in her bathroom putting cold cream on her face, that she noticed the brightness in her eyes, the little smile on her face.

  Her hand paused. She inched closer to the mirror.

  The woman staring back at her was happy. The shadows that had been in her eyes and beneath them were gone.

  It didn’t seem possible that this was the same miserable, angry woman that had stared back at her four weeks ago. She didn’t have to think hard to know the reason.

  Zachary.

  Reaching for a tissue, she wiped off the excess cream, then brushed her teeth. Cutting off the light in the bathroom, she checked on Manda, then flipped off the overhead light. A unicorn nightlight showed the way to her bed. Smiling, she crawled beneath the covers.

  Zachary again.

  As she drifted off to sleep, she didn’t think it odd that she still had a smile on her face and that her last thoughts were of Zachary.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  ZACHARY WAS OUT OF bed at five and arrived at his latest building site in Grapevine at six-ten. Unlocking the front door, he went straight to the kitchen, strapped on his kneepads, and began laying tile on the floor. He whistled as he worked. He had plans for this evening and he didn’t plan to be late.

  By the time his crew arrived at eight, he’d finished tiling the kitchen and two of the three baths. His shirt was soaked with perspiration, and he wore a grin. “About time you guys arrived.”

  Kelli, her tool belt strapped to her narrow waist, smiled down at him. “You’re raring to go today. Got a hot date tonight, boss?”

  “I might,” he said.

  “Since I might have one, too, if a certain fellow plays his cards right, let’s get this show on the road.” Stepping around Zachary, she went to the garage to get the cabinet door they had stained the day before.

  Zachary was closing the adhesive when he saw the unhappy look on Clarence’s face. “She meant you.”

  “She did?” Clarence asked, grinning broadly.

  “She did, and if you hurt her I’ll pound you into the dirt.”

  “Me too.”

  “That goes for all of us.”

  Clarence stared at the glaring men he’d called friends for the past two months. He spoke from his heart. “All I want to do is love her.”r />
  Zachary could certainly empathize with him. “Well, don’t stand there looking pitiful. She’s the one you need to tell, but keep your mind on your job. If you mess up, she’ll chew your butt out and you’ll be home alone tonight,” Zachary warned.

  “I won’t. Thanks.” He hurried to the garage.

  “Come on, James. Let’s get that sink installed.”

  “Right behind you, boss. With all this love talk, I might take the hen out tonight myself,” he said, following Zachary down the wide hall.

  “If Eloise hears you call her a hen, you’ll be taking yourself to the hospital tonight,” one of the crew said. Laughter followed them down the hall.

  “I thought she had enough teddy bears,” Zachary said, feeling more nervous by the second. He’d arrived a little after six that evening. Madison had waited to have dinner with him. Afterwards they’d gone outside to the swing, then returned to the den. “But I saw those and …” He shrugged.

  Madison glanced up from the two gold bracelets delicately etched with hearts and ivy in the jewelry box from Tiffany’s. There was only one location in the city. “I suppose you were in the neighborhood?”

  “Had to pass right by the Galleria to get here.”

  She glanced down at the heavy gold bracelets. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “There’s nothing to say.” He lifted the largest bracelet and clamped it around her wrist. “Manda will have to wait until she’s a little older to wear hers.”

  “Looks like she wants hers now,” Madison said as Manda wrestled the bracelet from the case, then promptly stuck it into her mouth. “I think she’s teething.”

  Zachary ran his large hand over the baby’s head. “I heard Thomas say his son nearly drove them crazy when he was teething. Do you think we should call the doctor?”

  “I already have.” Madison removed the bracelet, then rubbed her index finger against Manda’s gums. She clamped her little hands around Madison’s hand. “The nurse said giving her something cold to drink or chew on would help the gum irritation. Acetaminophen if nothing else works.

  Zachary continued to brush Manda’s head, careful to keep a safe distance from Madison’s breast covered by a bright yellow knit top. “Thomas said he rubbed whiskey on Little Thomas’s gums and his wife almost kicked him out of the house.”

  Madison’s shocked gaze flew up to him. “Alcohol is a poison to babies!”

  “Thomas loves his son,” Zachary said in the defense of his friend. “He said his mother had given it to him and it hadn’t hurt him any.”

  “Humph.” Madison went back to rubbing Manda’s gums. “If he rubbed whiskey on his baby’s gums, I wouldn’t be so sure the alcohol he absorbed as a baby didn’t pickle his brain.”

  “Same thing his wife told him,” Zachary said with a laugh as he wiped the drool from Manda’s chin with a diaper. “You want me to go to the drugstore and get that medicine in case you need it?”

  “Please.” Getting up, Madison went to the kitchen and handed him a sheet of paper. “I tried to go to the store, but she wasn’t ready. I didn’t even get the car out of the garage.”

  Seeing Manda crinkling up her face to cry, Zachary gave her his finger. She clamped down immediately. He winced. “Sharp teeth.”

  “Very. The nurse said they sell rubber teething rings, but I don’t know if the drugstore up the street will have any,” she said.

  “I’ll find one.” He leaned over until he and Manda were eye-to-eye. “When I get back you can chew on my finger all you like.” Instead of her usual smile, she simply stared. Straightening, he stuffed the list into his shirt pocket. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Madison followed him to the front door, but as he opened it they and the couple coming up the walk froze. Zachary turned back to her. “Need me to stay?”

  She smiled in reassurance. “We’ll be fine.”

  Zachary passed the Reeds with a curt nod of his baseball cap-covered head. They didn’t move until the truck’s engine turned over.

  Her mouth pursed in disapproval. Vanessa walked gracefully up the walkway. “I’m not sure I approve of the company you’re keeping, Madison.”

  “Won’t you come inside?” Ignoring Vanessa’s remark, Madison stepped back inside the foyer. Neither of Wes’s parents even glanced at Manda as they entered the house. Closing the door behind them, Madison went to the den and took a seat on the leather couch.

  For a long moment, she didn’t think they were going to sit down. Vanessa’s shoulders were stiff in her stylish suit, her hands clamped tightly on her small Fendi bag. A.J. had yet to remove his pearl-gray Stetson. His gaze leaped from Madison to Vanessa. He took his cue from his wife in social situations. He had the money, but Vanessa had the class. He was as aware as Madison was that Vanessa preferred sitting in the living room she had decorated with carte blanche approval from Wes. Picking out furniture and drapes hadn’t seemed important six weeks after Madison lost her baby.

  Madison leaned back and crossed her legs.

  Vanessa noted the movement with disapproving eyes. With illconcealed grace, she finally took a seat on one of the matching leather chairs, her back stiff. A.J. removed his hat and took the chair next to his wife.

  “What was he doing here?” Vanessa asked, her voice terse.

  “Just visiting. Why? What do you have against Zachary?” Madison asked.

  “I’m not ready to see another man make himself so comfortable in my son’s home.”

  Madison’s eyes narrowed. Feeling Manda move restlessly in her arms, she forced herself not to take offense at her mother-in-law’s words. “Zachary and Wes were good friends, and he’s been a friend to me. He’s welcome in this house.”

  “You wouldn’t have this home if it wasn’t for my son,” Vanessa snapped.

  Madison swallowed the retort that leaped to her tongue. It was mostly her money, not Wes’s, that had paid for the lot and the house. “I can understand you’re distraught over Wes’s death, but we’ve all got to let go and move on.”

  “‘Move on’!” Vanessa repeated in disbelief and rage. “How dare you turn your back on Wes’s memory! How can you forget what a brilliant—”

  “Vanessa,” A.J. said, cutting off his wife and earning a sharp look for his trouble. “We don’t want to forget why we came.” His gaze finally settled on Manda. “My boy was a hero. He gave his life for that little girl’s mother and made sure she was cared for. People have called from all over the country to tell us how proud of Wes they are after seeing her on television. Money is pouring in for his scholarship fund.”

  Madison understood then. This wasn’t a visit to comfort; it was to pay homage to their son’s memory.

  Vanessa’s hazel eyes misted. “Why did it have to be him? Why was my son the only caring man to stop and help that woman?”

  “That was the kind of man my son was,” A.J. said, his head bowed. “He died a hero.”

  “He died helping his mistress change a flat tire. Manda is his child.” The instant the words were out, Madison regretted them. She honestly didn’t know if she had told them because they deserved the truth or if she’d wanted to put an end to the glowing adulation of Wes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that way.”

  Vanessa’s mouth gaped. She shot to her feet. “That’s a vicious lie! My son wasn’t that kind of man.”

  Manda stilled, then turned to burrow into the curve of Madison’s arms. Madison’s arms tightened, her words comforted and reassured. “It’s all right, Manda, I’m here.” To Vanessa she said, “I apologize again for telling you so abruptly, and I can understand your being upset, but please keep your voice down. Loud noises upset Mand—”

  “That child is not Wes’s,” Vanessa said, cutting her off.

  “Van—”

  “No. I don’t want to hear another lie about my son!” Vanessa’s eyes shone with tears and anger. “You’re just jealous of him. He told us about your wanting to hold him back. Your refusal to move to Chicago beca
use then he’d make more money and have more prestige with the CNN affiliate. He reached below his level to marry you. I tried to tell him. He should have divorced you long ago.”

  She paused only for a breath. “You just want an excuse to keep that baby because of the one you lost. You won’t destroy my son’s reputation to do it. I won’t let you.” Snatching up her purse, she stormed out of the house.

  Stunned at the venom and the accusations, Madison sat there for a long moment, holding a trembling Manda to her.

  A.J. didn’t move, he simply stared at Manda.

  “She’s your grandchild, A.J.,” Madison managed to say despite the hurt she felt. Had Wes really told his parents such hateful lies about her? She swallowed. “I wouldn’t make up something like this.”

  His face drawn and haggard, A.J. put on his hat and started from the room.

  Madison came to her feet and followed. “She’s Wes’s child. A part of your son is still alive. Just look at her eyes.”

  He didn’t even pause. The front door closed with an audible click.

  Madison held Manda closer as if to shield her from being unwanted, then she thought of the way she had reacted when Zachary had tried to get her to accept Manda’s parentage.

  “They just need time, the way I did.” She just wished she believed that’s all it was.

  Zachary had tried to hurry back to the house, but the instant Madison opened the door and he saw the anguish in her face it was apparent that he hadn’t been fast enough. “What did they say to you?”

  “It’s what I said to them.” She bit her lower lip. “I told them Wes was Manda’s father.”

  Zachary shifted the bags to one hand. He curved the other around her shoulder and led her back into the kitchen. “I didn’t think they’d take it very well.”

  Madison took a carton of yogurt out of the refrigerator and sat with Manda at the kitchen table. “They reminded me of the way I’d reacted when I found out about Manda.”

  “I highly doubt that,” he said, shredding the clear wrapping on a circular-shaped rubber teething ring. “I’m sure they’re worried about what this will do to the public’s perfect image of Wes.” He shook his head in disgust. “Forget them.” Holding the teething ring beneath the running hot water, he nodded toward the yogurt Madison was feeding Manda. “You starting to give her yogurt?”