CHAPTER 7

Elliott’s suggestion that they have dinner at Rosalina’s again on the Saturday after margarita night caught Karen by surprise.

“It’s all arranged,” he assured her. “Mama said she’d keep the kids overnight and take them to church Sunday morning.”

“But you’re usually exhausted on Saturdays,” Karen replied. “And I have to work during the day, so I’ll probably be beat, too. Are you sure you want to go out? We should probably spend the evening with the kids.”

“They love spending the night at Mama’s, and I want some private time with my wife,” he’d told her. “We’ve both had a busy week, and we vowed to make time for each other, didn’t we? I’m determined to stick to our plan.”

She’d acquiesced because it was obviously important to him that he keep his word about making these so-called date nights more frequent.

Now that they were at Rosalina’s, though, she wondered about the wisdom of coming on a Saturday. It had been so long since she’d been out on a Saturday night, she’d forgotten what it could be like. The friendly place was filled with families and teenagers on dates. The noise level was crazy. She met her husband’s gaze.

“If you were counting on quiet and romantic, I don’t think this is the place,” she said.

“Anyplace with you is romantic, querida. This will be fine.”

Surprised that he wanted to stay, she shrugged and followed him to an available booth. When he sat beside her, rather than across from her, she chuckled. “I think I’m beginning to see your strategy. If it’s noisy, you have the perfect excuse for sitting practically on top of me and whispering in my ear.”

He laughed. “Caught me,” he said unrepentantly.

They placed an order for salad, pizza and icy mugs of beer, then settled back into the booth, Elliott’s arm draped around her shoulder. She slanted a look at him.

“Okay, mister, what’s really going on?”

He tried his best to look innocent, but he couldn’t quite pull it off. Eventually, under her unrelenting gaze, he gave up.

“We need to talk about the gym,” he confessed.

Karen stilled at his somber tone. “You haven’t said much about it since you all got together the other night. Is there a problem?”

A part of her honestly hoped there was. Maybe if the others called it off, she and Elliott could move forward with their own plans for increasing the size of their family. Even as the thought crossed her mind, though, she knew how selfish it was. This business venture obviously meant a lot to him and, he clearly believed, to their family’s future.

Elliott took a sip of his beer, then nodded. “I don’t think it’s a big problem, but you might.”

That didn’t sound good, she thought, though she was trying to remain at least neutral until she heard the rest. “Just tell me.”

“The start-up figures are finalized, and they’re a little higher than we anticipated,” he admitted.

“How much higher?” she asked tightly, already seeing that this conversation was likely to deteriorate faster than a match burned out. “And what does that mean for you? You’re already talking about using almost everything we have in savings, Elliott.”

“We have a little more,” he said, holding her gaze. “And we have some equity in the house.”

Her heart honestly seemed to stop in her chest. “You can’t be serious,” she said incredulously. “You want to take all of our savings and get a second mortgage on the house? Not a chance, Elliott. I mean it. That’s our home. I won’t let you put it at risk.”

“It’s just a few thousand dollars extra,” he argued. “It’ll be short-term. We’ll put that money back in within a few months, tops.”

She continued to regard him with disbelief. “It’s not just about a few thousand dollars. It’s our home! Our safety net! After what Ray did, how could you give serious thought to doing anything like this? You know how many times I came close to being evicted and out on the streets with two kids. You know how close I came to having to declare bankruptcy. What would make you think I’d ever consider anything that might put my family in that position again?”

“Just hear me out,” he pleaded.

“No,” she said, trying to push him out of her way so she could leave. Unfortunately he was like a block of granite, close to impossible to budge. Since she couldn’t leave, she settled for reminding him, “My name is on the deed to the house right along with yours. The bank will never okay a loan without me signing off on it, and I won’t. I promise you, Elliott, I won’t do it.”

She could hardly bear to look at the hurt in his eyes when she said it, because she needed to cling to every ounce of anger coursing through her. Someone in this family needed to be sensible, and obviously it was up to her.

“Karen, be reasonable. We agreed to talk about these decisions. That doesn’t mean you get to make them unilaterally.”

“Nor do you.”

He sighed. “True, but if you would just listen, you’d see that this whole thing is solid. Cal’s done some market research.”

She lifted a brow. “He’s talked to some of the dads from school, I imagine.”

Elliott winced, proving the accuracy of her guess.

“My point is that there’s a need for this gym. What we’re putting into it is a pittance compared to the rewards.”

“The potential rewards,” she corrected. “There’s nothing certain when it comes to business, Elliott. Serenity’s not a huge town. The economy’s still weak. People don’t have a lot of disposable income.”

“I’m sure people said the same thing to Dana Sue when she wanted to open Sullivan’s in a town where Wharton’s burgers were considered the equivalent of haute cuisine,” Elliott replied. “And look at what Ronnie’s done with his hardware business, even though the last hardware store in that space was failing. He had a unique vision and he made it work.”

She couldn’t argue with either example, but they didn’t change her mind.

“Still not convinced?” he guessed. “Then take a look at The Corner Spa. Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue had zero experience with running a spa, but it’s got a statewide reputation. This gym will have me. I’ve spent years in the fitness business. I know a lot of people. I have a reputation for knowing what I’m doing.”

Since she could tell he wasn’t going to let her escape until he’d had his say, she tried to relax. “Elliott, I’m not questioning your expertise as a personal trainer. I’ve seen the results you can get for myself, after all. This isn’t about believing in you.”

He cupped a hand under her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “Yes, it is. Opportunities like this don’t come along every day, Karen. Can’t you please take this leap of faith for me? For us?”

She heard the plea in his voice and wanted desperately to give him her full support, but how could she? What if they were ruined? She wasn’t sure she could go through anything like that again.

“I want this for you,” she said, trying to make him understand. “If I had a crystal ball and could see into the future and know that this was going to be a huge success, or even a solid break-even business, I’d back you a hundred percent. But life doesn’t work that way.”

“You’re letting fear overrule reason,” he accused.

“I probably am,” she agreed candidly. “I just don’t see another choice. Maybe I could live with you using the last of the savings, but not the equity in our house. That’s a deal breaker for me. If the others have so much faith in this, let them pick up the slack. As you said, most of them have thriving businesses. Their financial lives are more stable than ours.”

“They offered,” he admitted.

“Well, there you are,” she said, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief. “There’s a solution. I’m not single-handedly destroying your dream.”

“No,” he said wearily. “Just my pride.” He stood up then. “I need to go for a walk. I’ll be back before our food comes.”

“Elliott!” she called after him, but he either didn’t hear her or, more likely, ignored her.

She sat there in a daze, wishing she could just walk out but knowing that wasn’t an answer. As difficult as this conversation had been, they’d needed to have it. And, amazingly, she’d learned something about herself, something that almost brought a smile to her lips. She’d held her own. That alone was worth celebrating.

She only hoped she didn’t lose her husband because of it.

* * *

Elliott paced the jammed parking lot at Rosalina’s for ten minutes, pausing only to slam his fist into the hood of his car from time to time, hoping to work off his temper.

Karen was right. He knew she was, at least from her perspective. He’d handled this all wrong from the beginning. Maybe if he’d brought her into the conversation from the outset, when Erik and the others had first approached him with the idea, she’d be more predisposed to be enthusiastic.

What was he supposed to do now? He wasn’t going to walk away from this. Every time he got together with the guys, his excitement grew. Despite his own devil’s-advocate stances the other night, he was convinced the gym would be successful as long as they managed their investment and their expenses prudently.

But as determined as he was, he also knew he didn’t dare go behind Karen’s back and seek out a loan against their home. Even he could see that not only would the deception destroy all trust between them, but it probably would be financially foolish.

“You look like a man who’s just had a very uncomfortable conversation with his wife,” Cal said as he approached Elliott in the parking lot.

Elliott sighed. “You have no idea.”

Cal laughed, though the situation was hardly worthy of amusement. “I think I do. Maddie and I had just sat down across the room when we spotted you. I could tell it wasn’t going well and had a pretty good idea about why.” His expression sobered. “Elliott, if this project is going to put stress on your marriage, maybe we need to rethink it.”

“No,” Elliott said. “I want to do this. I think it’s my chance to do something bigger than just exercise classes or personal training. I love working with people, but having a business, a club in which I have a personal stake, could ultimately give Karen and me the financial stability she’s desperate for us to have. It’s ironic really that she’s so afraid of the short-term risk, she can’t see the long-term potential at all.”

“Can you blame her?” Cal asked reasonably.

“Of course I don’t blame her,” Elliott said in frustration. “I know exactly where she’s coming from. Ray burned her. He burned her bad.” It suddenly struck him that Cal had said something about Maddie. He hadn’t seen her out here, though. “Where’s Maddie, by the way?”

“I left her in there talking to Karen. Maybe she’s had time enough to get through to her. Want to go back in and check? I don’t know about you, but I’m starved, and I doubt either one of them will bring us take-out here in the parking lot.”

Elliott regarded him with surprise. “Maddie’s ticked off, too?”

“She thinks we’re a bunch of male dolts who’ve mishandled this from the beginning, so she’s in there sympathizing.”

Elliott smiled. “I’m definitely a dolt, but I don’t think you deserve a share of the blame.”

Cal draped a friendly arm over his shoulders. “I told you, Sweet Magnolias stick together. They may love us to pieces individually, but collectively, they can turn on us in a heartbeat if they think one of us is out of line. You, my friend, have made things tough on all of us. Once the word spreads about tonight—and believe me, it will—most of the wives won’t be speaking to their husbands out of solidarity with Karen.”

“And yet you’re still speaking to me,” Elliott said.

“Because I’ve been there, done that,” Cal said sympathetically. “So have all the others. We’ve become very good at commiserating. This is going to work out, Elliott. We’ll find a way.”

“Short of figuring out how to hit a delete button on Karen’s memory of her first marriage, I don’t know how,” he said bleakly.

“Let the women work their wiles,” Cal suggested. “They’re behind this idea, too, after all. We might have to sit back a bit and wait, but I think reason will eventually kick in.”

“You’re an optimistic man,” Elliott said with a disbelieving shake of his head.

“I won Maddie despite very long odds, didn’t I?” Cal said. “She was against marrying me. The entire school system opposed our relationship because she was the mother of one of the kids I coached and ten years older than me to boot. The whole town was in an uproar.” He grinned. “Look at us now, married and the parents of two kids of our own, plus her three. How could I be anything other than optimistic about things always working out the way they’re meant to?”

It would have been nice, Elliott thought, if that optimism had been contagious. Instead, he went back into Rosalina’s wondering if anyone there would even be speaking to him.

* * *

Karen had been startled when Maddie slid into the booth opposite her just after Elliott had walked out. She’d been even more surprised by her first words.

“Men can be utterly insensitive, can’t they?” Maddie had asked.

Karen regarded her with surprise. “You heard us?”

Maddie shook her head at once. “Not the words, but I could guess at the content. Cal told me about the gym’s projected budget being higher than anticipated. I imagine Elliott brought you here tonight to fill you in, hoping you wouldn’t kill him in a public place.”

Despite her very sour mood, Karen couldn’t help laughing. “I imagine that was exactly his strategy.”

“He seemed to be in one piece when he walked out of here,” Maddie commented.

“Probably because I was too stunned to figure out what weapon I could use to pound some sense into his thick skull.”

“Too bad these restaurants are all nonsmoking now,” Maddie said. “Ashtrays are usually heavy enough to work.”

Karen gave her an odd look. “Why have I never noticed before that you have a slightly bloodthirsty streak?”

Maddie looked oddly pleased by the comment. “I know. Isn’t it great? I think it’s a reaction to all those years I was way too passive in my first marriage. Cal seems to encourage the feisty side of my nature.”

“Elliott usually does the same with me,” Karen confided. “I think he’s regretting that tonight. He’s very unhappy that I put my foot down about risking our house to get more money to invest in the gym.” She gave Maddie a plaintive look. “I’m not being unreasonable, am I?”

“I certainly don’t think so, but this isn’t my marriage or my house.”

“Would you have agreed?”

“Have you seen that giant mausoleum I live in? It was the Townsend family home, which I joyfully received on loan in the divorce settlement. If I could put that place at risk, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but that’s revenge, not practicality talking. It would make my ex a little crazy if he saw the family jewel on the auction block. I’d actually be far happier in one of those new developments where you are, someplace where everything’s new and doesn’t break down if you happen to look at it cockeyed.”

“You could sell it and move,” Karen suggested.

“Not without an okay from my ex. It’s basically only on loan to me till our kids are grown. Thank Helen for that deal. She’s quite a negotiator when she’s fighting for a friend.” She sighed. “Only a couple of more years till Katie, the youngest of my kids from my first marriage, is off to college, and then the Townsend house and I can part ways forever. Both Cal and I will be happy to see the last of it, but it’s been good that Ty, Kyle and Katie were able to stay there, especially when the divorce was tearing them apart. Staying in the home they’d always known gave them a sense of stability.”

The pizza Karen and Elliott had ordered came then, and she and Maddie dove into it. All but a single slice was gone by the time Cal returned with Elliott in tow. Elliott glanced at the nearly empty pizza pan. “Dinner?”

“It was delicious,” Maddie said. “I have no idea why I never thought of adding jalapeños before.”

Elliott shook his head and glanced at Cal. “I think we’re on our own.” He eyed Karen cautiously. “May we at least sit with you?”

“Sure,” she said, calmer now that she’d had a conversation with someone sane who wasn’t trying to badger her into going against her convictions.

Just as the two men were about to sit, though, Maddie held up a hand. “This is a gym-free discussion zone for the time being,” she announced. “Agreed?”

Cal and Elliott exchanged a look, then nodded.

“Good,” Maddie said. “Because indigestion is not on the menu. The jalapeños are about as much stress as my system can handle. Besides, date nights are supposed to be about fun and relaxation.”

Karen regarded her with surprise. “You all plan date nights?”

“Of course,” Cal said. “If we didn’t, I’d never see my wife.”

“How many times a week?” Elliott asked, even as he turned his gaze to Karen.

“I aim for seven,” Cal said, grinning. “With that many I figure I’m bound to get lucky at the end of the night at least once.”

Maddie nudged him with an elbow. “Stop it. We try for two and are thankful if we pull off one.”

“We’ve just started trying to work them into our schedule,” Karen admitted. “We had our first one a couple of weeks ago. Tonight’s the second one.”

“And here we are intruding,” Maddie said, as if they’d turned up at the table uninvited and interrupted some private moment, rather than intervening in what had obviously been a fight.

“We were in need of friendly referees,” Elliott said. “I’m grateful you were around.”

“Me, too,” Karen said, glancing at her husband. There was no mistaking the concern in his eyes. He was obviously still worried about their disagreement, though whether it was because they’d fought or because she’d differed with him, she had no way of knowing.

* * *

Already lying in bed, Elliott watched Karen as she undressed and slipped on a silky negligee that she wouldn’t be wearing fifteen minutes from now, if he had his way. She’d been quiet on the way home, but he was hopeful that they could maintain the truce Maddie had insisted on at the restaurant.

When she’d finished in the bathroom and crawled into bed beside him, he reached for her.

She pulled away. “We need to talk,” she protested.

“Not tonight,” he replied just as firmly. “We both said a lot of things earlier. Now it would be best if we just slept on them and talked again in the morning when our minds are clear.”

“My mind is clear right now,” she argued. “And I haven’t changed it.” She turned her back to him and moved as close to the edge of the bed as she could to keep distance between them.

He sighed at that. Obviously make-up sex wasn’t in the cards. He stared up at the ceiling and tried to figure out what to do next. How could he possibly get through to her how important this gym was to his identity as a man and, equally important, to their future?

“Elliott?”

The whisper sounded half asleep and, if he was hearing correctly, a little scared.

“What, querida?”

“You won’t go behind my back and get the money, anyway, will you?”

He hated that she thought so little of him. “No, I will never go behind your back. You should know me better than that.”

“It’s what your father would have done, though, isn’t it?”

He thought about that for a minute. Truthfully, he couldn’t deny it. “More than likely.”

“And what would your mother have done?”

“She’d have accepted his decision as head of the household,” he said.

She rolled toward him then and, in the moonlight streaming into the room, he saw the tracks of tears on her cheeks. “I don’t think I could do that,” she said.

Though a part of him wished it could be so simple between them, that his word would always be gospel, he knew better than to expect it. He wasn’t his father, and she, heaven help him, was nothing like his mother.

“I would never expect it of you,” he reassured her. “We’re partners, Karen. We’ll work through this together.”

“But I don’t see how,” she said. “You have your needs and I have mine. They’re not the same.”

“We have one overriding need that is the same for both of us,” he corrected. “We love each other and we believe in this marriage, so we will do whatever it takes to make it work.” He studied her worriedly. “I’m right about that, aren’t I? This disagreement hasn’t shaken your faith in us?”

“It’s scared me,” she admitted. “I don’t see how we can both get what we feel so strongly about.”

At the moment, Elliott had no idea about that, either, but they would. Somehow they would, because anything less was unacceptable.

* * *

Only a few days after his confrontation with Karen over his part in financing the gym, Elliott was back with the guys going over details. They were all determined to move forward, and their offers to pick up any financial slack were still on the table. So far, though, he’d insisted he would find a way to pay his own share.

The basketball game tonight had given way entirely to a business meeting at Ronnie’s where they could spread out all their information and hash out a final business plan. Elliott had apparently been a little too quiet because eventually Ronnie directed a look at him.

“Is Karen still having a problem with your part in this?” Ronnie asked.

“Not with the concept,” Elliott said, embarrassed to have to admit even that much.

“It’s the money thing, isn’t it?” Travis guessed. “I’m telling you, don’t let that become an issue when it doesn’t have to be. If we split up that final investment among the rest of us, it’ll be fine. I’m game. How about the rest of you?”

All of the men nodded at once.

“No,” Elliott said yet again. “I won’t be the charity partner.”

“You do know Maddie would cut your heart out if she heard you refer to yourself like that,” Cal said. “Keep in mind she put in sweat equity, not cash, at The Corner Spa. Every penny of the start-up money came from Helen and Dana Sue.”

“It’s not the same,” Elliott said stubbornly.

“Because he’s male and a Latino,” Ronnie said wryly. “No disrespect, but do you intend to let pride keep you from building a business you’re more qualified than anyone in this room to run? We’re counting on you to make this place a success. Without you, we have an idea, but no gym, no expertise. I’d say that deserves a break on the financial contribution.”

“I agree,” Travis said.

The others echoed their agreement.

Elliott wanted to seize the opportunity they were willing to give him, but it just didn’t sit right. “Give me a few days, maybe a week. Let me see if I can’t put something together. I’ll feel better if I’ve paid for my share. Otherwise I won’t feel right about participating in the profits. I’ll feel like an employee.”

Tom, who’d been mostly silent up until now, finally spoke, his expression thoughtful. “What if we make it a loan?” he suggested. “You can pay us back that extra investment out of your share of the profits. It would be strictly a business arrangement with a generous deadline to allow for any hitches in getting into the black. You wouldn’t have to put up any collateral the way you would at the bank. Would Karen go for that?”

Elliott was tempted. It was a more than fair solution. He wouldn’t even have to tell Karen about it since nothing they owned would be at risk. “Let me think about it,” he said eventually.

“And talk it over with your wife,” Ronnie advised, apparently guessing that he was considering keeping the arrangement quiet.

Elliott smiled. “And here I was just thinking I could avoid that.”

“Not if you’re smart,” Cal said. “She’s going to wonder how you pulled it off to move forward, and whatever she imagines will probably be a thousand times worse than the truth.”

Elliott sighed. “You have a point. I’ll get back to you all at our next meeting.”

“And in the meantime, I’m going to sign that lease that Mary Vaughn keeps waving under my nose,” Ronnie said. “That’s how much confidence I have that we’re moving forward.”

“Hold off on that,” Elliott pleaded. Because if word of that signed lease got around town before he had another heart-to-heart with Karen, the likely explosion would pretty much kill whatever good will he’d managed to reclaim between them.