Secrets, p.21
Secrets, page 21
* * *
Luna set her phone down on the console table behind the big ugly brown leather couch. She went to the door on the far wall of the dining room. It led to a small mudroom, where Gaines had positioned the refurbished armoire Cullen rescued from a storage sale. Another door led to basement stairs, and an exterior door opened out to the carport. It was neat as a pin. The whole house was neat as a pin. You’d never guess a man with a teenage son lived in it. Granted, Carter was only there every other weekend and a few nights a week, but that was enough time for an adolescent to cause havoc.
She went back to the dining-room area, where a large sliding patio door opened to the deck. “How’s it going?”
“Grill is almost ready. How are the potatoes doing?”
“Ten more minutes.” She leaned on the railing. “This is really lovely.”
“Thanks. I built the deck in the spring. I wanted to have some outdoor living space. I never understood why the previous owners hadn’t done it. It’s a great yard, with a lot of shade trees.”
“Do you garden?” Luna queried.
“If you mean do I grow tomatoes? Yes. But that’s it. Don’t have much of a green thumb.”
“Then who takes care of the bushes and perennials?”
“Believe it or not, Carter does. Last summer, it was a project for the Scouts.” Gaines laughed. “Keeps me from getting down in the weeds.”
“He sounds like a well-rounded kid.”
“I like to think so.” Gaines opened the grill, salted the steaks, and popped them on the grate.
“I’ll go make a salad and set the table,” Luna offered.
“I didn’t plan on making dinner and putting you to work.” Gaines gave her one of his “be still my heart” smiles.
Luna could swear he had a twinkle in his eye. “It’s not work. I love to cook, but I don’t do it enough.”
“Tell you what. Before you dive into the greens, bring out the bottle of wine that’s sitting on the counter. I’ll uncork it and put in the carafe. It’s a really nice cab. Needs a few minutes to open.”
“I can do that.” Then she thought twice. Men like to do that sort of thing. Don’t be so . . . Luna-ish trying to orchestrate everything. “On second thought, I’ll let you do it. I would probably break the cork.” She went back inside and returned with the bottle and corkscrew. Gaines skillfully uncorked the bottle and handed it back to her. “The carafe should be on the counter where the wine was.”
“Capisce!” Luna snickered and went back inside. She poured the wine and put the carafe on the table. She was about to look for the plates and glasses.
It was as if Gaines was reading her mind because he called out, “Cabinet left of the sink.”
She stopped suddenly. How did he know what I was going to ask? “Hey. How did you know I was just about to ask you?”
“Deductive reasoning. The salad fixings are obviously in the refrigerator.”
“But what if I was about to ask where the salad bowl is?”
“Yeah. But you didn’t.” He chuckled. Two could play the woo-woo game.
“Huh.” Luna shook her head. Yep. There was definitely a thing going on with them.
* * *
Before they sat down for dinner, Gaines lit a fire and placed the first album on his turntable. As he was dropping the needle on to the vinyl record, he smirked. “And they mocked me when I refused to let go of my record collection. Now it’s one of the hottest medias for music. You just can’t get the same sound when it’s mixed for streaming.”
Luna had to agree. And she liked his taste in his collection.
The steaks were grilled to perfection, the potato skins were crisp, the salad a medley of lettuces, and the luscious wine was a perfect pairing. Their conversation flowed easily. Gaines talked a lot about his son, Luna about her dog. They continued to gab as they cleaned up the plates. Gaines grabbed the carafe and their two wineglasses and brought them over to the makeshift cocktail table. It was two wooden crates with a piece of shelving on top. “I see another project for Cullen.” Luna eyed the configuration.
Gaines poured a little more into her glass and sat next to her on the couch, their arms nestled next to each other. Chris put down his glass and took Luna’s from her and placed it next to his on the table. He turned and leaned in to kiss her when her phone rudely rang. She huffed and glanced over. When she saw that it was Cullen, she panicked. She knew he wouldn’t call unless it was an emergency. “I have to take this.” She grabbed the phone and barked. “You’d better be dying.”
Cullen’s voice was gasping. “It’s Chi-Chi!”
“Chi-Chi? What happened is she all right?”
“Yes. Listen.” Cullen stopped talking.
“Listen to what?”
“Chi-Chi. It’s Chi-Chi,” he repeated in a whisper.
“Cullen, get a grip. What are you talking about?” She put the phone on speaker.
“Just listen.”
Luna looked up at Gaines and shrugged her shoulders. All she could hear was music in the background. A woman was singing.
“Cullen? Are you still there?”
“Sshhhhh,” he whispered again.
“I think he’s had too much to drink or he’s having a stroke.” Luna looked pleadingly at Gaines. Then it hit her. It was Chi-Chi singing “Sweet Love.” “Holy smoke. I thought it was Anita Baker,” Luna whispered.
When the song ended, Luna could hear the applause in the background and someone saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, that was Lebici Stone.”
“Gotta go.” Cullen clicked off the call.
“Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle,” Gaines said with relief and surprise.
“Wow. I wonder how he got her to do that,” Luna mused. She couldn’t help but send him a text.
How?
He typed back.
Dunno. Big surprise. Gotta go.
“You can be the monkey’s uncle, and I’ll be his aunt,” Luna said.
“That woman has some set of chops.” Gaines was truly impressed.
“For real. But I could kill Cullen. He had me frightened half to death.” Luna pouted.
Gaines thought that was a good opportunity to put his arm around her. Pretend he was offering comfort in her time of distress.
She snugged into his chest as if it were something they had done together many times before. The lights began to flicker. The flickering became more constant until the lights went completely dark.
“Oh, here we go,” Gaines said, but didn’t move. “Whenever we get a few gusts of wind, we lose power.”
“Does that happen often?” Luna asked. But she didn’t seem to mind.
“Often enough that there’s an investigation going on. Someone is asleep at the switch, and no one is writing checks for maintenance.”
“How long does it usually last?” Luna thought it rather romantic. “At least we have a fire.”
“And a couple of candles.” With all the activity, he had forgotten to light them. “Don’t go anywhere.” He got up and put one on the fake cocktail table and lit the one on the mantel.
He sat back down. “Now, where were we?”
Luna was happy to recall exactly where he was sitting, took his arm, and put it around her shoulder and nestled in closer. She rested her head on his chest, and he brushed the few wisps of hair from her cheek.
“I’m really happy you came out here,” he said in a soft voice.
“Mmmm . . . me too,” Luna cooed. With the power out, the only sound was the crackling of the fire and their breaths in rhythm with each other.
She looked up at him. “Did anyone ever tell you that you look a little like Jay Hernandez? The new guy on Magnum P.I.?”
“Wait until the lights come back on.” Gaines laughed and disengaged himself from the sofa. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Luna let out a slight “nuh-huh.”
Gaines grabbed the flashlight he normally kept in the living room for the many times the power went out.
He went into his bedroom and pulled two pillows against his nose. They were fresh and clean. Then he grabbed the coverlet that sat at the foot of his bed. Another sniff test. “Those cleaning people did a spectacular job,” he muttered to himself. When he got back to the sofa, Luna was stretched out. He couldn’t tell if she had fallen asleep. He moved carefully in her direction and squatted on the floor next to her. He gently lifted her head and put one of the pillows under it. Her eyes fluttered, and she made a soft murmur of contentment.
He whispered, “Do you want to stay here or go to bed?”
Luna reached up and touched his face. “Both.”
* * *
As Chi-Chi made her way back to the table, Cullen shot up from his chair, took her hand, and gently kissed the back of it. “You are not only the most beautiful woman in the room. You are the most talented.”
Chi-Chi fanned her face with her free hand. “I cannot believe I did that.” Cullen pulled out her chair for her to sit.
“Honestly, I can’t either, and it was wonderful. You had been gone so long, I thought you might have left,” Cullen said.
“First of all, I would not do such a thing, especially to you. And second, I had to speak with the group’s leader to see if they could play that song in my key. I am sorry if I caused you any discomfort.”
“It was well worth it.” Cullen couldn’t stop staring at her.
A few minutes later, the maître d’ came to the table with a split of Veuve Clicquot champagne. “Compliments of the house. That was an impressive performance.” This time he wasn’t as affected as when he had seated them.
“You are very kind. Thank you.” Chi-Chi was on the verge of blushing. She was thankful her honey-toned complexion masked any embarrassing color that might have appeared on her face.
“Yes. Impressive.” Cullen lifted his glass and made a toast. “To a most delightful and memorable evening.”
“Thank you. I do not remember the last time I had such an enjoyable night.” Chi-Chi smiled at Cullen. “I supposed we should thank your sister for suggesting this.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll take all the credit.” Cullen laughed.
They took their time with dessert and sipped the champagne. Cullen took care of the check, and they began to leave the restaurant. Everyone they passed said something kind to Chi-Chi about her singing.
“You’re a bit of a celebrity.” Cullen could not have been prouder.
The town car was waiting for them at the valet station. Again, the driver opened the door and ushered Chi-Chi in. Cullen followed.
Chi-Chi intuitively took Cullen’s hand and held it the entire drive to her house. Both had few words to say. The energy and mood between them spoke volumes.
When they arrived at her house, the driver opened her side of the car. Cullen jumped out. “I’ve got it from here.” He walked her to the door.
“I would invite you in, but as you know, my nosy brother is in town, and I do not know when he will be coming back. I could hope not until tomorrow, but Abeo can be unpredictable, as you discovered with his early arrival.”
“I’ll take a rain check.” Cullen didn’t mind. It would give him something to look forward to.
Chi-Chi took both of his hands. “But I would like to invite you to kiss me good night. Or allow me to kiss you good night.”
“Permission granted.” Cullen pulled her close and accommodated both requests. The fireworks between them was like the Fourth of July. They had been standing in an embrace for several minutes when they were startled by her brother opening the door.
“Ka a ale!” Abeo blurted with his big baritone voice.
“Abeo! Where is your car?”
A chipper voice from inside the house rang out. “Hellooo. . .” It was the familiar greeting from none other than Jennine, the pottery queen.
* * *
Tori arrived home around dinnertime. She felt light and invigorated. The creative spirit of the origami workshop was stimulating. Chatting with other people came much easier than she had thought it would. They had something in common, whether it was wanting to learn the art of paper folding or finding a respite from the busy world. She hadn’t finished the mobile yet. She still had a few more animals to work on, so she decided to go again the following month. She realized she would probably be showing a baby bump at that point. Meanwhile, she had to figure out a way to tell her husband all the things that had been festering for the past twenty years. Twenty years is a long time, she thought to herself, but then again, it goes by lickety-split. She knew she should have spoken up years ago, but she hated confrontation. She also knew that was no excuse. Put on your big-girl pants. She giggled, thinking she would need them soon enough.
Her husband wasn’t home yet from wherever he had been, so she sent him a text.
Hi. Just got home. Dinner?
She was surprised at his rapid response.
Be there soon. Need anything?
Tori looked twice at the number. It was his. How odd. He rarely, if ever, asked.
Dessert?
Anything in particular?
Surprise me.
As if she wasn’t already surprised by his interaction. She supposed it was guilt.
She took a package of chicken from the refrigerator and soaked it in salted water for ten minutes. She was a firm believer in brining the chicken before cooking. It made it more tender.
She stirred together a marinade and let the chicken steep in it for a half hour. She sliced the potatoes and placed them in a single layer in a baking dish, then placed the chicken on top. It was a new recipe she had picked up from a magazine. The juice from the chicken and marinade soaked into the potatoes as they roasted in the oven. String beans almondine would be a side dish. She never realized how easy it was to make fancy vegetables. Sliced almonds browned in butter and then tossed through the steamed beans. She felt like a gourmet chef.
Twenty minutes later, her husband arrived with an apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
“Oh my goodness. Where did you get a fresh apple pie at this hour?”
He didn’t want to tell her that he had made his own journey to Stillwell Art Center. He waited until she was on her way so she wouldn’t know he was following her. She had been acting out of character, and he thought something was amiss. It was a good half hour before he went into the center. He had checked the floor plan of the center on the Internet and confirmed the existence of an origami studio and the workshop. He waited until a half hour passed before he went into the center and kept close to the foliage. He had been on surveillance several times so he was sure he could avoid her line of sight, especially with the studio being tucked away on the side wing. Relieved she was really where she said she going to be, he spotted a pastry shop where the aroma of fresh-baked pies wafted through the air. Even though they didn’t bake on the premises, the smell of fresh pastry was undeniable. He knew he would have to come clean once they both got back to the house, but it would be a good opportunity for him to find out what was going on in his wife’s head.
“I have a confession to make.” He set the pie on the table and pulled out two chairs.
This was when Tori knew he was going to tell her about his affair. She remained calm and collected.
“OK. Go ahead.”
“You are probably going to have a conniption fit,” he said plainly.
She thought, You have no idea. I have been waiting for this moment.
She pulled her phone from her purse, set it on the table, and primly folded her hands. “OK. Go ahead.”
“I followed you today.” He looked up at her.
Tori was stunned. “You did what?” she said with some skepticism.
“I followed you to the Stillwell Center.”
Tori was totally confused. “But why?”
“Tori, honey, you have been acting differently these past couple of weeks.”
“Yes, I know I have.” She still couldn’t grasp what he was saying. “But why did you follow me?”
“I was trying to figure out what was going on with you. The way you’ve been acting lately, well, I—”
“Now, isn’t that rich?” she said, with a huge amount of sarcasm. “Why don’t we start with what is going on with you?” She flipped through the photos on her phone and pulled one up with him and the trampy-looking woman.
“Wait. What?” He grabbed the phone and increased the picture. “How the hell . . .”
“You tell me.” Tori peered at him suspiciously.
“That’s Jack’s sister, Dana. She’s a piece of work.”
“Oh, she was working it all right. Obviously. I saw you with her at Ringo’s.”
“What were you doing at Ringo’s?” Now he was the confused one.
“I wanted to try to be more involved with your life. I was going to surprise you. Instead, you surprised me.” She flipped through a few more photos. “I was standing in the entryway. You didn’t answer my text that night, either.” She gave him a cold stare. “I saw you ignore it.”
“I just didn’t want to get into anything. Dana was being a pest, and I was trying to dissuade her from mauling me.”
“How good of a job did you do?” She kept her stare.
“She backed off and moved on to Joe. Why didn’t you ask me about this? Is this why you’ve been acting, I dunno, distant?”
“I have to tell you something.” Tori gulped a good amount of air.
“Are you having an affair?” he asked.
“What?” Tori blurted. “You can’t be serious.”
“Then what is it?” He had a pleading look in his eye.
For the first time, Tori felt that she could drive this bus. She was matter-of-fact. “Look, I haven’t been happy for a very long time. Over the years, we’ve drifted apart. It’s as if we’re two strangers living under the same roof.”
