White Lace and Promises

  Maggie felt an exhilarating sense of power at the awe reflected in her husband’s eyes. Impatience played no role in their lovemaking. Glenn had taught her the importance of self-control. The excruciating wait seemed only to enhance their pleasure; the disciplined pauses heightened their eagerness. Maggie was a willing pupil.

  As if he couldn’t deny himself a second longer, Glenn wrapped her in his arms and in one sweeping motion buried her mouth with his.

  What had begun with impatient eagerness slowed to a breathless anticipation. When they moved, it was with one accord. They broke apart and finished undressing, then lay together on the thick, soft quilt.

  “I love you,” she whispered, raising her arms up to bring him to herself. “Please love me,” she cried, surprised to hear her own voice.

  “I do,” Glenn breathed. “Always.”

  Afterward, blissfully content, Maggie spread eager kisses over his face. Briefly, she wondered if this exhilaration, this heartfelt elation, would always stay with them. She wondered if twenty years from now she would still experience a thrill when Glenn made love to her. Somehow, Maggie doubted that this aspect of their marriage would ever change.

  Glenn shifted positions so that Maggie was lovingly cradled in his arms, and his fingers lightly stroked the length of her arm. Her fingers played at his chest, curling the fine, dark hairs that were abundant there. A feeling of overpowering tenderness rocked him. He reveled in the emotion of loving and being loved, and knew what they shared would last forever. He was tired, more than tired—exhausted. He looked down and discovered Maggie asleep in his arms. Everything was going to work out, he thought sleepily. He wasn’t going to lose her.… Slowly, his eyes drifted closed.… Maggie was his.

  The following morning, Maggie woke and studied her husband as he slept. A trace of a smile curved his mouth and her heart thrilled with the knowledge that she had placed it there. He must have been worried, terribly worried, she thought, to have dropped everything and flown to her. Surely, he couldn’t believe that she’d ever leave him. A woman didn’t love as strongly as she did and surrender without doing battle.

  Glenn’s arrival had proved that Angie was right.…

  Glenn took his vows far too seriously to have married her or anyone when he was in love with another woman. Maggie didn’t know what Glenn felt for the other woman anymore, but it wasn’t love. Utterly content, she silently slipped from the bed and dressed, eager for the new day.

  Glenn woke with a smile as Maggie’s lips brushed his in a feather-light kiss. “Morning,” he whispered, reaching up to wrap his arms around her waist.

  “Morning,” she returned brightly. “I wondered how long it’d take for you to join the living.”

  Glenn eased upright, using his elbow for support. “What time is it?”

  “Noon.”

  “Noon!” he cried, rubbing the sleep from his face as he came fully upright. “Good grief, why didn’t you wake me?”

  Giggling, Maggie sat on the edge of the mattress and looped her arms around his strong neck. “I just did.”

  “You’ve been painting,” he said, noticing that Maggie was in her smock.

  “It felt good to get back to it. Charleston was wonderful, but it’s great to be home and back into my regular schedule.”

  A light knock against the bedroom door attracted Maggie’s attention. “Phone for you, Maggie,” Rosa, the older Hispanic woman who was Maggie’s housekeeper and cook, announced from the other side. “It’s your brother.”

  “Tell him I’ll be right there,” Maggie said, and planted a tender kiss on Glenn’s forehead. “Unfortunately, duty calls.”

  “Maggie.” Glenn’s hand reached for her wrist, stopping her. His eyes were questioning her as though he didn’t like the idea of releasing her even to her own brother. “Never mind.”

  “I shouldn’t be more than a few minutes. Do you want to wait for me here?”

  He shook his head, already tossing aside the blankets as he climbed from the bed. “I’ll be out of the shower by the time you’ve finished.”

  True to his word, Glenn leaned his hip against the kitchen counter, sipping coffee and chatting easily to Rosa when Maggie reappeared.

  “I see that you two have introduced yourselves,” Maggie said, sliding her arms around Glenn’s waist.

  “Sí,” Rosa said with a nod, her dark eyes gleaming. “You marry good man. You have lots of healthy muchachos.”

  Maggie agreed with a broad grin, turning her eyes to her husband. “Rosa is going to teach me to cook, isn’t that right?”

  “Sí. Every wife needs to know how to make her man happy,” Rosa insisted as she went about cleaning the kitchen. “I teach Maggie everything.”

  “Not quite everything,” Glenn whispered near Maggie’s ear, mussing the tiny curls that grew at her temple. “In fact, you wouldn’t even need to go near a kitchen to keep me happy.”

  “Glenn,” she whispered, hiding a giggle. “Quiet, or Rosa will wonder.”

  “Let her.” His hold tightened as the housekeeper proceeded to chatter happily in a mixture of Spanish and English, scrubbing down already spotless counters as she spoke.

  The lazy November day was marvelous. They took a dip in the heated pool and splashed and dunked each other like feisty teenagers at a beach party. Later, as they dried out in the sauna, Glenn carefully broached the subject of Maggie’s brother.

  “What did Denny want?”

  “Yes. He and Linda have invited us to Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t think you’d mind if I accepted.”

  “That’ll be fine. How’s Denny doing?”

  Maggie wiped a thick layer of perspiration from her cheeks using both hands, biding her time while she formed her thoughts. “Fine. What makes you ask?”

  “He seems to call often enough. Didn’t you get a couple of calls from him when we were in Charleston?”

  “Yes. He’s been through some rough times lately.”

  “How rough?”

  Wrapping the towel around her neck, Maggie stood and paced the small enclosure while the heavy heat pounded in around her. “As you probably know, Denny and my parents inherited a portion of Great-aunt Margaret’s money. Denny made some bad investment choices.”

  “What happened?” As a stockbroker, Glenn felt his curiosity piqued.

  “It’s a long, involved story not worth repeating. Simply put, Denny invested heavily in what he felt would be a good investment, trusting friends he shouldn’t have trusted and lost everything. The case is being decided in the courts now, but it looks like he’ll only get a dime back on every dollar invested.”

  “So you’re bailing him out?” The statement was loaded with censure.

  Maggie had to bite her tongue to keep from lashing out at Glenn for being so insensitive. He should know that litigation and lawyers were expensive. She was only doing what any sister would do in similar circumstances. “Listen, what’s between my brother and me is private. You don’t want to talk about certain things in your life, and I don’t, either. We’re both entitled to that.”

  “Don’t you think you’re being overly defensive?”

  Maggie looked at him sharply. “So what? Denny’s my brother. I’ll give him money any time I please.”

  Glenn was taken back by her bluntness. “Fine.” He wouldn’t bring up the subject again … at least not for a while.

  Thanksgiving arrived, and Maggie’s parents flew out from Florida. The elder Kingsburys had reacted with the same pleased surprise as Glenn’s family had when Maggie phoned to announce that she and Glenn had married. The gathering at Denny and Linda’s was a spirited but happy one. Neither of Maggie’s parents mentioned how brief her and Glenn’s courtship had been, nor that they were shocked at the suddenness of the ceremony. The questions were in their eyes, but Maggie was so radiantly happy that no one voiced any doubts.

  The traditional turkey was placed in the oven to be ready to serve at the end of the San Francisco 49ers football game. They ate until
they were stuffed, played cards, ate again and watched an old movie on television until Maggie yawned and Glenn suggested they head home. The day had been wonderful, and Maggie looked forward to Christmas for the first time since moving to the beach house.

  Glenn’s days were filled. He started work at Lindsey & McNaught Brokerage the Monday after his arrival in San Francisco, and continued to work long hours to build up his clientele. More often than not, it was well past seven before he arrived home. Maggie didn’t mind the hours Glenn put in away from home. She understood his need to secure his position with the company branch. The competition was stiff, and as a new boy on the block, the odds were against him.

  “How are things going at the office?” she asked him one evening the first week of December.

  “Fine,” he responded absently as he sorted through the mail. “How about a game of tennis? I need to work out some of my frustrations.”

  “Everything’s fine at the office, but you want to use me as a whipping boy?” she joked lovingly.

  Glenn raised his gaze to hers and met the teasing glimmer mingled with truth in her eyes.

  “Are you sorry we’re here?” she asked, on a tentative note. In Charleston, Glenn had held more than a hundred million dollars in assets for his firm, a figure that was impressive enough for him to have quickly worked his way into a managerial position. In San Francisco, he was struggling to get his name out and establish himself with new clients. Some of his previous ones had opted to stay with him but others had decided to remain with the same brokerage. From the hours he was putting in during the day and several long evenings, the task must be a formidable one.

  “I’m not the least bit sorry we’re living in San Francisco,” he said. “Where you and I are concerned, I have no regrets. Now,” he added, releasing a slow breath, “are we going to play tennis or stand here and chat?”

  Just as he finished speaking, the telephone rang. “Saved by the bell,” Maggie mumbled as she moved across the room to answer it. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Maggie,” Denny said in the low, almost whiny voice she had come to know well.

  “Hi. What’s up?” She didn’t want to encourage Denny to drag out the conversation when Glenn was in the room. Denny was a subject they avoided. She knew her husband disapproved of her handing over large sums of money to her brother, but she didn’t know what else she could do—Denny needed her. The money wasn’t doing her any good, and if she could help her only brother, then why not?

  The argument was one Maggie had waged with herself countless times. As long as she was available to lean on, the opposing argument went, then Denny would be content to do exactly that. He hadn’t accomplished anything worthwhile in months. From conversations with her sister-in-law, Linda, Maggie had learned that Denny did little except decry his misfortune and plot ways of regaining his losses. Yet Maggie could understand his circumstances well enough to realize he was in an impossible position. He didn’t like it, she didn’t like it, but there was nothing that either of them could do until the court case was settled.

  “I just wanted you to know that I’ll be meeting with the lawyers tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Good luck,” she murmured.

  A silence followed. “What’s the matter? Can’t you talk now?”

  “That about sizes up the situation.” Glenn was studying her, and Maggie realized her stalling tactics weren’t fooling him. He knew exactly whom she was talking to and did nothing to make the conversation any easier by leaving the room.

  “Maybe I should phone you tomorrow,” Denny suggested.

  “That would be better.” Maggie forced a carefree note into her tone. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.”

  “Okay.” Denny sounded disappointed, but there wasn’t anything Maggie could do. She wanted to avoid another confrontation with Glenn regarding her brother.

  Replacing the receiver, she met her husband’s gaze. “You said something about tennis?” Her voice was remarkably steady for all the turmoil going on inside her.

  “You’re not helping him, you know,” Glenn said calmly. “All you’ve done to this point is teach him to come to you to solve his financial problems.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she was aware of that. She had seen it all herself, but she was caught in a vicious trap where her brother was concerned. “He needs me,” she countered.

  “He needs a job and some self-worth.”

  “I thought you were a stockbroker, not a psychologist.”

  Maggie could tell by the tightness in his jaw that she had angered Glenn. “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. Denny’s in trouble. I can’t let him down when he needs me the most. If you recall, I did ask you to stay out of it.”

  “Have it your way,” he mumbled, and handed her a tennis racket.

  Their game wasn’t much of a contest. Glenn overpowered her easily in straight sets, making her work harder than ever. Maggie didn’t know if he was venting his frustrations from the office or if he was angry because of Denny. It didn’t matter; she was exhausted. By the time he’d finished showering, she was in bed half asleep. Glenn’s pulling the covers over her shoulders and gently kissing the top of her head were the last things Maggie remembered.

  With the approach of the Christmas holidays, Maggie felt a renewed sense of rightness. She was in love with her husband, they were together, and her world seemed in perfect balance. Glenn worked hard, and so did she, spending hours in her studio doing what she enjoyed most—painting. With her marriage, Maggie had discovered that there was a new depth to her art. She had once told Glenn that color was mood and brushwork emotion. Now, with Glenn’s love, her brush painted bold strokes that revealed a maturity in her scenes that had been missing before their wedding. She was happy, truly happy, and it showed in ways she’d never expected.

  Maggie didn’t mention Glenn’s grandmother’s antique ring, confident that he’d gift her with it on Christmas morning. And she would react with the proper amount of surprised pleasure.

  She wore her wedding ring continually now, even when she worked. Glenn glanced at her hand occasionally to be sure it was there. It was an odd quirk of his, but she didn’t really mind. The ring meant as much to her as their marriage vows and that was all he wanted. They had come a long way from the night she’d arrived in Charleston.

  For their first Christmas, Maggie wanted to buy Glenn a special gift, something that would show the depth of her love and appreciation for the good life they shared. But what? For days she mulled over the problem. She could give him one of her paintings for his office, but he had already asked her for one. She couldn’t refuse him by telling him that that was what she planned to give him for Christmas. He took one of her seascapes and she was left without an idea. And she so wanted their first Christmas together to be special.

  For the first time in years Maggie went Christmas shopping in stores. Usually, she ordered through the mail or over the Internet, but she feared missing the perfect gift that would please Glenn most. Janelle joined her one day, surprised at the changes in Maggie.

  “What changes?”

  “You’re so happy,” Janelle claimed.

  “I really am, you know.”

  “I can tell. You positively glow with it.”

  The remark pleased Maggie so much she repeated it for Glenn later that evening.

  “So you were out Christmas shopping. Did you buy me anything?”

  How she wished. Nothing seemed special enough. She had viewed a hundred jewelry display cases, visited the most elite men’s stores, and even gone to obscure bookstores, seeking rare volumes of Glenn’s favorite novels. A sense of panic was beginning to fill her.

  “You’ll have to wait until Christmas morning to find out,” she told him, coyly batting her long lashes.

  With so many relatives on their list, Glenn and Maggie were in and out of more department stores the following Saturday than Maggie cared to count. Soft music filled the stores and bells chimed on
the street corners, reminding them to be generous to those less fortunate. The crowds were heavy, but everyone seemed to expect that and took the long waits at the cash registers in stride.

  While Maggie stood in line buying a toy farm set for Glenn’s nephew, Glenn wandered over to the furniture department. Lovingly, Maggie’s gaze followed him as he looked over cherrywood bookcases in a rich, deep-red color. Bookcases? Glenn wanted something as simple as bookcases? Maggie couldn’t believe it. After days of looking at the latest gadgets and solid-gold toys, she stared in disbelief that he could be interested in something as simple as this. When the salesman approached, Glenn asked several questions and ran his hand over the polished surface.

  “Did you see something?” she asked conversationally when he returned to her side. He wanted those bookcases, but she doubted that he’d mention it to her.

  “Not really,” he replied, but Maggie noted the way his gaze returned and lingered over the cases.

  Maggie’s heartbeat raced with excitement. At the first opportunity, she’d return and buy Glenn those bookcases.

  “You’re looking pleased about something,” Glenn commented over dinner Wednesday evening.

  His comment caught her off guard, and she lightly shook her head. “Sorry, I was deep in thought. What did you say?”

  “I could tell,” he chided, chuckling. Standing, he carried his plate to the sink. “Do you want to talk about it, or is this some deep dark secret you’re hiding from your husband?”

  “Some deep dark secret.”

  “What did you do today?” he asked, appreciating anew how beautiful his wife had become. She was a different woman from the one who’d met him at the airport months ago. He liked to think the changes in her were due to their marriage. He was different, too, and credited Maggie with his renewed sense of happiness.

  “What did I do today?” Maggie repeated, her dark eyes rounding with shock. Swallowing back her unease, she cast her gaze to her plate. “Christmas cards.” The truth nearly stuck in her throat. She had written Christmas cards, but in addition she had penned a long letter to Angie, thanking her for everything the other woman had shared the day of their brief visit. In the letter, Maggie told Angie how improved her marriage was now that she’d told Glenn how much she loved him, and was confident that he loved her in return.