A Turn in the Road

  Another mistake she’d made was giving her mother the phone. That hadn’t gone nearly as well as she’d hoped. Before long, her parents were snapping at each other, and it was all Annie could do not to grab the phone out of her mother’s hand.

  More than anything, Annie wanted her parents back together. They belonged with each other; at least her father could see that now. Lots of men made mistakes. Women, too. Annie knew that from watching her friends’ parents.

  Men, in particular, supposedly went through this middle-age form of adolescence, where they behaved badly. According to what she’d heard, sooner or later they came to their senses. Some were smart enough to do whatever it took to get their families back. The lucky ones did. They reconciled with their wives and kids and started fresh, with a new appreciation of what they’d lost.

  Annie wanted her father to be one of the lucky ones. He had to be impressed by everything her mother had accomplished since the divorce. Annie would admit that even she was surprised by the success of the party business. She wasn’t the only one, either.

  Annie suspected that the attention her mother received had become an issue between Tiffany and her father. Grant didn’t openly acknowledge that but Annie could read between the lines. The lovely Tiffany’s career wasn’t exactly going gangbusters these days, not that Annie was sorry to hear it. Frankly, she’d be just as glad never to hear the other woman’s name again. Fortunately, the lovely Tiffany was out of the picture.

  She’d given her own motivations some serious thought when Andrew had challenged her. He’d accused her of wanting to revert to a perfect past that hadn’t been as perfect as she’d chosen to believe. Not true. This was more about instinct and love than any childhood fantasy.

  Her parents needed each other, and Annie considered it her duty as their daughter to encourage their reconciliation. Now all she had to do was pave the way for her mother and father to meet in the middle and resolve this.

  Come to think of it, she might offer her father a suggestion or two. Flowers for when they arrived in Vegas might help her mother forget their little argument that evening.

  Hmm... She set her cell phone to wake her early so she could call her dad. Roses, she told herself sleepily. Red ones...

  * * *

  Bethanne’s next conscious thought was that Annie was awake and moving about the hotel room. Although she was obviously making an effort to be quiet, she didn’t succeed. She dropped her cosmetics case with a clatter.

  “Annie,” Bethanne groaned. “What time is it?”

  “Six. The way I figure it, we could get to Vegas this afternoon if we leave early.”

  “Is your grandmother awake?” Bethanne asked, her eyes still closed.

  “I am now,” Ruth muttered.

  Bethanne opened her eyes and noticed Ruth sitting up in bed, stretching her arms as she arched her back. “Get me coffee and I’ll do my morning exercises, then we can hit the road.”

  “Vegas, here we come!” Annie cried. She was already dressed, with her suitcase packed and waiting by the door.

  “I’ll jump in the shower,” Bethanne said, and tossed aside the covers as she climbed out of bed. Retrieving her clothes, she stepped into the bathroom. By the time she finished, Annie had prepared coffee and Ruth had done her stretching exercises and was dressed.

  “Ready, Mom?” Annie asked as Bethanne repacked her suitcase and slipped her book into her purse.

  “I’m ready. But the question should be...is Vegas ready for us?”

  Annie laughed. “I sure hope so.”

  They were on the road by seven-fifteen, and rolled into Vegas seven and a half hours later. Annie had booked them into the Hard Rock Casino just off the Strip. It wouldn’t have been either Ruth’s or Bethanne’s first choice, but one casino was probably as good as another.

  While Annie and Ruth checked in, Bethanne found the rental car location and swapped cars, more for peace of mind than anything else. Marvin back in Wells had done an excellent job, but they still had a long way to travel. Bethanne didn’t dare risk another breakdown.

  When she returned to the casino, both Annie and Ruth were playing the slot machines. The sights and sounds of the casino were everywhere. Instead of being annoyed by the din, Bethanne discovered that it added to the excitement.

  “Sit down and play with us,” Annie urged, intent on a game named after the television show Wheel of Fortune.

  “Okay.” Bethanne wasn’t keen on giving her hard-earned forty dollars to a slot, but it did look like fun. The thought of turning that fun into winnings was too tempting to ignore.

  She found a machine with a cartoon Texas oilman called Texas Tea, pulled out a stool and plopped herself down. Twenty dollars went quickly, although it was a nickel machine. At $2.25 with every push of the button, her twenty bucks vanished almost before she knew it. She wondered whether to feed it her last twenty, but hesitated, then decided she’d reached her limit for that day.

  “Have you been up to the room yet?” Ruth asked when Bethanne sat next to her mother-in-law.

  “Not yet.” Annie had taken up Bethanne’s suitcase and given her the room key earlier.

  “You need to see the room,” Annie said, smiling broadly. “If you wait a minute, I’ll go up with you.”

  “Is anyone hungry yet?” Ruth asked. She removed the receipt for her winnings and stuffed it inside her purse.

  “I’m starving,” Annie said. “Lunch was hours ago. But let’s go to the room first.”

  Bethanne couldn’t imagine why seeing their room was so important. Hotel rooms were pretty much alike. Beds, a television, sometimes a desk, and, of course, a small and generally cramped bathroom, and that was about it.

  What awaited her was a large bouquet of red roses. Dozens of beautiful red buds in a crystal vase. “Roses?” Bethanne breathed as she stepped into the room.

  Ruth and Annie looked positively delighted. “The card says they’re for you,” Annie crowed. Her eyes gleamed as if she was personally responsible.

  “Me?”

  “Well, all of us. Read the card and see.”

  Bethanne unpinned the envelope from the pink ribbon and stared down at it for a moment while a strange thought went through her mind. Could they have come from Max? But that was impossible. He had no idea where she was. Or did he? Roses were extravagant. Special. She loved roses, always had. Max didn’t know that—but Grant did.

  “Read the card, Mom,” Annie said a second time.

  Bethanne ripped open the tiny envelope and removed the card. “For my three favorite women.” It was signed “Grant.” “They’re from your father,” she said as a warm feeling settled over her. A feeling of being cherished.

  “I told you Dad was trying,” Annie said. She seemed really pleased by the gesture.

  “You father knows how much I love roses.” Bethanne glanced at the card again.

  Ruth reached for the card and read it, too. “I’m sure Grant felt bad about your conversation last night and wants to clear the air.”

  “I’m sure that’s it,” Bethanne agreed.

  “Still, roses are pretty special.” That comment came from Annie.

  “I’ll call your father and thank him.” And she would...later. It was a lovely thing to do and Bethanne did appreciate his effort. Grant was trying to win her back. Now it was up to her to decide if that was what she wanted.

  “Shall we think about dinner?” Ruth asked.

  It was still a bit early, but Annie was right; they’d eaten hours ago. Because they were so eager to get to Vegas, they’d had a skimpy lunch. Breakfast had consisted of coffee and the bottled orange juice Bethanne picked up at a filling station on the way out of Wells. After some discussion they had dinner at the hotel’s buffet.

  Bethanne ate until she was stuffed. At only seven-thirty, it see
med a shame to go back to their room so early. They were planning to spend the next day exploring the Strip. For tonight, that left the slots.

  “I’ve got forty dollars burning a hole in my purse.” Ruth was grinning like a five-year-old at her own birthday party. “Let me at those Wheel of Fortune machines.”

  “I guess I’ll give that Texas oilman another chance to show me what he’s got,” Bethanne said.

  “I don’t know what I want to do just yet,” Annie told them.

  They set a time to reconvene and then split up. Two hours later, Bethanne arrived at the designated area. Ruth was already there.

  “I’ll never think of Vanna White the same way again,” her mother-in-law muttered. “She took all my money.”

  Bethanne laughed. She, on the other hand, had struck oil and was up more than a hundred dollars.

  “Tell Annie good-night for me, will you?” Ruth asked. “I’m going to the room. I’ll read for a while and turn in for the night.”

  “Okay. Good night. I’ll probably be joining you myself in an hour or so.”

  Annie showed up a couple of minutes later with a young man in tow. “Mom, meet Jason. Jason, my mom. We’re going to hang for a while,” Annie announced, then kissed Bethanne’s cheek and was off.

  Bethanne had barely managed a word. “Well,” she said with a sigh, “I suppose I’ll sit down with that oilman again.” She found the area where she’d been earlier and slid onto the stool. After inserting a twenty-dollar bill, she pushed the button and waited.

  “Any luck?” a familiar voice asked.

  Bethanne swiveled the chair around as Max claimed the empty seat beside her.

  Twelve

  Bethanne was speechless. As casually as could be, Max fed a twenty-dollar bill into the machine next to hers, glanced over and smiled.

  A smile. He’d actually smiled. “Hi,” he said.

  “Hi.” Her tongue felt as if it had twisted itself into knots. “How did you know where to find me?”

  He spoke as he played the slot machine. “Rooster heard Annie and Grandma talking about Vegas. I figured if I was Annie’s age I’d head for the Hard Rock Casino, so I took a chance you’d be here.”

  Out of all the casinos in Vegas, he’d found the one she was in, although it was Friday night and the city was crammed with people and cars. The clang of the slots, music, laughter—the sounds of excitement were all around. Even if he’d guessed the right hotel, it was pure luck that he’d happened upon her.

  “I’ve been winning,” she said, imitating his casual tone.

  “How much?”

  “Not enough to set the casino back any.”

  The music pounded in the background and seemed ten times louder than before. Bethanne had lost track of popular tunes and musicians years ago; she couldn’t have identified the singers’ names or the song titles. In fact, she was aware of nothing except the man sitting next to her.

  After several minutes Max sent her a pained look. “Do you like this music?”

  “Not particularly.”

  “Wanna take a ride on my bike?”

  She nodded. She wanted to get away, too. With him. It was difficult to think, but she couldn’t blame that entirely on the music. “Have your ribs healed?” she asked.

  “Not quite, but I’m willing to risk it again.”

  “You’re a brave man.”

  They stepped outside and the contrast to the ear-splitting music was almost shocking. She started to tell him how much she appreciated the fact that he’d found her, but he shook his head.

  “What did you say?” he asked. “My ears are still ringing.”

  “Just that I’m glad you’re here.” Bethanne hadn’t intended to admit that. Yet it was true. She hadn’t expected to see him again, hadn’t believed it was even possible. The explosion of surprise mingled with joy gave her pause. Bethanne had planned to use these weeks away to consider her future with Grant. This wasn’t the time to confuse the issue by indulging some romantic fantasy about a man on a motorcycle.

  Max studied her with those intense brown eyes. “I’m glad I’m here, too.” He clasped her hand and intertwined their fingers. Bethanne’s heart raced like that of a teenage girl on her first date. Get a grip, she told herself. As they walked out of the casino she kept reminding herself how ridiculous being with Max was. This was a dead-end relationship. A dead-end everything.

  Although it wasn’t nine o’clock yet, it remained light out. “Any place you’d like to go?” he asked.

  Being unfamiliar with Las Vegas, Bethanne didn’t know what to suggest. “Not really.”

  “Okay, I’ll choose.”

  They reached his bike in the parking lot and he removed Rooster’s helmet from the older man’s Harley, which was parked beside his, and handed it to her. She climbed on the back of Max’s bike and set her feet where he’d shown her before. Max took his seat, started the engine with a roar and turned out of the parking lot.

  Bethanne slipped her arms around his waist and held on, although less tightly than the first time she’d ridden with him. Closing her eyes, she felt the breeze rush past and after a few minutes she relaxed. She wasn’t sure where Max was going. It didn’t matter.

  When he slowed the bike, Bethanne realized they were completely out of the city, on a hill that overlooked the valley. Night had settled in and the casino lights lit up the sky.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said, after they’d parked and taken off their helmets. He looked down at the city, and Bethanne joined him.

  “I used to sit up here and just stare at the lights,” Max continued. “It’s so crazy down there and so peaceful up here.” He stood beside her in silence for a few minutes. “Tell me about your ex-husband,” he suddenly said.

  “Grant?” she asked, uncertain what to say.

  “You have more than one?”

  “No. Your question surprised me, that’s all.”

  “Is it difficult to talk about your divorce?”

  She shook her head. “Not anymore. I guess it comes down to a case of the two of us growing apart. He found someone else and the sad part is, I was so involved with his career, with our children and friends, that I didn’t notice. I mean, a wife’s supposed to sense these things, right?”

  “I wouldn’t know.”

  “Did you...did you ever cheat on your wife?”

  “Never.” His answer was quick and decisive. “I wasn’t even tempted.”

  “At the time, Grant and I had been married nearly twenty years. We’d grown comfortable with each other. Complacent, I guess. He wanted me to be a stay-at-home mother and I enjoyed that role. I hosted dinners, arranged all his travel... I considered myself a full partner in his life and his career—and yet I didn’t know about Tiffany. I honestly didn’t have a clue. If someone had told me, I swear I wouldn’t have believed my husband was capable of betraying me that way.”

  “Were you unhappy?”

  “No, not in the least. But after Grant moved out, I was an emotional mess. I felt lost, bewildered, defeated. As if I’d suddenly been blinded, with no idea where I was or how to find my way out. It took weeks—no, months—to come to grips with the situation. I’m a different person now. The years have given me perspective. I can understand better what happened and why Grant was attracted to Tiffany.”

  “Sounds as if you’re making excuses for him.”

  “Does it?”

  “Yes.”

  She looked down at the ground and moved the dirt around with the toe of her shoe. Maybe she was making excuses for Grant; if so, it was probably because he’d recognized how wrong he’d been and told her so, over and over. “Grant’s sorry about it now... I mentioned before that he wants us to get back together. He had roses delivered to the hotel.”

  ??
?Here in Vegas?”

  She nodded. “They were in the room waiting for us. He wanted to apologize because we had a small argument over the phone last night.”

  “About me, I suspect.”

  “If you must know, he was horrified that I’d taken off with you.”

  “He’s right. It was a risky thing to do.”

  “Are you dangerous, Max?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “Is Max your real name?”

  “It is. Max Scranton. My friends find it ironic—the Mad Max thing. But I’ve been Max my whole life.” He hesitated and leaned back against the bike, stretched out his legs and crossed his arms. “Kate used to call me—” He didn’t finish the sentence.

  “Does it hurt to talk about her?”

  He looked away. “What you told me yesterday is true. It does get easier. I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “How much longer will you continue to run?” she asked. She wouldn’t have been nearly as forward if he hadn’t been curious about her and Grant.

  “Is that what I’m doing? Running away from the pain?” The question didn’t appear to offend him.

  She nodded. “Actually, I think I would’ve pulled up roots and left Seattle if not for Andrew and Annie.” It occurred to her that he might have children. “Did you and Kate have a family?”

  Anguish came and went in his eyes so quickly that Bethanne wondered if she’d imagined it. “A daughter. Katherine was born with a rare genetic disease. She died when she was eleven. Since we both carried the gene, we decided not to have any more children. After Katherine it was just the two of us. Then... Kate was gone, too. I didn’t deal well with that. I blamed myself for a long time.” He spoke with his gaze on the lights of the city below. “I buried myself in a bottle for the first year. I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if it wasn’t for Rooster and my brother. Fortunately, Luke stepped in to take over the business. Otherwise, I would’ve lost it, along with everything else. In a way I think that’s what I wanted. Maybe what I deserved. Death robbed me of the two people I loved most. Nothing else mattered. I think I wanted to die myself. Death would be easier than living with the pain.” He paused and inhaled deeply. “Then Rooster took control. He refused to let me slowly kill myself. I’m grateful now, but, trust me, at the time I much preferred the idea of drinking myself to death.”