Midnight Promises by Sherryl Woods Page A

feelings. Can you understand that?”
Daisy’s expression turned thoughtful. It was a lot to ask of a nine-year-old that she try to grasp the impact of an adult’s hurtful actions.
“I guess,” she said eventually.
“Then maybe you can think about focusing on how lucky you are to have Elliott as a stepdad and consider forgiving her,” Karen suggested.
“Maybe,” Daisy said grudgingly.
Karen leaned down to hug her. “Just think about it. Good night, angel. I’m sorry your first dance wasn’t everything you wanted it to be.”
“It started out okay,” Daisy admitted. “Elliott was teaching me to dance.”
“He’s got some very nice moves on a dance floor,” Karen said, smiling at the memory of dancing with him at their wedding.
“All the other girls were watching him,” Daisy admitted. “I think they all wanted to dance with him.”
“I imagine they’ll have a lot of questions for you on Monday morning,” Karen said. “But you’ll have to tell them he’s taken, that he belongs to your mom.”
Daisy giggled. “Mom!”
“Well, it’s true,” Karen said.
“I think he’s the best stepdad in the whole world,” Daisy said.
“I think so, too,” Karen said softly. The very best.
And when she weighed that against the petty annoyances that had come between them lately, there was absolutely no contest. The day she’d found Elliott had been the luckiest of her life. When the going got tough—and there was little doubt that it would again—she needed to remember that.
* * *
     
Elliott usually barely managed to squeeze out a half hour for lunch on Saturdays, but this week he turned his eleven o’clock appointment over to the spa’s other personal trainer and headed to his sister’s, determined to get to the bottom of whatever was going on in her household these days.
When he drove up to the large home Ernesto had built on a wooded acre of land outside of Serenity, he heard the kids splashing in the pool around back. Normally he would have circled around to greet them, but today his only goal was to get Adelia alone for a heart-to-heart conversation.
Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, the front door was flung open and Ernesto brushed past him, a scowl on his face. From inside the house, he heard Adelia shouting after him not to bother coming home.
Elliott closed his eyes, muttered a prayer for guidance, then walked inside to find his sister alone in the kitchen slamming dishes into the dishwasher, tears streaming down her face. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
She turned to him, her expression stricken. Wiping ineffectively at her tears, she tried to force a smile. “I didn’t know you were here. How’d you get in?”
“Your husband kindly left the door open as he left,” he said wryly. “I heard, Adelia. I heard you tell him not to bother coming home.”
She waved off the comment. “People say things like that all the time. I didn’t mean it.”
“It sounded to me as if you did.”
“Oh, what do you know? You’re still in the honeymoon phase. What do you know about marital fights?”
He smiled at that. “Karen and I have had our share.”
“And gotten past them,” she said, her tone brisk. “Ernesto and I will, as well. Now, let me pour you a cup of coffee. I have some of Mama’s cookies here, too.” She frowned then. “Why aren’t you at the spa? I thought Saturday was one of your busiest days.”
“It is, but I thought we needed to talk about what happened last night.”
She frowned, looking genuinely mystified. “Last night? Did something happen at the dance? Selena didn’t say a word. Neither did Ernesto.”
“I’m not surprised,” Elliott said. “It wouldn’t show either of them in the best light.” He described the scene at the dance. “Selena deliberately humiliated Daisy in front of all their classmates.”
“I am so sorry,” Adelia said at once, her expression heartsick. “I’ll deal with this right now.