“Wow, you must be exhausted. Where’s Cody now?”
“He and Steve went up to the house. Cody was eager to frost a cake we baked before we left.”
“Let me guess—chocolate?” Kim asked, and the two women shared a smile. “I can’t picture Steve baking a cake. Does he cook often?”
“He never used to lift a finger in the kitchen, but lately he’s been doing a lot of grilling for us. He discovered he likes to bake, too.”
“That’s fantastic. Derek helps when he can, but his hours are so unreliable that most of the cooking has fallen to me.”
“That’s how we used to be. But in the last couple of months, things have been a lot better.”
“I’m so glad, Brenda. I didn’t want to pry, but I’ve been concerned. You seemed very depressed. It reminded me of how I felt during my divorce. You look so much happier now.”
Brenda reached over and gave her a hug. “Thanks for caring, Kim. Now that I think back on what happened, I can see that things hadn’t been great between Steve and me for a long time. But we really started to fall apart about the time Jessica and Justin went off to college and Steve got so busy selling real estate. His new agency kept him away from home constantly. I’ve learned that I need my husband to spend quality time with me. Steve simply didn’t have any time to give. That hurt me so much that I withdrew from him into myself, and nothing could make me feel better.”
“But you were remodeling your basement—painting it all those wonderful colors and—”
“None of that helped,” Brenda interrupted, holding up a hand to stop Kim. “Trust me; things were bad. I got to the point where I was down all the time. I didn’t even feel like I could pray. Steve and I … well, we were in trouble. But things turned around, thank God. And I mean that literally. You and the other ladies came over to help me.
Steve finally began to understand that I missed him and needed time with him. I saw that I had pulled my love and support away right when he needed it most. I hated his job, and I resented the long hours he put into selling houses, but I realized I had to change my attitude if I wanted to hold our marriage together.”
“It looks like you sorted everything out.”
“Well, we’re working on it. We still have a long way to go. Sometimes Steve gets busy and ignores me. Sometimes I still withdraw from him. But we’re making a real effort to forgive the past and support each other. I’ve been joining Steve for dinners with his clients, and he’s become very enthusiastic about my interest in interior design. It surprised me that only just now is he beginning to appreciate what I’ve been doing all these years. Plus, we bought the shops in Tranquility, and we’re working to revitalize the strip.”
“I’ll bet that’s drawn you closer together.”
“It has, and it’s added some stress to our lives. But we’re doing pretty well with the problems that crop up. I’m sure there will be more rough spots to come, but I pray we don’t let our guard down. Neither of us wants to allow things to get that bad again—ever.”
“That’s a good way to look at it.” Kim watched Lydia cannonball into the water next to her brother and come up laughing. “My first marriage was a nightmare. When Joe started hitting me, I knew I had to get out. He refused to acknowledge the problem, and nothing I tried helped at all. It took a long time—and the help of some good friends—before I accepted the truth, but there was no room to work on a relationship that threatened my life.”
“I’m sure things are different with Derek.”
“Like night and day,” Kim said. “He’s the most loving man I ever met. He treats me so well, and the twins adore him. It hasn’t been easy on him, either. He’d never been married before or spent much time around kids. As an only child, he had to work pretty hard to get out from under his mother’s wing. Miranda is a nice woman, but she kept Derek on a tight rein, so he focused his attention on getting through college and then working with the Water Patrol. Luke and Lydia can be a handful, but Derek is wonderful with them. Last night, he came home for supper, and we were all upset over Luke’s health. Brenda, you won’t believe this. … Derek had us sit down at the table, and he prayed for us.”
Brenda’s mouth parted in delighted surprise. “Oh, Kim! We’ve been asking God for this to happen. How wonderful!”
“I was shocked. But he did it as if it was almost natural. You know how Derek has always said he wasn’t sure if there even was a God. But last night, he actually acknowledged that there was someone bigger than us, someone in control. It wasn’t the all-out change we’ve been praying for, but I was thrilled.”
“Kim, that’s great. How are the twins doing? Has Luke’s diabetes changed things at home?”
“Everything.” Kim studied her children as they paddled around among the others in the swim area. “Sometimes I feel the way I did when they were toddlers—unwilling to take my eyes off them for a second.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it must be.”
“Until the diagnosis, I was comfortable leaving the twins home alone for a few hours after school. I used to let them ride their bikes unaccompanied. And they were free to go down to the lake anytime they wanted.”
“They’re strong swimmers,” Brenda said. “Unlike
some
people we know. Luke and Lydia remind me so much of my three. They stayed tan and healthy every summer from the sunshine and exercise they got living here at Deepwater Cove.”
“Derek and I thought it was the perfect place to raise children. Until diabetes.” As Kim spoke, she realized she had come to view the disease as a monster that hovered over her family, lurking and watching, waiting for the first slipup before pouncing on Luke.
“The doctor told me to treat it as a normal part of living,” Kim told her friend, “but I just can’t shrug it off like that. It threatens my son’s life.”
“I know,” Brenda said in a hushed voice.
“And even though I have Derek, I still see myself as Luke’s main protector.”
“That’s understandable.” Brenda nodded.
“I dread the thought of going back to work, but I have no choice. Dr. Groene needs me. And … well … I know I should be grateful but … Derek’s mother is coming for a visit. Miranda is supposed to get here later this evening. She’ll look after the kids while I’m out during the day.”
“I can’t remember meeting her. What’s she like?”
“Perfect.”
“You two should get along great then.”
“Ha, ha,” Kim said dryly.
“I mean it. You’re so organized, and the twins always look great. You and Derek love each other. You’re supportive of his work. He’s happy. You have a nice, tidy home—all the good things. To my way of thinking, you’re perfect.”
“That’s a stretch, Brenda. I’m keeping up with the house, but other than that, I’m just functioning. And since Luke’s diagnosis … barely. Now I’m adding my job at Dr. Groene’s office
and
a guest to my workload.”
“How long will your mother-in-law be here?”
“Who knows? It could be a while. With her husband gone, she doesn’t have much to hold her in St. Louis. She worries constantly about Derek. When she finds out about all the extra work the drowning has caused him, she’ll be really uptight.”
“And she’s concerned about the twins, too, of course.”
“Luke and Lydia are not really her grandchildren, you know. Stepgrandchildren. Miranda reminds me of that now and then, just in case I forget. I’m sure she cares about them, but in the past I’ve felt that … well, that they get on her nerves.”
“What kid doesn’t? That’s part of their job description.”
“I guess so.” Kim leaned back on her elbows and pointed her toes out toward the water. If she could just stay calm and relaxed while Derek’s mother was visiting, then things would be so much easier. She had to trust Miranda Finley with her children; there was no other option.
“Want some chocolate cake? We brought plates and forks, too.”
Kim turned to find Cody and Steve holding out their newly frosted sheet cake. And behind them stood Miranda Finley—blonde, tan, fit—with a paper plate of chocolate cake in her hand.
“Hey, there!” she greeted Kim. “No, don’t get up!”
“Miranda!” Kim got to her feet anyway and embraced her mother-in-law. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear your car pull up. This is Brenda Hansen, and it looks like you’ve already met her husband, Steve, and our friend Cody Goss.”
“Nice to meet you, Brenda,” Miranda said. She was wearing a white sweater set with a pair of white linen shorts and matching sandals. “I stopped at the house, Kim, and when no one answered, I drove around and spotted you down here. I hope you don’t mind if I join in.”
“No, of course not,” Kim told her.
As Steve and Cody put squares of cake on wobbly paper plates, Miranda slipped off her sandals and stepped onto the blanket. She reminded Kim of a vintage Barbie doll. Tall, thin, her hair highlighted and her makeup expertly applied. So ladylike and genteel. The fragrance of expensive perfume drifted from her neck, where two gold chains hung in perfect symmetry.
Steve and Cody joined the women, hunkering down in the grass to eat their cake. The sun hung low in the sky and cast a shimmer of bronze, orange, and red across the lake. A blue heron flapped its huge wings as it swept over the water to find a roost for the night.
The cake was good, and Kim had never minded if the kids snacked occasionally before supper. Now, of course, she had to help Luke watch everything he put into his mouth. He would come home ravenous, as he always did after swimming. She had a large pot of pasta, alfredo sauce, and baked chicken nuggets waiting.
“This is delicious,” Miranda told Steve and Cody. “I love chocolate cake.”
“Me too,” Cody said. “In squares.”
“Squares are definitely best,” she agreed. Then she glanced expectantly at her daughter-in-law. “The twins will each want a piece. Oh, Kim, I just thought of something. You did remember to put sunscreen on the children, didn’t you?”
Kim’s stomach knotted. “Not today. It was so late when we came out.”
“I just read an article that said ultraviolet rays can reflect off the water no matter how late in the day. Can you imagine? Thank goodness, I always kept Derek coated when we were at the pool. With children, you never can be too careful.”
Kim glanced down at the basket she had packed. She was sure she had taken care of everything the twins could possibly need or want. But as always, Miranda Finley had found her Achilles’ heel.
“What a sweet picture this is.” Miranda sighed. “Parents and children. A sunset and a lake. Good friends and—”
“And chocolate cake,” Cody added. “But no more swimming. Not for me, huh, Brenda? That’s because what my daddy always said was true. Swimming is for fish. And now we all know the truth about that: I am not a fish.”
H
ello?” Derek said into the empty house. “Anyone there? Kim?” He’d just arrived home after working the late shift and had been surprised to spot a light in the living room. Had Kim waited up for him? Or was it his mother? The memory of coming home after a date to find Miranda waiting for him gave Derek a jolt of apprehension. Surely not. He was thirty-four and had been out of the nest for well over a decade.
He’d steeled himself for trouble ever since moving his mother to Deepwater Cove. Not only did his family increase by one, but Miranda Finley had about as hard a head as anyone he’d ever known.
No one answered his greeting, so he stepped into the foyer and loosened the straps on the heavy bulletproof vest he had begun wearing recently.
To be honest, he was glad no one had waited up for him. He was hoping to have a few minutes of privacy to call one of the other officers he’d chatted with on the lake that day. Though Derek thought Jerry had a good head on his shoulders, he was afraid the guy wasn’t taking his work seriously enough.
“Derek?” Kim’s low voice drifted from the shadows. “Hi, honey. I guess I drifted off to sleep on the couch. Welcome home.”
The sound of her voice startled him. “What are you doing up so late, babe?” he asked as Kim approached. “I thought you’d be in bed by now.”
“I was waiting for you,” she said.
“Is that right? Well, I’m glad.” Though he was happy to see his wife, Derek was annoyed at having to wait another day to call Jerry. If the officer was in over his head, Derek wanted to do what he could to help, and the sooner the better.
Instead, Kim was taking his hand and leading him toward the kitchen. “Lydia and I baked you some brownies. Have a seat, and I’ll get you one.”
“Brownies?” Preoccupied with his friend’s situation, Derek tried to readjust his focus on his wife.
“Baking brownies was the only thing I could think of to calm Lydia down,” Kim said. “You won’t believe what she did. She got on the computer again—without permission. This time she looked up diabetes.”
“Uh-oh,” he said. With this news, Derek realized he not only couldn’t call Jerry, but he had better start paying closer attention to Kim. Though it bothered him to neglect something that was such a concern, he took a closer look at Kim’s face and saw that those deep brown eyes he loved so much were puffy from crying. As he settled into a chair, Derek tried to tear his thoughts away from his friend and focus on dessert and a distraught wife.
Kim slid a plate with a brownie on it in front of him, and then she poured him a large glass of milk.
He sighed and took a bite. “Good,” he said. “Pecans … my favorite. Lydia helped with these? I didn’t think she was interested in cooking.”
“She’s not, but I had to find something for her to do after your mother called me today in a panic.”
“Uh-oh,” Derek said again. The bite of brownie began to sink like a stone into his gut. “Mom called you at work?”
“Yes, and I was right in the middle of helping Dr. Groene with an extraction. Lydia knows she’s not allowed to be on the computer unless one of us is around. But the minute you walked out the door for work, she talked your mother into letting her use it. Then she found …” Kim’s face crumpled as she tried to force out the words. “She found a Web site. It was about diabetes. And it said … it said the life expectancy for a child with type 1 is shortened by fifteen years.”
“Aw, Kim, come here, sweetheart,” Derek whispered, pulling his wife into his lap and sliding his arms around her. “That’s just some stupid statistic. It doesn’t mean it will happen to Luke. He’s young and healthy, and we’re taking good care of him. More important, he’s learning how to manage his own symptoms. The kid is bright—a bona fide genius. Both of them are, and they know how to look out for each other.”