Married By Mistake

he disappeared from view. Cecile and Beth watched, too. Then Beth said, “You see, Eloise? I told you he likes you.”
    * * *
    T O HER SURPRISE , Casey enjoyed the family lunch. Enjoyed being Adam’s hostess, making his family welcome. Even Anna May and Henry. She especially enjoyed seeing Sam stake his claim to Eloise, who left soon after Sam did, pleading a headache.
    Through the afternoon, Casey watched for an opportunity to speak to Adam’s aunt alone. Casey hadn’t discussed her plan with Adam. Now, she wondered if it was a dumb idea. Adam’s family problems were none of her business, he’d made it clear this morning she was nothing more than a one-month wife.
    But she loved him.
    Her chance came when everyone had finished eating. Most people sat around on the porch, nursing cups of coffee.
    Adam, bless his orderly heart, was scraping down the barbecue and generally getting things straightened out.
    Casey plunked herself down next to Anna May, who was watching Henry play tennis with some of his cousins on Adam’s grass court.
    “That boy is such an athlete,” Anna May said fondly, before she realized who it was sitting next to her. She scowled.
    “He’s good,” Casey agreed. To look at Henry’s stocky figure, you’d never guess he was a sportsman. But he was wiping the floor with the admittedly limited competition.
    “He’s always been talented out on the court,” Anna May said.
    “As opposed to in court.” Casey figured she might as well get right down to it.
    Anna May glared. “I’m not talking to you without my lawyer.”
    “Anna May,” Casey said. “Won’t you consider dropping your legal action against James’s will?”
    Anna May sniffed. “Certainly. All Adam has to do is promote Henry and pay us a dividend. He owes us.”
    Casey drew a breath. This was where she either screwed up big time or pulled a rabbit out of the hat.
    “I know you love Henry, and that’s why you’re fighting so hard on his behalf.”
    “Of course I love him.”
    “But Adam had the impression at one of your recent meetings that Henry’s heart isn’t in this battle.”
    The older woman blushed. “You don’t know the first thing about what my son wants.”
    “I know what it is to do things for people out of love.” She didn’t say, as a means of tying them to you. “But in the end, it’s not enough, for you or for them.” She paused. “Have you asked Henry what he really wants?”
    Anna May gaped. “Don’t be impertinent. I know what my son wants. I know what I can do for him. Stay out of our business.” She turned away to applaud, as Henry lobbed a killer serve that had his opponent scurrying for the ball.
    Casey eyed the firm set of the other woman’s shoulders with helpless frustration. She had been no help at all.
    * * *
    A DAM ’ S RELATIVES LEFT around four o’clock. With fewer people to act as a buffer, the strain between Casey and Adam became more apparent. They were wooden and stilted with each other, and despite Adam’s best efforts, Casey found herself drifting into brooding silence.
    She could barely hide her relief when her father and sister announced their imminent departure.
    Before they left, Karen cornered Casey in the living room. “Have you and Adam had an argument? He puts on a polite front, but I can see you’re both in a terrible mood.”
    Casey wasn’t up to pretending any longer. “Yes, we have,” she said simply.
    “Are you certain you’ve done the right thing, Casey? I don’t know how long you and Adam have known each other, but it can’t be all that long a time. If this doesn’t work out you can always come home to us.” For once, Karen’s concern sounded genuine.
    “I don’t know if my marriage will work out or not,” Casey said. “Thanks for the offer, but I won’t be coming back to Parkvale. I’m proud of you guys and how you’re doing.”
    Despite this morning’s disappointment, Casey knew an unfamiliar lightness of spirit. Finally, she’d said she wouldn’t go back, and meant it. All those other times she’d talked about leaving home, she realized now, she hadn’t been committed to building her own future. In getting away from Parkvale and writing her book, she’d discovered a kind of self-belief that all the affirmations in the world couldn’t deliver.
    Karen must have recognized the strength of her sister’s resolve. “I’m sure we’ll fix something up,” she said meekly. She hugged Casey. “Good luck. Thanks for