and walked out of the house. When I told her, she said I was mistaken, that it was too hot for tea, even though there was a cup with a tea bag waiting for her to pour the water!”
“And you’re saying this is because she’s a success at teaching?”
“She can’t take the stress!” He pushed his hand through his hair, an uncharacteristic gesture, since it disturbed the perfect symmetry.
“But Lee, she doesn’t seem to be under any stress while she’s here. Oh, sure, she was a little nervous that first day. I don’t think she knew if she could still teach or not. But once it was clear she could, she just, well, bloomed. Maybe you can come in and see for yourself? Watch through the door a little to see what I mean. She loves being here. Don’t we both want the best for her?”
“Is that really what you want? Or did you just need somebody to bail you out?”
That was a little too close for comfort, and she didn’t answer.
“I don’t know what’s up with you women on the key. You just can’t leave poor Alice alone. And every time she’s with you, she comes back upset and more disoriented. She must put on quite a show when you’re together, because if she was anything like the Alice living in my cottage—”
“Your cottage?” The question slipped out before she could think.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, you know what I mean.”
Quite possibly she did. Maybe Tracy knew too well. Because hadn’t Lee taken over Alice’s house and her life?
“The Alice we know has a little trouble forming sentences sometimes, but she always manages to make herself understood. She’s funny and wise, and your daughter adores her. That’s the only Alice we see.”
“You obviously know nothing about dementia. Eventually it reaches a stage when it can’t be hidden. But early on, a victim can cover up what she doesn’t remember. She can pretend she knows things, or understands them, but can you imagine the stress? That’s why she falls apart when she comes home. She’s exhausted. This is why you have to leave her alone.”
Tracy wondered if all that really could be happening. Was it possible that the Alice she and the other women saw disintegrated when she no longer had to put on a show? Was she caught in some downward spiral that would only become apparent to them in the future? In the meantime, by trying to help, were they making life harder for Lee and Olivia?
She just couldn’t buy it. Alice liked being at the center, and Alice liked being with the other women. She had enjoyed Saturday afternoon at the beach as much as anyone. She had enjoyed having them to her house for a complicated dessert.
“Lee, if what you say is true, doesn’t Alice deserve a chance to be happy now? To make as many good memories as she can before everything gets swallowed up?”
“You haven’t listened to a word I’ve said.”
“Of course I have. That doesn’t mean we see things the same way.”
“The way I see this is the way that matters.”
She tried to sound accommodating, but her voice was noticeably cooler. “No, the way Alice sees it is the way that matters.”
“Alice no longer sees anything the way it is, and it’s my job to protect her. Now, I’m going in there, and I’m going to tell her she needs to come home with me. I hope, when you think about this a little, you’ll see I’m right. I’m not trying to upset you or spoil things at the center. I’m not even angry, since I know you were doing what you thought was right. But I have to take care of Alice.”
“Then at least let her finish today’s classes. Don’t drag her out and embarrass her.”
“Her—or you?”
“That’s not fair.” She waited. She didn’t know if most of the other things Lee had said were true, but one was not. He was angry. He was covering it better now, but she could still see it in his eyes and the set of his lips.
Finally he shrugged. “Fine. But she won’t be back tomorrow.”
“If you and Alice have a good conversation about this, and she doesn’t want to come back, I’ll understand.”
“Please don’t go behind my back again. It’s getting so I can’t leave her alone.”
“But you do,” she pointed out, more emphatically than she’d intended. “Frequently. And she seems fine.”
“Don’t accuse me of neglect. I’m trying to make a living for my family.”
She glanced