Where Azaleas Bloom (10 page)

He shrugged as if it were of only passing consequence. “It’s
not something I miss or struggle with. Except for those couple of months, booze
was never a big part of my life.”

She should have been reassured by his words, by his conviction
that it wasn’t a real issue for him, but history had taught her to be wary just
the same. The fact that he’d confirmed what Laura had seen disturbed her, no
matter how hard she tried to fight it. She just couldn’t imagine that one day
drinking had been a problem and, just like that, now it wasn’t. Could it be that
easy?

“So, do you still want that beer?” he asked. “It won’t bother
me a bit.”

She shook her head. “No, soda’s fine.”

He frowned. “Don’t change your mind because of me.”

“I’m not. It’s no big deal,” she insisted.

Mitch placed their order, then met her gaze, held it just a
second longer than usual. “Now, why don’t you tell me what made this such a good
day?”

“Besides this chance to get out for dinner?” she said.

“You were happy long before I suggested this.”

She thought back over the morning, her conversation with
Raylene and then the sales she’d made to cap off the day. “I had a few good
sales,” she told him, focusing on that. “I think I told you that earlier. I’m
still not in the same class as Adelia Hernandez, who could sell ice to Eskimos,
but I’m getting better at closing the deal. At first if someone appeared
uncertain, I let it go. I didn’t want to be pushy. Now I’ve learned to point out
why they can’t live without that particular blouse or dress or suit.”

“The way Raylene talked you into buying this dress?” he teased.
“Whatever she said to convince you, she was right. The peach color makes your
skin glow.”

“That’s exactly what Raylene said,” Lynn said. “Did she coach
you?”

“Nope, just calling it like I see it.” His expression turned
serious. “You’re a beautiful woman, Lynn. You always were.”

“Always?” she said skeptically. “I seem to recall that the
first time you set eyes on me, right after we moved to town, Taylor Vincent had
just shoved me into a mud puddle and I was a mess.”

He laughed. “But a beautiful mess,” he insisted.

She hadn’t thought about that incident in years, but suddenly
realized just how telling that moment had been. “You slugged Taylor Vincent,”
she said, suddenly remembering the scene vividly. She’d been shocked that
someone she hardly knew had stood up for her. “Even then, you were ready to slay
dragons for me.”

“Taylor Vincent was a bully,” he declared, then added a little
sheepishly, “He’d made you cry. Even way back then I couldn’t stand to see a
girl cry.”

“He ruined my new coat. I was so proud of that coat.”

“It was red with a black velvet collar,” Mitch recalled.

Startled by his memory, she gaped at him. “You remember
that?”

“I told you you’d made an impression,” he said.

“My mom had made that coat for me. I was only supposed to wear
it for special occasions, but I wanted to show it off at school. Even though we
had it dry-cleaned and it was good as new, it was never the same for me after
that.” She smiled at him. “You were my hero that day.”

“And then you fell for Ed,” he said.

Her smile faded. “And then I fell for Ed,” she said, unable to
keep a note of regret from her voice. Almost immediately, though, she felt the
need to defend her feelings, if not Ed. “He wasn’t always as inconsiderate and
selfish as he’s been recently.”

Mitch didn’t look as if he believed her, but he shrugged. “He
must have had some good qualities for you to be so crazy about him for all those
years.”

“And because of him, I have two incredible kids,” she said. “I
just wish I weren’t so sure everyone in town probably believes that I must have
done something awful for a paragon like Ed to leave me.”

“Did you? Do something awful, I mean?”

“Absolutely not. I was shocked when he said he wanted a
divorce. Our marriage wasn’t some great American love story, but it seemed okay.
Keep in mind that I didn’t have a lot to compare it to. My parents had a rocky
time of it. By comparison, Mitch and I had something quiet and steady. It was…I
don’t know, a relief, maybe. It was comfortable. I was content. I thought he
was, too.”

“That’s what I thought,” Mitch said. “As far back as I can
remember, you did nothing but love that man. I never quite understood what you
saw in him, but then you’d broken my heart, so maybe I was a touch biased.”

“I broke your heart?” she said, shocked by the unexpected
admission.

“In seventh grade,” he confirmed. “I finally worked up the
gumption to suggest we have a soda at Wharton’s after school and you turned me
down flat. Said you were meeting Ed, though I seem to recall even then that he
was taking you for granted. He never even showed up that afternoon. It killed me
watching you sit there with your friends looking so disappointed.”

Lynn thought back to those relatively innocent days. Mitch was
right—Ed had taken her for granted. It was a pattern that had never been broken.
Why hadn’t she seen that before? Was it because, as she’d just said, it was such
a relief to have a life without the constant fighting and upheaval she’d
experienced growing up?

“Why didn’t you tell me your opinion of Ed?” she asked Mitch.
“Maybe I’d have listened to you. We were friends. I trusted you.”

“Did you not just hear me say you’d broken my heart? Besides, I
was only thirteen and fighting acne. What did I know about relationships and how
they were supposed to work? You were the first girl I’d had nerve enough to ask
out.”

She regarded him with belated regret. “I’m sorry I hurt you. At
that age kids are so incredibly thoughtless and careless about feelings, aren’t
they?” She sighed. “I hope Lexie makes it through these teen years and her first
serious crush without getting her heart broken.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not something parents can control,”
Mitch said. “Amy did her best to protect our sons from heartbreak. She tried to
warn them away from girls she knew were destined to hurt them. And she taught
them to do the right and honorable thing when it came to the girls they dated,
but I know they’ve made their share of mistakes, probably hurt girls as often as
they’ve been hurt.”

Mitch leveled a look into her eyes. “Can I ask you
something?”

“Sure.”

“Would you take Ed back if he wanted to reconcile?”

Lynn understood why he wanted to know. Why pursue her, if her
heart still belonged to another man? She wished she had an unequivocal answer
she could give him.

“I don’t think so,” she said slowly, trying to be as honest
about this as he’d been earlier about the drinking. “I’ve seen him in a new
light recently and he’s not the man I thought he was.” And thinking of the
sparks that simmered when Mitch was around, she was starting to realize that the
chemistry between her and Ed had been lacking, too.

“But?” Mitch coaxed.

“There are Lexie and Jeremy to consider. They need their
dad.”

“They can have their father around without your welcoming him
back in your life,” Mitch said reasonably. “I guess what I’m trying to get at is
whether
you
want to reconcile. Not because of your
kids. For you.”

“If you’d asked me a week or two ago when things were really a
mess, the answer would have been easier,” she said. “I was furious and
disillusioned.”

“But now he’s back in town and all’s right with the world?”
Mitch asked, a hint of reproach in his voice.

Lynn gave him a sharp look. “Hardly. I don’t want to be with a
man who so clearly doesn’t want to be with me. That hasn’t changed. I guess in
the end it’s a moot point. Reconciliation isn’t in the cards.”

Mitch didn’t look as if he found that reassuring. Even she
could see that she’d left his very direct question unanswered. She still hadn’t
said what
she
wanted.

And the truth was that she didn’t know. She wanted the security
of her marriage back, the stability that came with knowing who she was and what
her role was—wife and mother. But that view of herself had apparently been based
on a lie or at least a misconception. How had she not seen how much was wrong at
the very core of her relationship with her husband?

Finally, she was starting to figure out who she might become in
this new, upside-down world. In time, she knew that would be a good thing, but
for now it was scary. Uncertainty had never been her favorite thing. Life with
an unpredictable alcoholic had taught her that. She couldn’t help wondering if
she’d chosen Ed for precisely that reason, because with his future in his
father’s insurance business already carved out, he’d offered the security and
stability she’d always longed for. The fireworks she’d read about in romance
novels or heard about from her friends hadn’t seemed to matter.

She forced a smile. “I think we’ve gotten way too serious all
of a sudden.”

He looked as if he thought maybe they were finally getting
real, but eventually he nodded. “And here comes our food. I’ll go get the
kids.”

Once Lexie and Jeremy came back to the table, the conversation
centered on sports and school. Though Jeremy didn’t play, he loved going to the
high school games, tagging along with Lexie and her friends whenever they’d let
him.

Lynn noted how relaxed Mitch was with her kids. She couldn’t
help comparing that to Ed, who’d seemed uncomfortable carrying on a conversation
with them even before the separation and now barely paid any attention to them
at all. Mitch seemed genuinely interested in everything they had to say.

She was surprised when Jeremy asked about the construction next
door.

“Would it be okay if I came over sometime to see what you’re
doing?” he asked shyly. “I know it’s supposed to be off-limits. Raylene said so.
Mom, too.”

Mitch reached over and ruffled his hair. “Absolutely, as long
as I’m there. I’ll find a hard hat for you and show you around.”

“Could I help?” Jeremy asked excitedly. “I like to build stuff.
I mean I’ve just done it with Legos, not real wood or anything like that, but it
must be way cool to look at a piece of paper and then put a whole house
together.”

“It is definitely way cool,” Mitch confirmed. “I’d be happy to
teach you a few things.”

“No saws,” Lynn said at once. “No nail guns. And—”

Jeremy groaned, his cheeks pink with embarrassment. “Mom!”

She glanced at Mitch, caught him grinning. “You see where I’m
going with this, right?”

“Got it,” he confirmed. “I’ll get him back to your place in the
same condition you send him over.”

“That’ll do,” she said, satisfied that she could take him at
his word.

And when, she thought in amazement, was the last time she’d
felt that kind of confidence in any man? Despite all the doubts that had been
stirred up tonight when it came to Mitch and his drinking, she realized with
complete and total confidence that she could trust him, not just with her
children but maybe even with her heart.

As soon as that thought came to her, though, she put on her
mental brakes. One step at a time, she warned herself. One day at a time. It was
a way of life she’d come to appreciate, if not embrace.

Clearly, it seemed, Mitch had as well for his own reasons. How
could she not respect a man who saw himself clearly enough to anticipate a
problem and then set out to correct it? That sort of self-awareness was rare. So
was the strength of character needed to make changes.

Tonight Mitch had gone a long way toward allaying her fears,
but it wouldn’t hurt to keep at least a part of her heart safe a little
longer.

10

F
lo was a nervous wreck. How on earth could
a woman get to be in her seventies and still get flustered over a date,
especially when it was a date with a man she’d been seeing for months? She felt
as if she were back in high school, a time that should have long since faded
from memory.

Of course, the issue wasn’t so much having dinner with Donnie,
but being joined for the meal by Erik and Helen. When Donnie had left her
apartment this morning, he hadn’t been the least bit rattled by the prospect of
being cross-examined by her daughter, who’d made a career of dissecting
witnesses.

“You’re naive if you think she’s not going to try to trip you
up,” she’d told him.

He regarded her with amusement. “About what? I have nothing to
hide. And my intentions as far as you’re concerned are honorable.”

“Honorable?” Flo had scoffed. “Not in Helen’s book. They’d only
be honorable if you put a ring on my finger, and we’ve agreed we don’t want to
get married.”

“If it would ease things between you and Helen, I’d be happy to
reevaluate that,” he’d said, stunning her.

“Do not go there,” she’d ordered. “Not when I’m already a
basket case. We agreed, and that’s that.”

“Stubborn woman,” he’d accused right before kissing her.

“You know I’m right about this,” she’d called after him.

And she was. They didn’t need marriage at their age. This
arrangement they had was perfectly comfortable. It suited them having their own
space to escape to. At least it suited her. Didn’t it suit Donnie, after all,
she worried? What if he’d changed his mind and she’d cut him off? She groaned.
Now there was one more thing to fret over.

She called Liz, looking for a distraction. “You busy?”

“I thought I’d head over to the community center and play
cards,” she said. “Want to come?”

“I’ll be there,” Flo said eagerly. “Have you spoken to
Frances?”

“She says she’s tired and wants to rest at home.”

Flo didn’t like the sound of that. She was a little surprised
that Liz had accepted such an answer. “That doesn’t sound right,” she told Liz.
“I think I’ll stop by on my way to the community center.”

“Not without me, you won’t,” Liz said. “To be honest, I’ve been
debating with myself about going over there ever since I spoke to her. I don’t
want to start treating her as if she’s incapable of making a decision for
herself.”

“That’s not what we’re doing,” Flo insisted. “She’s our friend.
We know the situation. Of course we’re going to be concerned when something
seems a little off-kilter. With her family still in the dark about this
cognitive disorder, it’s up to us to pay close attention. We agreed on that,
Frances included.”

“Right,” Liz said. “You’ll pick me up? I hate to ask Travis to
drop me off over there.”

“Give me ten minutes,” Flo said. “I have to put my face
on.”

“And you can do that and still be here in ten minutes?” Liz
teased.

“At this stage, mascara and lipstick will get me out the door
looking presentable. Everything else is pretty much a waste of time. These
wrinkles of mine can’t be covered up. Your skin’s still smooth as a baby’s
bottom. One of these days I’m going to figure out what you did to accomplish
that. You must have slipped off to Columbia or Charleston for a face-lift
sometime or another.”

Liz laughed. “Clean living,” she countered. “Never smoked.
Don’t drink much. And the blessing of good genes.”

“Well, it’s too late for me to claim any of that,” Flo said.
“See you shortly.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later they arrived at Frances’s
apartment. After pounding on the door, Frances finally opened it looking
half-asleep and disheveled.

“What on earth are the two of you doing here?” she demanded.
She frowned at Liz. “I told you I was going back to bed.”

“And I got worried when I heard that,” Flo told her
unrepentantly. “Sue me.”

A smile tugged at Frances’s lips. “Not if you have Helen on
your side in court. I suppose, since you’re here, you might as well come on in.
I’ll put on a pot of tea. Maybe that will get my blood stirring.”

Liz and Flo followed her into the kitchen.

“Are you feeling okay?” Flo asked worriedly.

“Other than being exhausted because I stayed up half the night
watching a marathon of Fred Astaire movies, I’m fine.” She sighed. “That man was
one very smooth dancer.”

“Even better than my Donnie,” Flo agreed.

Liz shook her head impatiently. “That’s it? That’s why you’re
so tired, because you were awake watching movies till dawn? Why didn’t you just
say that when I called?”

Frances gave her a defiant look, as she poured boiling water
into a teapot she’d already filled with Earl Grey tea. “It never occurred to me
I had to fill you in on my every activity. If you want to live vicariously,
Flo’s life is much more exciting than mine.”

Liz looked momentarily taken aback, then chuckled. “No, I
suppose you don’t have to report what you’re doing, though it might have been
nice if you’d invited me over. I’m a big Fred Astaire fan myself.”

“Next time I will,” Frances promised, the tension gone from her
voice.

Flo looked from one friend to the other, grateful to have them
in her life. “Since we’re all here, I could use some advice.”

Liz grinned. “Is this about that double date you’re having soon
with Helen and Erik?” She shook her head. “What were you thinking?”

“That it may be insane to need it at this stage of my life, but
I’d like my daughter’s approval,” Flo said. “Helen and I have been closer since
I came back from Florida. I don’t want my dating Donnie to change that.”

“Do you really think she has any right to have a say?” Frances
asked.

Liz gave her a chiding look. “No more than my kids had a right
to decide I needed to move out of my own home. I could have put my foot down.
There isn’t a judge in this region who would have declared me incompetent,” she
said feistily.

“Not if they were in
their
right
minds,” Flo agreed, smiling at the idea of it.

“But,”
Liz continued, “out of
respect for their feelings and their concerns, we found this compromise. The
guesthouse on my old property is the perfect size for me, to be honest, and
having Travis and Sarah right there in my old house to look out for me is a
comfort to all of us.”

Frances looked at her skeptically. “And you think that’s the
same as Helen butting into Flo’s social life?”

Liz nodded. “Helen’s concerned, just the way my kids are.”

“No,” Flo contradicted. “Helen’s embarrassed, though why she
feels that way is beyond me. I’m hardly the first senior citizen to date.”

“I don’t think it’s the dating that makes her crazy,” Frances
said. “It’s the image of your sharing a bed with Donnie.”

“Well, she just has to get over that,” Flo said
emphatically.

“And you think having a dinner together will ease her mind?”
Frances asked.

“I think when she sees how well Donnie treats me and what a
thoughtful man he is, yes,” Flo said.

“And if she’s not reassured?” Liz asked. “What then, Flo?”

Flo sighed. “To be honest, I haven’t let myself think that far
ahead. Donnie’s bright idea would be to get married.”

Frances’s eyes lit up. “Then do it.”

Flo frowned. “Just to please my daughter? No, absolutely
not.”

Liz gave her a penetrating look. “Are you saying it wouldn’t
please you? Do you care about Donnie?”

“Of course, I do. But, seriously, what’s the sense of getting
married at my age? Besides, it’s been so long since I lived with a man, I’m not
sure I’d be able to tolerate all the changes I’d have to make.” She shook her
head. “No, things are just the way they’re supposed to be. Donnie and I
agreed.”

“Did you really?” Frances asked. “Or did you state your case
and ignore his? You did say he’d suggested marriage, right?”

“Oh, he didn’t mean that,” Flo scoffed. “It was just a way to
pacify my daughter.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Liz said. “Donnie’s a whole lot
younger than any of us, so I don’t know him all that well beyond saying good
morning and how are you at the post office. Seems to me, though, that he’d never
have mentioned getting married if he didn’t want to. He doesn’t have the same
negative recollections of it that you do.”

“That’s true,” Frances confirmed. “I used to see him with his
wife at church and they always looked happy as could be.”

“That was then,” Flo insisted, more rattled than she wanted to
admit by their impressions of the situation. “Let’s just focus on my date, okay?
How am I going to make sure Helen behaves?”

“Tell her not to come,” Liz said. “That’s the only way I can
see.”

“Maybe I need to have a talk with Erik,” Flo suggested.

“And put him in the middle?” Frances said. “Don’t do it. It’ll
only make matters worse.”

“She’s right,” Liz said. “If you won’t call this off, then
you’re just going to have to say a prayer and hope for the best.”

That, unfortunately, was not the reassurance Flo had been
hoping for from her friends. Even more unfortunately, they were probably right
about disaster looming on the horizon.

* * *

Lynn had finally triumphed over Mitch’s payroll system.
She’d finished the checks at midnight. They were all sitting on the kitchen
counter now just waiting for him to stop by and sign them before distributing
them to his crews. At his insistence and after some debate about his being
overly generous, she’d even cut her own check for the agreed-upon amount.

Yesterday, with the money Helen had loaned her in the bank and
the promise of more later today from Mitch and Raylene, she’d done the first
serious grocery shopping she’d done in months. This morning she’d gotten up at
dawn to bake a coffee cake to share with Mitch when he stopped by. She’d brewed
a pot of coffee, too. For the first time in ages, she’d felt like her old
self.

There was a familiar tap on the kitchen door and the knob
jiggled. She smiled when Mitch couldn’t open the door. His second knock actually
sounded impatient. She hurried over and unlocked the door, then grinned at
him.

“See, I can be trained,” she said.

“I’m proud of you,” he said, then sniffed the air
appreciatively. “It smells great in here. Have you been baking already this
morning?”

“A cinnamon pecan coffee cake,” she said. “Raylene gave me her
recipe.”

“What’s the occasion? You have a meeting this morning?”

“No,” she said, then admitted, “I thought maybe you’d have time
for a cup of coffee.”

“I’ll make time,” he said eagerly. “Does that coffee cake come
with it?”

“Of course.” She cut him a generous slice and set it on the
table, then poured the coffee and brought it over.

“Any problems getting those checks finished?” he asked.

“Nope. I finally got the hang of it,” she said proudly. “I
don’t think I’ve disgraced myself or given anyone more money than they’re
entitled to. They’re all on the counter awaiting your signature. I’d advise you
to double-check them, though, at least this time.”

“I trust you.”

“It’s not me you need to worry about exactly. It’s my math and
computer skills. I’ll feel better if you took a close look.”

“Will do, then. You’re a real godsend, Lynnie. I hope you
realize that.”

“Is that because I provided coffee and cake?”

“No, because you took over a task I have no time to do these
days. I just want you to know I appreciate it. Now tell me what you’ve been up
to. I’ve been trying to wrap up a job across town the past couple of days. We
hit a glitch with a permit, so I’ve been down at Town Hall trying to get that
straightened out.”

“I wondered why I hadn’t seen you next door,” she said, then
could have kicked herself.

He grinned. “You missed me?”

“I like knowing you’re nearby in case there’s a crisis I can’t
handle, that’s all,” she insisted.

“You missed me,” he repeated, looking entirely too happy about
it.

“Okay, maybe a little bit,” she conceded. “Don’t let it go to
your head.”

“If I do, I know you’ll bring me straight back down to earth,”
he told her.

He looked as if he had something more on his mind, but the
front doorbell rang.

“I’ll be right back,” Lynn promised.

When she saw Ed on the stoop, she sighed. “I wasn’t expecting
you.”

“What? You want me to call ahead now, too? Isn’t it enough that
I turned over my key and can’t walk in?”

“Sorry. I don’t want to fight with you. I’m just surprised.
That’s all.”

“I thought we could talk about the kids. Things have been kind
of rough lately, especially with Lexie. I’d like to improve them.”

Before she could stop him, he headed for the kitchen then
halted abruptly.

“Mitch,” he said tightly. “What are you doing here?”

“He’s here to pick up the payroll checks I finished for him
last night,” Lynn said defensively.

Mitch gave her a lingering look that held a hint of
disappointment, but he took her hint and stood up. “I’ll just grab ’em and go,”
he said. “I signed yours and left it on the counter, Lynnie.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll call you later.”

She nodded. Relief washed over her when he’d gone. Not that he
hadn’t had more right to be here than Ed did, but she’d known it would get
awkward. Even now, Ed was obviously feeling territorial, and he wasn’t the sort
of man who’d hide it well.

She turned back to find him pouring his own cup of coffee and
leaning back against the counter.

“So,” he said, studying her speculatively, “you and Mitch? I’d
never have guessed it. Then again, he did have a thing for you years ago.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she claimed, though
she could feel the heat climbing into her cheeks. “If you want to talk about
Jeremy and Alexis, let’s talk. Otherwise, you can go.”