Where Azaleas Bloom (18 page)

“It’s worse than we thought,” Helen had reluctantly
acknowledged.

“How can it possibly be worse?”

“Did you know that Ed had taken out an equity line of credit
against the house several months ago?”

“What?” Lynn had been incredulous. “Absolutely not. Wouldn’t I
have needed to sign off on that?”

“Theoretically, yes. But we’re talking Ed and his old cronies
at the local bank,” Helen said with disgust. “A line of credit for a good old
boy? No big deal. Of course, that was before he missed those payments. Now I
doubt he’d get it. The bottom line, though, is that the bank is muttering once
more about foreclosure.”

Lynn had listened to the news with a sense of being caught up
in an unending nightmare. She’d made up her mind by the end of the call to never
allow herself to be in this position again. She’d spoken to Raylene about extra
hours and gone looking for another part-time job the next day. Thankfully, the
bar had an opening. It wouldn’t have been her first choice, but the hours were
manageable with her other work.

She picked up her order for the customers in the back booth,
dropped off a check at one of her tables, took their credit card to the bar,
then returned for a signature. She stopped to check on refills for another group
before finally acknowledging that she couldn’t put off returning to Mitch’s
table forever.

“Decided yet?” she inquired.

“The cheeseburger, medium, with fries,” he said, snapping the
menu shut and putting it back between the condiment bottles on the table.

“Anything to drink?” she inquired, a challenging note in her
voice, despite her attempt to mask it.

“Large Coke,” he said, looking directly into her eyes as if
he’d grasped the intent behind what should have been an innocent question.

She nodded, oddly relieved by his response. “I’ll be right
back.”

Other than delivering his meal, Lynn managed to avoid Mitch for
most of the evening, though she could feel him watching her as she worked. It
was evident that he had no intention of leaving until she did. He ordered
repeated refills on his Coke, nursing the drinks as if he was ready to wait all
night if need be.

“This is crazy,” she muttered at one point. “You don’t need to
wait for me.”

“Sorry. I think I do,” he said, his gaze steady and
unrelenting.

It was after eleven and nearly her quitting time when Ed walked
in. Lynn stared at her husband in shock. He never came here. In fact, other than
Sullivan’s with its high-powered regional reputation, he rarely went into any of
the restaurants in town. He didn’t like being seen anyplace he considered
low-class. The country club was his hangout of choice.

To Lynn’s further shock, just after he entered, Jimmy Bob
joined him.

Reluctantly, Lynn walked over to their table. “What can I get
you?” she asked, every polite word tasting bitter on her tongue.

“Why are you working here?” Ed demanded. “Is this meant to be
more humiliation for me?”

Lynn stared at him, openmouthed with astonishment. “You really
do not want to ask me that,” she said in an undertone. “Because, believe me,
once I get started, you’re going to get another earful.”

“Leave it be, Ed,” Jimmy Bob ordered at the same time.

Just then, Mitch stood up and headed their way. Lynn gave him a
warning look, but he kept right on coming.

“Problems?” Mitch asked, his tone deceptively mild. Lynn saw
the coiled tension in his body.

Ed rose halfway out of his seat, but a hissed order from Jimmy
Bob had him sitting right back down again.

“I’ll send over another waitress,” Lynn said, walking away
before the scene could escalate.

Thankfully, Mitch returned to his own booth, apparently
satisfied that she was going to keep her distance and that Ed wasn’t going to
start anything with her.

“Betty Lou, could you handle table nine for me?” Lynn asked her
coworker.

Betty Lou nodded in immediate understanding. “Got it, hon. Why
don’t you head on out? I’ll pass along your tips tomorrow.”

Lynn regarded her gratefully. “Thank you. You’re an angel.”

The older woman chuckled. “Hardly that, but I know trouble when
I see it.”

Lynn spoke to their boss, who readily agreed, then grabbed her
purse from the back room.

She walked outside, drew in a deep breath of fresh air and
counted herself lucky that things hadn’t been worse.

“You okay?” Mitch asked, pulling away from the wall where he’d
been leaning.

Lynn jumped. “You just about scared me to death.”

“I figured you’d be expecting me to be waiting out here.”

“Well, I wasn’t.”

“I’ll let that little white lie pass,” he said. “My truck’s
just down the block.”

“I don’t want to take you out of your way. I can walk,” she
insisted, making one last attempt to put off this conversation.

“I don’t think so,” he said evenly.

She gave him an exasperated look. “Lordy, but you’re
stubborn.”

He grinned then. “You’d be wise to remember that.”

He held the door to his truck open and put a hand under her
elbow to help her up. Lynn had to admit that sitting down and sinking into the
comfortable leather seat felt good. She still wasn’t used to being on her feet
all day long, first at the boutique and then here.

“You look worn-out,” Mitch said, glancing over at her.

“How flattering,” she murmured.

“If you’re looking for flattery, I can list all the ways I find
you beautiful, but I thought maybe you’d like an honest observation.”

“I didn’t need one, thank you,” she said wryly. “I
am
worn-out. I can hardly pretend otherwise.”

“Then why are you doing this, or do I even need to ask? You
need money.”

“Why else does anyone work three mundane jobs?” she said
angrily, then realized that one of those mundane jobs was his. “Sorry, no
offense.”

“None taken,” he assured her.

“I just meant that if I was working purely for professional
satisfaction, I’d be hunting for a different career, something interesting and
challenging.”

“I know.” He paused before asking. “What’s Ed done now?”

She looked away from the compassion she saw in his eyes. “I
can’t talk about it,” she told him. “I’m too exhausted to have this conversation
now, Mitch. Besides, it’s humiliating.”

“We’re friends, Lynnie. And a lot more, I thought. There’s no
such thing as humiliating between us.”

There was so much gentle sincerity behind his words, it brought
tears to her eyes. She looked away. Here was this wonderful man, willing to do
anything he could to help, and she was such a mess that all she wanted was to go
home and hide under the covers and nurse her wounds…alone.

“Humiliation goes hand in hand with having to admit how stupid
I was to fall in love with that man or to trust him for a single second.” She
turned back to him and asked with genuine bewilderment, “How could my judgment
possibly be that misguided?”

“Love and good judgment don’t always go together,” he said
simply. He waited, but when she offered no details, he shrugged. “Okay, if you
don’t want to tell me what Ed did this time, how about this? Tell me what I can
do to help.”

She immediately shook her head. “You’ve already done more than
enough.”

“Obviously not, if you’re working three jobs just to get
by.”

“This isn’t to get by,” she said, then added, “This is to dig
myself out of a hole so deep the whole blasted town could be buried in it.” She
knew the bitterness in her voice would set Mitch off again, but she couldn’t
hide it. It came over her in waves.

As expected, Mitch regarded her with genuine shock. “It’s that
bad?”

She nodded, her ever-present tears welling up and spilling down
her cheeks. “It’s that bad.”

“Then I’ll ask again. What can I do to help?”

She let his offer hang in the air, absorbing the kindness
behind it like a sponge in need of water. “Just your wanting to help is enough
for now.”

He pulled into her driveway, shut off the truck’s engine, then
turned to face her. There was a quick flash of anger in his eyes when he saw her
tears.

“Not if you’re crying, it’s not,” he said gently. “It’s not
nearly enough. Come here.”

He pulled her into his arms and let her cry herself out, all
the tears of anger and frustration and panic that she’d been holding back for
days.

When she was finally done, she managed a wobbly laugh. “I’ve
drenched your shirt. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he said gruffly, rubbing the dampness from her
cheeks with the pad of his thumb. “You’re killing me, Lynnie. I want to help,
but I have no idea what to do. I have a feeling that if I offer you money, even
as a loan, you’ll turn me down flat.”

She smiled. “You know me too well.”

“Just know the offer is there. You need cash, it’s yours. You
need me to pummel some sense into Ed, consider that done, too.”

She smiled a little at that, then drew in a deep breath and
allowed herself to sink once more into the comfort of his arms. “Just this,” she
told him. “For now, this is more than enough.”

With his strong arms around her and the steady beating of his
heart against her cheek, she felt secure for the first time in days.

As terrifying as her current financial crisis was, it was
dealing with it all on her own, trying to keep her panic from the kids, that had
taken the heaviest toll. Knowing that she had Mitch in her corner as
backup…well, it meant the absolute world to her.

Even if she knew she’d never allow herself to take advantage of
him like that.

18

D
onnie worked with the volunteer rescue
squad, so he kept a police scanner in the house. Ever since she’d moved in two
days ago, Flo found herself listening to it whenever she was in the house
alone.

While she was ironing a blouse to wear to the senior center,
she was reminiscing about how many blouses she must have ironed over the years
for other people. Suddenly the mention of a familiar address caught her
attention. Panicked, she listened more closely. Something about a fire. Possible
injuries.

“Please don’t let it be Frances,” she prayed as she unplugged
her iron, grabbed her purse and cell phone and ran to her car. She called Liz en
route and told her what she’d heard.

“Want me to pick you up?” she asked. “I’m already on my
way.”

“No. Travis is home,” Liz said, sounding every bit as shaken as
Flo. “I’ll have him drive me straight over there. You’ll be there quicker if you
don’t have to detour to get me.”

“Okay, then. I’ll see you there.”

Five minutes later, Flo squealed to a stop a block away from
Frances’s apartment building, unable to go any farther because of the fire
trucks and emergency vehicles in the road. She barely remembered to cut the
engine before getting out and running.

A neighbor and former colleague of Frances’s at the school
spotted Flo. “She’s over there with the EMTs,” Naomi said quietly. “She’s shaken
up, but basically okay, I think.”

“What happened?”

“I’m not really sure. I smelled smoke, opened my door, and the
smoke was pouring from her apartment into the hallway. I called the fire
department, while I was pounding on her door. Thank goodness she’d given me a
key. One of the volunteer firefighters arrived ahead of the trucks, and he went
inside and got her out.”

Flo gave the retired teacher a fierce hug. “Thank God you were
home and reacted so quickly. I need to go check on her.”

Naomi laid a restraining hand on Flo’s arm. “Wait one sec,” she
said, looking Flo in the eye. “She’s getting worse, hon. I know you and Liz must
see that, too.”

Flo drew in a deep breath and reluctantly nodded. It was time
to call Frances’s kids, if Frances wouldn’t do it herself. Time, more than
likely, for assisted living, too. Just thinking of it brought tears to Flo’s
eyes.

On her way to the ambulance, Flo stopped and composed herself,
dabbing at her cheeks and praying that her eyes weren’t red-rimmed from crying.
Thankfully, she spotted Liz and Travis arriving just then.

Travis helped Liz up the street. She looked as if she’d aged
just since Flo’s call.

“She’s okay?” Liz asked, looking around at the scene with a
terrified expression.

“With the EMTs, I’m told. I haven’t seen her yet.”

“Was the fire in her unit?” Travis asked.

Flo nodded. “I’m not sure how it started, though.”

“It hardly matters, does it?” Liz said wearily. “We have to do
something.”

“I know,” Flo said, dabbing at her eyes again.

“You two go to her,” Travis said gently. “I’m going to call
Karen and Elliott Cruz. They’re like family to her. Maybe she can stay with them
until someone gets in touch with her kids.”

Flo nodded. “Thanks, Travis.”

When she took Liz’s arm, Flo realized that Liz was trembling.
Her complexion was ashen, too. She and Frances shared a lot of history. This had
to be even harder on her than it was on Flo.

Flo studied her with concern. “Liz, are you okay? Maybe you
need to sit down a minute.”

“After we’ve seen Frances,” Liz said with determination. “I’ll
be fine once I’ve seen for myself that she’s all right.”

“She’s not, you know,” Flo said with regret. “The fire may not
have caused any injuries, but she’s not fine.”

Liz’s eyes filled with sorrow. “I know. We knew this day would
come.”

Flo nodded. “I just hoped it wouldn’t be quite so soon.”

“Me, too,” Liz said, then drew herself up. “Okay, I’m
ready.”

They found Frances sitting on a stretcher in the street behind
an ambulance, holding an oxygen mask over her nose. She blinked when she saw
them, then removed the mask.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as if this were some
casual drop-in visit.

“I heard about the fire on the scanner at Donnie’s,” Flo said.
“That thing is better than going to Wharton’s for finding out what’s going on
around town.”

Frances rolled her eyes. “I think Grace concentrates on
secrets, not emergencies.”

Liz sat down on the stretcher beside her. “Well, you sound
feisty enough,” she said, her own color finally improving. “What on earth
happened?”

“I put the tea kettle on,” Frances said with a shrug. “I
decided to rest my eyes a little while the water came to a boil. I knew the
whistle would alert me when it was ready. Apparently, I fell back asleep and
never heard it. The whole apartment was filled with smoke before I woke up. The
firemen say there was a bit of smoke damage and that the stove may have to be
replaced, but otherwise I should be back in there in a couple of days.”

Flo glanced at Liz, who nodded. It was Liz who took the
initiative.

“Frances, I think this is it,” Liz said gently.

Frances looked disconcerted. “What are you talking about? It
was a foolish accident. It could have happened to either one of you, and no one
would think a thing of it.”

“Maybe so,” Flo said. “But it happened to you. It goes along
with other things that individually might not mean much. Added together, though,
at the least it’s time for you to call your family and tell them what’s going
on. Then you can decide together what you want to do next.”

“What I want is to stay right here in my own apartment,”
Frances said firmly, though tears were gathering in her eyes as she apparently
grasped the unlikelihood of that happening.

“You promised us,” Liz reminded her. “It’s time. You said when
we told you that, you’d make the call.”

Frances’s glance went from Liz to Flo and back again. “I
suppose you’ll make that call if I don’t,” she said, sounding resigned.

“We’d have no choice,” Flo confirmed, hating that the time had
arrived for this next step.

Just then Elliott and Karen arrived together, looking shaken.
Karen sat on Frances’s other side and held her in a tight embrace.

“You scared us to death,” she told the woman that Flo knew
Karen thought of as a mother figure. Tears were streaming down Karen’s
cheeks.

Elliott pulled Flo aside. “Is she really okay?”

“Physically she seems fine, but Liz and I just told her she
needs to explain what’s been going on to her children. Even her neighbor seems
to think we can’t put that off any longer.”

“I was afraid of this,” Elliott said. “It’s going to break
Karen’s heart. That woman has played such a huge role in my wife’s life. She was
there as the only support Karen had when her life was spinning out of control
after her divorce.”

“Frances has always stepped in whenever she saw a need,” Flo
said, regarding her friend with admiration.

Elliott nodded. “I told Karen that Frances could come and live
with us, but I honestly don’t know if that’s a good idea. It would be tricky
with the kids. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone with Daisy and
Mack, even though they’re getting old enough to look after themselves to some
degree. And with Karen pregnant…”

“You can’t take the chance,” Flo said for him.

Elliott nodded, his expression sad.

Flo walked back toward Frances with him and heard Karen arguing
with her.

“You’re going to stay with us until this is all sorted out,”
Karen insisted. “That’s that, right, Elliott?”

He grinned at Frances. “Don’t you know by now that there’s no
point arguing with my wife once she’s made up her mind?”

Frances gave him a considering look, as if trying to gauge
whether he really was in agreement with his wife or had reservations. “If you’re
both sure,” she said at last, “then I’d love spending a day or two with
you.”

“We’re sure,” Karen confirmed. “And I’ll help you make those
calls to your family, so they’ll know what’s going on. Invite them this weekend.
We’ll have a big Sunday dinner for them. I’ll talk to Dana Sue and make sure I’m
off so I can cook.”

Flo caught her eye and mouthed a silent, “Thank you.”

Liz stood up then. “Why don’t you two take Frances on out to
your house to get settled?” she suggested. “Flo and I will pack up a few of her
things if the firemen say it’s safe for us to go inside. If they don’t want us
in there yet, we’ll run to the store and pick up a few necessities until we can
go in.” She turned to Travis. “Could you check with the firemen and see what
they think?”

“Will do,” Travis said.

Elliott spoke to the EMT, who confirmed that Frances was well
enough to leave the scene.

“We’ll see you at Karen and Elliott’s,” Flo said, giving her
friend a hug. “We won’t be long.”

“Just one thing,” Frances called after her. “If you have to go
shopping, Liz, I want you to promise me that you’ll choose my lingerie. Flo will
just bring me a bunch of that lacy stuff that’s way too sexy for a woman my
age.”

“Just imagine what a few sexy undergarments might do for your
social life,” Flo taunted. “They certainly seem to be keeping Donnie’s interest
alive.”

“Flo Decatur, you’re outrageous!” Frances said, but there was a
welcome twinkle in her eyes when she said it.

As terrible as the morning had been, Flo thought maybe Frances
had come through it better than any of them had imagined possible, with her good
spirits and spunk firmly intact. Too bad there was so little hope for her ever
truly being her old self.

* * *

Mitch was going over his final punch list for Raylene’s
addition, making sure that every last detail had been completed. The cleaning
crew he’d hired had vacuumed up all the drywall dust and debris, the floors had
been polished, the windows left spotless.

He was about to go into the kitchen to get her when Raylene
walked into the expansive room.

She stood on the step, looking across the room, first toward
the fireplace, then to the gleaming windows that soared from the floor to the
vaulted ceiling.

“Mitch, I think this may be the most beautiful room I’ve ever
seen. We may have to have you remodel the entire house now to live up to the
standards you’ve set in here. Everything else is suddenly looking awfully
dated.”

He beamed at her reaction. “You have my number. Call whenever
you’re ready.”

She crossed the room to join him. “It really is finished, isn’t
it? I can’t believe how perfect it is, just the way I envisioned it.”

He smiled at her enthusiasm. “I’m glad you’re pleased.”

“Pleased doesn’t even begin to describe it. I can’t wait till
Carter gets home tonight to see it now that it’s all spiffed up and ready for
furniture.” She grinned, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Come to think of it, I
wonder if he can take an extended lunch break.”

Mitch held up his hands. “I really do not need to know about
any plans you have for your husband that put such a sparkle in your eyes.”

Raylene laughed. “You’re actually blushing.”

He winced. “It’s a curse. Comes with the red hair.”

Raylene linked an arm through his and held his gaze. “You are
not to be a stranger around here, you understand? Just because the addition is
finished doesn’t mean we don’t expect you here for dinner at least once a
week.”

“I won’t say no to that,” he agreed readily.

Her expression turned more serious. “Now, are you rushing off
or do you have a minute? I came looking for you to talk to you about
something.”

“Sure, I can always spare some time for my favorite
client.”

In the kitchen, she automatically poured a cup of coffee for
him. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Lynn since the last time we talked,” she
said. “How about you?”

“Loaded question,” he responded wryly.

“Okay, you think about her all the time. I get it,” she said,
grinning. “I was thinking more in terms of her situation. Working three jobs
isn’t going to solve her problem, and it’s wearing her out.”

“No question about that,” Mitch said at once.

“And she won’t accept help,” Raylene added.

“Not a chance.”

“What she needs is a business of her own,” Raylene said. “I
know because opening the boutique was the perfect fit for me. It was exactly the
fresh start I needed, something all my own that would be an exciting
challenge.”

Mitch stared at her incredulously. “Raylene, I know your
heart’s in the right place, but opening a business requires capital. Lynn can
barely pay for groceries, as near as I can tell.”

“True,” Raylene said, then added excitedly, “But there are
small-business loans to be had, especially for women. Or there can be investors.
None of that would require her to come up with a lot of cash up front.”

Mitch still had his doubts. “But she would need to have her
personal finances in order,” he said. “I don’t think that’s the case.”

Raylene clearly wasn’t daunted by the obstacles he saw. “Not if
the investors were people who knew the situation and knew what an excellent risk
she would be,” she said.

“You’re talking about people like you and me,” Mitch
concluded.

“And a few of the other Sweet Magnolias who are in a position
to help,” Raylene said. “I think I can convince her that this is what we do—help
our friends when they need it, no matter what it is that they need. It’s what
Helen and Dana Sue did to help Maddie out by opening The Corner Spa as a joint
venture. A bunch of the guys were backing Elliott as a partner in Fit for
Anything, too.”

“But Lynn’s never expressed the slightest interest in opening
any kind of business,” Mitch said, even though the idea was slowly starting to
grow on him. “What would she do?”