Where Azaleas Bloom (15 page)

“What do you think?” he asked, sounding more nervous than she’d
ever heard him.

She turned to face him and, despite all her best intentions,
kissed him hard on the mouth in full view of the workmen who were putting the
finishing touches on the landscaping.

Mitch chuckled. “I gather you like it.”

“It’s the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me,” she
told him, her heart full of joy. “Why, Mitch?”

He touched a finger to the upturned corner of her mouth. “To
see this,” he said. “This smile of yours makes me want to slay all those dragons
you once talked about.”

“This is why you were so concerned with my schedule for today,”
she realized.

“I wanted to be sure they’d have time to finish it before you
got home,” he said. “I wanted you to see the full effect. If there’s anything
you want changed, just say the word.”

“Nothing,” she assured him. “It’s perfect.” She looked into his
eyes. “You’re perfect.”

“Hardly,” he said, clearly embarrassed. “I thought maybe you’d
want to put a few benches along the path or maybe one of those freestanding
swings, so two people could sit out here in the evening. I couldn’t decide what
you might like. We can go looking one of these days.”

Lynn shook her head. “Mitch, this is enough, just the way it
is. Too much, in fact. I know what this kind of landscaping must cost.”

“Not when you’re such good friends with a contractor who has a
relationship with this particular nursery. They owed me a few favors for the big
jobs I’ve brought them over the years. Don’t start fretting over the cost, you
hear me?”

“Thank you,” she said softly, accepting the sweet gesture
gracefully. “I can’t tell you how beautiful it is and how thoughtful you are for
doing it. I remember when Carter put in a garden for Raylene because she
couldn’t go outside. I was so envious, and not just of the beautiful garden,
either. I thought it was the sweetest gesture a man had ever made. Now you’ve
gone and done the same thing for me.”

Mitch frowned. “I didn’t realize Carter had done something
similar.”

Lynn detected a hint of disappointment in his eyes. “Don’t you
dare think that makes this less incredible. I am going to cook such a meal for
you tonight! What’s your favorite pie? I’ll even bake a pie. Or a cake. You tell
me.”

“I wouldn’t say no to a cherry pie,” he told her, smiling once
more. “But all I really need is this…” He touched her cheek again. “The look on
your face and the sparkle in your eyes, those are thanks enough.”

To her astonishment, after living with a man who paid little
heed to her needs or desires, Mitch honestly seemed to mean it. What an amazing
revelation! And, in that moment, she fell just a little bit in love.

* * *

After basking in the sensation of being cherished that
Mitch’s gesture had stirred, Lynn wasn’t prepared for the animosity and tension
she sensed when she walked into the courtroom on Monday.

She was about to join Helen when Ed latched onto her arm and
pulled her aside, his expression angry.

“My mother!” he said. “You had to have a confrontation with my
mother in the middle of a public place. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking she was being rude and impossible,” Lynn told
him, refusing to feel guilty about the scene. “And there was no one else in the
store at the time.” At least not until Raylene had made her presence known at
the end.

“Well, believe me, she was not one bit happy about your
attitude.”

Lynn smiled at that. “Ditto. Hers wasn’t a barrel of laughs,
either.”

Ed sighed. “No, I’m sure it wasn’t. What did you tell her? She
was all over me about missing those support payments. Why would you say anything
about that to her of all people?”

“Because she thought I was only working to humiliate you. I
explained that it was a necessity, but left it to you to fill in the blanks. I
didn’t want to be the one to completely disillusion her.”

Ed swiped a hand though his thick hair. It looked as if he’d
been doing that a lot this morning since not a single strand was in place the
way it usually was.

“This is turning into such a mess,” he said, sounding genuinely
miserable. “I know I’m the one who wanted to end our marriage, but I thought we
could do it with some dignity.”

“So did I,” Lynn said. “It’s obviously too late for that
now.”

“Helen’s gonna make a big deal about those missed payments,
isn’t she?”

“Of course,” Lynn said. “Did you think it wouldn’t come
up?”

“I was hoping, especially since I fixed everything.”

“Not quite everything,” Lynn said. “It’s still not clear why
you encouraged Jimmy Bob to postpone all these court dates. I know you, Ed.
You’re up to something. Was he down in the Cayman Islands hiding your
assets?”

He looked stunned by her stab-in-the-dark question, but he also
looked nervous, which made her wonder if she hadn’t inadvertently hit the nail
on the head. Maybe his acting skills weren’t up to one more lie.

“You might want to work on your answer to that one,” she warned
him. “I think it’s going to come up, and just now your expression was a dead
giveaway.”

She brushed past him, took the seat next to Helen, then filled
her in on the conversation. Helen’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You think that’s
what he was up to?”

“I can’t swear it, of course, since he didn’t open up and
confess, but he sure looked guilty as sin to me.”

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Helen murmured, jotting down a
few notes.

To Lynn’s astonishment, it took less than a half hour for Helen
to get the judge’s approval for the full financial disclosure she’d requested.
He faced Jimmy Bob with a scowl.

“And I want her to have every single thing,” he warned. “I
don’t want so much as a piggy bank to go unaccounted for, understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Jimmy Bob said, looking a little queasy.

Not wanting to be around for Ed’s reaction, Lynn bolted from
the courtroom while Ed was still giving Jimmy Bob a blistering earful. Helen
caught up with her outside.

“I don’t know what’s in the cookie jar,” Helen said, looking
pleased by the morning’s events. “But we definitely caught the two of them with
their hands in it. As soon as the records turn up, I’ll want to sit down with
you and see what you think might be missing. I have a hunch that, despite Hal’s
warning, we won’t be seeing everything, especially whatever Ed might have socked
away in the Cayman Islands. All we’ll really be able to go on is whether things
locally look incomplete. Will you be able to spot any gaps?”

“Maybe,” Lynn said. “I have some idea of what the business
brings in and what our joint account and other savings accounts used to have in
them, but I’m sure there was plenty that Ed kept from me, especially when it
comes to the business.”

Helen’s expression turned thoughtful. “Might be interesting to
bring Jack in and get his take on that.”

“You want to call his father as our witness? Is that really
necessary?”

“He’d be the expert on the company, wouldn’t he? If something’s
off, he’ll spot it right away.”

“But he’ll never admit it to us,” Lynn predicted.

“I imagine his retirement money is coming out of that company.
If there are glaring discrepancies in the bottom line, it’ll be in his own best
interest to speak up.”

“Against Ed?” Lynn said doubtfully. “Wilma would shoot
him.”

“Or maybe it would strip off those rose-colored glasses she
wears when it comes to her son. I guess we’ll see.”

Lynn felt a wave of nausea just thinking about it. “All this is
making me a little queasy. I’m not used to thinking like this.”

“That’s why you have me,” Helen told her. “I’m very good at
unearthing dirty little secrets and using them to my clients’ advantage.”

“Couldn’t we just sit down and negotiate a fair settlement?”
Lynn asked plaintively.

“That’s always my first choice,” Helen said. “And then they got
sneaky, missed those payments and that told me there was no way they were going
to play fair. I know this goes against your grain, Lynn, but the only way to
deal with that is to fight back just as dirty.”

“If you say so,” Lynn said. But she wasn’t terribly happy about
it.

* * *

Mitch saw Lynn come back from the courthouse, her
shoulders slumped, her expression dejected. He arrived at her back door seconds
later.

“You okay?” he asked when she opened the door.

“Mitch, now really isn’t the time,” she said wearily.

“I gather it didn’t go well.”

“Oh, Helen won what she wanted, but it’s going to get so ugly.
I can feel it. If it’s this hard on me, what’s it going to do to Jeremy and
Lexie? Lexie’s relationship with her dad is strained enough as it is. Or what if
they both start hating me for backing their father into a corner?”

“That’s just not going to happen,” Mitch told her. “Those kids
adore you. And I know you’ll protect them from as much of this as you possibly
can.” He studied her intently. “What’s really worrying you?”

“I just told you,” she insisted, but Mitch was already shaking
his head.

“It’s about more than that,” he said with conviction.

“Okay, yes,” she admitted with obvious reluctance. “There’s a
chance that Ed has been hiding money in the Cayman Islands. Right now, we don’t
know if that’s true or, if it is, whether it’s his personal assets or company
funds. If it’s our assets he’s trying to keep from me, that’s bad enough, but
company money? Can you imagine the scandal of that? I’ll never be able to
protect the kids if charges of some kind are filed against their dad.”

Mitch was stunned. He might not like the man, but that seemed
extreme, even for Ed. “Do you really think Ed’s capable of stealing from the
company that his father built?”

“I honestly don’t know what’s going on with him these days,”
Lynn said wearily. “I just know he’s not the man I married.”

“Is there another woman? One he’s trying to impress?”

Lynn shook her head. “Helen asked me that a while ago. I
honestly don’t think so. It’s not as if I ever even caught him looking a little
too long at another woman. He may not have been as attentive as I might have
liked, but he wasn’t having an affair. I’m sure of it.”

“He’s been going out of town a lot lately, hasn’t he? It ought
to be easy enough for Helen to find out if he was alone on those trips.”

Lynn shuddered, clearly uncomfortable with even the idea of
such an investigation. “Does it really matter now? Whatever he’s doing these
days is beside the point. Why make this any uglier than it already is? And if I
start slinging mud about an affair now, that’s a sure-fire way to get you
dragged into this.”

She was probably right about that, Mitch thought. He
immediately backed off, reminding himself that this wasn’t his fight. Lynn
needed to handle it as she saw fit. “It’s entirely up to you. I’m just saying
it’s another angle to check out if you need one.”

“I know,” she said. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to
that.”

15

M
itch took his cue from Lynn when she said
she wasn’t up for dinner. She even turned down his offer to grab takeout from
Sullivan’s so she wouldn’t have to cook.

“Another night, okay? I’m wiped out,” she said.

It went against his nature to leave her alone when she was
obviously so distressed, but what choice did he have? If she needed to process
what had happened in court on her own, he could hardly fault her for that.

“How about this? I could take Jeremy and Lexie out for pizza,
give you some time alone. Would that help?”

Lynn smiled at him. “I know they’d love it, but do you really
want to let yourself in for an evening of video games and nonstop chatter about
school?”

“I wouldn’t mind a bit,” he said. “They’re next door right now.
Maybe Mandy would want to go along, too.”

“If they’re up for it and Raylene agrees, it’s fine with me.”
She gave him another of those weary, halfhearted smiles. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem. I’ll call to let you know what’s decided over
there. If you change your mind in the meantime, just let me know.”

All three of the kids immediately seized on the offer. Raylene
added her approval of Mandy going along, so they piled into Mitch’s truck and
headed for Rosalina’s.

As soon as they’d been seated, Jeremy raced off to play the
games, but Lexie and Mandy stayed put. The girls exchanged a look and then Mandy
looked him in the eye.

“Are you dating Mrs. Morrow?” she inquired directly. “I mean,
like, for real?”

Uh-oh, Mitch thought. He hadn’t considered the possibility of
having two teenage meddlers on his hands. For the first time in months, he
suddenly craved a drink.

“We enjoy each other’s company,” he said carefully. “We’ve
known each other a very long time.” He looked at Lexie. “Does that bother
you?”

“No way,” she said at once. “Jeremy and I are totally okay with
it. Mom’s been so much happier since you’ve been around.”

“Do you think you’ll get married?” Mandy asked, clearly having
been designated to drive the conversation forward into ever more sensitive
territory.

“We haven’t talked about that,” Mitch said. “It’s way too soon.
And this is a totally inappropriate conversation for us to be having.” At least
he thought it was. In the world of teenage girls these days, maybe it
wasn’t.

“But you
have
thought about it,
right?” Mandy pressed, ignoring his comment completely. “This isn’t, like, some
kinda game. I hear men like to play games. Carter’s warned me and Carrie about
that.”

Mitch sighed. “Maybe some men. Not me,” he assured both girls,
though his attention was on Lexie when he said it. “It’s not a game for me.
That’s a promise.”

He deliberately glanced at the menu he’d been clutching in an
increasingly white-knuckled grip. “Maybe we should talk about what kind of pizza
you all want. Have you decided? Or would you rather have something else?”

Mandy looked disappointed by the change of subject, but Lexie
seized on it almost as eagerly as Mitch had. “Pizza, for sure,” she said at
once. “Jeremy will want pepperoni. Veggie for me, though.”

“Veggie’s good for me, too,” Mandy agreed.

Just then, Mitch heard Jeremy’s voice climb to an excited
squeal that could be heard over the usual background noise of the always packed
family restaurant.

“Dad, what are you doing here? Can you have dinner with
us?”

Mitch frowned as Ed glanced around the room. Ed spotted Lexie
before he realized who she was with. His eyes immediately narrowed as he took in
Mitch’s presence at the table.

“Where’s your mother?” he demanded loudly of Jeremy,
immediately looking as if he were spoiling for a fight.

Lexie reacted to his tone at once by jumping up and crossing
the room.

Mitch couldn’t hear what she said, but whatever it was, it
didn’t soothe Ed’s ruffled feathers. Though he wasn’t anxious for a
confrontation, Mitch joined them.

“Ed, how are you?” he asked, trying to keep things between them
civil for the sake of Lexie and Jeremy. Jeremy looked perplexed by his father’s
anger, but Lexie was clearly upset. She looked about two seconds away from
bursting into tears.

“I was fine until a few minutes ago,” Ed said, oblivious to his
daughter’s state of mind. “Lexie, Jeremy, go on over to that table over there,”
he added, gesturing to the opposite side of the room.

“But, Dad,” Jeremy protested. “We’re eating dinner with
Mitch.”

“No, you’re not,” Ed said. “You heard me. Now, go.”

Now near tears himself, Jeremy scampered off, but Lexie stood
her ground. “We came to dinner with Mitch,” she said staunchly. “I’m eating with
him and Mandy.”

Ed looked as if he wanted to escalate the scene another notch
or two, so Mitch felt compelled to step in. “Lexie, it’s okay. I’m sure your dad
would like to spend some time with you.”

“But what about Mandy?” she protested. “She has permission to
be here with you, not with my dad.”

Mitch looked at Ed. “Is it okay with you, if Mandy joins you?”
he asked, daring the other man to deny the request.

Even though he looked momentarily flustered, Ed finally nodded.
“Of course. I’ll get them all home.”

“Then I’ll tell Mandy to give her mom a call,” Mitch said. “If
it’s okay with Raylene, she’ll be right over.”

“I’m coming with you,” Lexie said, giving her father a defiant
look before marching off to speak to Mandy.

Thankfully, Ed let her go, apparently satisfied with his
victory. Still, he turned to Mitch.

“I don’t want you hanging out with my kids,” he said, keeping
his voice low for once.

Mitch wanted to level the guy where he stood, but there were so
many things wrong with that idea he convinced himself to ignore the urge.

“I’m not going to stand here and argue with you,” Mitch said,
his fists clenching at his sides. “This isn’t the time or the place. It’ll just
upset Jeremy and Lexie and you’ve already caused them enough distress for one
night. I don’t know what your problem is with me, other than the fact that I’ve
been spending some time with Lynn, but I’m gonna try real hard to make
allowances because this has been a stressful day for both of you.” He looked
into Ed’s eyes. “Don’t push me, though.”

“You’re threatening me?” Ed demanded with a narrowed gaze.

“Just a caution,” Mitch said mildly. “I don’t like the way
you’ve treated Lynn. Push me too hard and I’ll turn the tables on you.”

Ed laughed, though it seemed forced. “Just how are you going to
do that?” he asked derisively.

“You don’t want to find out what I’m capable of,” Mitch said.
“You may have that big old brick building in the middle of town, but I’m the one
with friends. I haven’t been systematically burning bridges the way you have
recently. Believe me, I’m not the only one who’s been bothered by your shabby
treatment of your family.”

For the first time, Ed looked vaguely shaken. “Just stay away
from my kids,” he ordered one last time, then walked away.

Mitch went back to his table where the girls were waiting.

“I am so, so sorry,” Lexie said, her expression miserable. “I
don’t know what got into him.”

“You don’t need to apologize for your father, not to me,” Mitch
assured her, managing a smile. He turned to Mandy. “Did your mom give the okay
for you to have dinner with them?”

Mandy nodded, but said, “I’d rather stay and eat with you.”

Mitch spotted the quick flash of hurt in Lexie’s eyes.

“Me, too,” Lexie said to both of them. “But it’s not like I
have any say.”

Mitch could see how torn Mandy was, so he made it easy for her.
“Stick with Lexie, okay? I’m just going to pay for our drinks, then grab a
couple of things to go.”

“Will you take them to our house?” Lexie asked hopefully.
“Mom’s probably starving by now.”

“Not tonight,” he said.

Lexie sighed. “Because of Dad. He’ll be dropping us off.”

“I just think it’s for the best,” he told her. “Now, run along
and have a good time with your father.” Lexie looked so unhappy that he felt
compelled to add, “You know he loves you, and I know you love him. Cut him some
slack, okay?”

“You’re the best,” she said, her eyes shining. For a minute she
looked as if she was going to throw her arms around him in an impulsive hug, but
then she clearly thought better of it. “See you, Mitch.”

“See you, kiddo.”

He waited until he was in the truck before calling Lynn. “I
just thought you ought to know that Ed showed up at Rosalina’s, flexed his
muscles a bit and the kids are having dinner with him.”

“What?” she said incredulously. “Please tell me he didn’t cause
a scene.”

“Close enough, but it was okay. The kids aren’t that happy, but
they’re fine. I didn’t feel it would serve any purpose to put up a fight. He was
clearly feeling territorial. I imagine he’ll have them home in an hour or
so.”

“Mitch, I am so sorry about this.”

“You’re not responsible for his behavior, but it is yet another
warning sign that he’s not overjoyed about you and me seeing each other or me
being involved in Lexie and Jeremy’s lives.”

“I don’t give a rat’s behind if he’s overjoyed or not,” she
said fiercely.

Mitch smiled at her show of attitude. “Well, I don’t much care,
either, but let’s think about this. You’re in the middle of a divorce, Lynnie.
Why complicate it?”

“What are you saying—that we should stop seeing each other? I
thought we’d decided against that. I know we’re not in some heavy relationship,
but I like where we are.”

“So do I, but maybe it’s time to rethink our decision, or at
least to be a lot more careful about what we do and where we’re seen. I don’t
want to make trouble for you, and Ed’s clearly itching for a fight.”

“You’re probably right,” she conceded with a resigned sigh.
“But I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then let’s talk about it some more tomorrow. I’ll have the
paychecks ready in the morning. I’ll make sure the coffee’s on, okay?”

He smiled. “And the coffee cake?”

“Already in the oven,” she admitted. “Baking relaxes me.”

“Maybe I should tell you all my favorites,” he teased. “That
would keep you relaxed for a good long while.”

“Bring a list in the morning,” she said.

He smiled at her eagerness. “Night, Lynnie.”

“Good night, Mitch.”

“Call me if you need me.”

“Oh?” she said.

She laced that lone word with enough innuendo to heat his
blood. “You know what I meant,” he said. “If Ed starts trouble.”

“Oh, that,” she said, sounding disappointed. “I can handle
Ed.”

Mitch wished he were as sure of that as she was.

* * *

Lynn was waiting when Ed walked into the house with the
expressionless and way-too-serious kids. Both of them dropped quick kisses on
her cheek then all but ran upstairs.

By the time Lynn heard their respective doors slam, she was on
her feet. “You will never contradict a decision of mine that way again,” she
said, standing practically toe to toe with her soon-to-be-ex in a way that would
never have occurred to her when they’d been married. “When the children are with
me, they’ll spend time with whomever I choose. You embarrassed them and tried to
pick a fight with Mitch for no good reason.”

Ed smirked at that. “So he came running straight to you? I
should have known that’s what the little whiner would do.”

She stared at him incredulously. “Ed, what on earth has
happened to you? I’ve never known you to be this mean and narrow-minded before.
What’s really going on?”

He seemed to be nonplussed by her questions, or maybe it was
the real concern in her voice that threw him.

He gave her a long look, then sighed and sat down heavily on
the edge of the sofa. “I swear to God, Lynn, I have no idea. I walked into
Rosalina’s, spotted my kids with Mitch and saw red. It’s bad enough that he’s
after you, but I don’t want him taking my kids, too.”

“Mitch isn’t trying to take anything from you,” Lynn said
reasonably. “You threw me away, remember? And the kids love you. They happen to
like Mitch, too, but he’s not their dad and he’s not pretending to be. What’s
with this territorial nonsense?”

She studied him intently, wondering if Helen had been right.
“Ed, are you regretting walking out on me?”

He regarded her with unmistakable misery. “In a way, sure. I
know what I’ve lost.” He gave her a pleading look. “But it’s not as if I had an
alternative.”

“I don’t understand,” Lynn said, completely perplexed by his
claim.

“I know you don’t. I wish I could explain, but I can’t. I just
can’t.”

“Well, can you at least try to keep in mind how your kids feel
about you and try not to do anything more to alienate them?”

“Yeah, I can try. I’m truly sorry if I upset them tonight. Just
so you know, I did apologize.”

“To Mitch, too?”

His lips curved slightly. “I’m afraid I’m not that evolved
yet.”

Despite her tension, Lynn smiled, as well. “Keep working at it.
I’m sure you’ll get there eventually.”

She walked him to the door. “I hope you can work through
whatever’s going on with you. I really do.”

“The fact that you really mean that after everything I’ve
done…” He shook his head. “It means a lot.”

She believed his words, but she’d also grown cynical enough in
recent months to know that all the sincerity in the world wouldn’t stop him from
doing whatever crazy thing he had planned to make the divorce as difficult as
possible.

* * *

Flo had only been to Donnie’s house a few times. For
whatever reasons, they’d both felt more comfortable in her apartment. Maybe the
house still held too many memories of his late wife, even after all these years.
She wasn’t one to question him about it.

Tonight, though, he’d insisted they have dinner at his place.
When she arrived, she found flowers on the table right along with what appeared
to be his best china and even real sterling silver. There were candles lit, as
well.