Where Azaleas Bloom (2 page)

Mitch couldn’t help taking a frank survey of Lynn. Her
complexion was even paler than usual, and there was no mistaking the worry in
her eyes. He’d known her practically since grade school, had a brief, though
intense, unrequited crush on her in seventh grade, but it had been all about Ed
for her, even back then. Over the years they’d both moved on, and rarely saw
each other except in passing.

“Everything okay, Lynn?” he asked quietly, leaning in close so
the others at the table wouldn’t overhear.

She smiled, but it looked forced to him. He remembered how her
carefree laughter had once reminded him of the joyous sound of church bells
pealing. He hadn’t heard that sound in a long time. Looked to him as if she
didn’t have much to laugh about these days, not with the divorce he’d heard
about still pending.

“Everything’s fine,” she said, but despite her effort, the lie
didn’t sound convincing.

Mitch glanced around the table and noted that both Lexie and
Jeremy were eating as if they hadn’t had a meal in days. Thinking again about
the toll divorce could take, he wondered just how tough times were for Lynn.
He’d heard plenty of rumors about her husband taking off every few weeks on
various trips and wondered if that was having an impact on Lynn’s finances. Just
the thought of the man gallivanting around while his family suffered was enough
to twist Mitch’s stomach into knots. He told himself he’d have felt the same way
even if he didn’t have a few fond memories of the woman.

Then, again, maybe just because of those memories, he was
seeing trouble where there was none. Wouldn’t be the first time his imagination
had run wild. He seemed to be the kind of man who was always looking for someone
to help.

After dinner he lingered until the Morrows were ready to head
home, then walked out with them. It was pitch-dark outside and there was no
light burning at home.

“Why don’t I walk up the path with you?” he suggested. “It’s
pretty dark out here.”

“Oh, I just forgot to leave on the outside light,” Lynn said,
but the embarrassed nervousness in her voice suggested otherwise. “I think it’s
burned out anyway.”

“Let me check it for you,” Mitch offered.

“That’s okay. I know I’m out of spare bulbs. They’re on the
shopping list, but I keep forgetting them.”

He heard the claim for what it was, another face-saving
lie.

“No problem. I always have extras in the truck.” He walked over
and grabbed one out of the back before she could object, then crossed the yard.
“If you’re going to be out at night, you’ll need this,” he said as he quickly
removed the old bulb and screwed in the replacement. “Even in Serenity, it’s
important to take safety precautions.”

“I know,” Lynn said. Then, as if it were costing her
considerable pride, she managed to mutter, “Thanks.”

“Not a problem. If you ever need anything done around here, let
me know. For the next couple of months or so, I’ll be at Raylene’s every day.
I’d be happy to help out. No charge, of course. Just a neighborly gesture
between old friends.”

Lynn gave him a wan smile. “I appreciate that, but we’re
managing okay.”

Mitch understood pride all too well. He merely nodded. “Well,
the offer’s on the table, if anything comes up. Don’t hesitate, okay?”

“Thanks. Good night, Mitch.” She hesitated, then added, “I know
I should have let you know when the accident happened, but I was real sorry to
hear about Amy. Losing her must have been hard for you and your sons.”

He nodded. “She was a good woman. Not a day goes by that I
don’t miss her. It’s been a year now, and I still walk in the house some nights
and call out to her.” He shrugged. “They say that will pass.”

She touched his arm briefly. “
They,
whoever they are, say a lot of things, but I think it’s mostly because they
don’t want to say that loss of any kind really sucks.”

“Yeah,” he admitted, “it really does. Good night, Lynn.”

The kids had gone inside right away and now she hurried after
them. Mitch stood where he was, staring after her.

Something wasn’t right here. Anyone could see that. But he
understood the need to reclaim independence after a blow. He also knew that it
was a woman’s natural tendency to protect her kids at all costs. If Lynn needed
help badly enough for their sake, she’d turn to anyone who offered a helping
hand. And if she ever asked, he’d be right there. Somebody needed to fix the
unmistakable sorrow and fear that never seemed to leave her eyes.

And he, more than he’d realized, needed a project. Maybe, he
thought, they might actually need each other.

* * *

“Raylene’s lasagna is the best,” Jeremy murmured
sleepily when Lynn went to check on him before bed. “How come you don’t cook
like that anymore?”

“There’s not enough time in the day,” Lynn told him.

“But Raylene works, too, and she does it,” he persisted.

She knew her ten-year-old couldn’t possibly understand how
uncomfortable this entire conversation was making her, but it was hard to resist
the desire to snap. “Tell me what you miss most and I’ll make it for you soon,”
she promised.

“Steak and baked potatoes,” he said at once. “That was Dad’s
favorite, too.”

And way beyond their current budget, Lynn thought wearily.
Somehow, though, she would make it happen.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Tomorrow?” he pressed excitedly.

“Not tomorrow, but soon,” she said firmly, sighing at the
unmistakable disappointment in his eyes. “Now go to sleep. You have school in
the morning. Did you study for your history test?”

He gave her a shrug. “Enough.”

Which meant, she feared, not at all. Why hadn’t she sat down
with him immediately after dinner and gone over the information with him the way
she used to?

Because she’d been trying to figure out how to make that paltry
$24.35 last another week, she thought angrily, while her soon-to-be-ex was off
dining on steak himself, no doubt.

“I’m getting you up a half hour early,” she told Jeremy. “We’ll
go over the material together.”

“Mom!” he muttered with a dramatic groan.

“And don’t even think about faking a stomachache or a sore
throat or an earache, you hear me?” She leaned down and gave him a noisy kiss
that had him giggling, despite the required protest that he was too old for such
displays of affection.

Leaving her son, she tapped on Lexie’s door. “Still
studying?”

To her dismay, Lexie looked up from the book she’d apparently
been pretending to read, her cheeks streaked with tears. “I miss Daddy,” she
whispered. “I’m sorry, but I do.”

Lynn sat down beside her on the bed and gathered her into her
arms. “You don’t ever have to be sorry about missing your father,” she assured
her.

“But it must make you sad when I say that,” Lexie said
knowingly. “I know how hard you’re trying to make everything seem normal.”

Lynn managed a smile for her daughter. She sometimes wondered
if faking a smile would get easier with practice, but so far it hadn’t.

“I think it’s obvious that things aren’t normal and no amount
of pretending is going to change that.” She tucked a finger under Lexie’s chin.
“Now look at me. You love your dad and, despite what’s happened between the two
of us, I know he loves you. I will never stand in the way of that.”

“Then how come he hasn’t been around for so long?”

Lynn sighed. “I wish I could explain your father’s actions, but
I can’t. Maybe he’s been extra busy at work.”

“I tried his cell phone, but it went to voice mail, and Noelle
in his office said he’s away,” Lexie said, proving that she’d gone as close to
the source as she could get for answers. “She sounded kinda funny when I called,
so I don’t think it’s on business. Do you know where he went?”

Lynn didn’t want to explain about the golf trip to Lexie. Lexie
was feeling unimportant enough as it was. Besides, Lynn didn’t know for sure.
Rumors were always rampant in Serenity. Only some of them proved to be true.

“Not really,” she told her daughter, whose tears were finally
drying up, though the stricken expression on her face was still there. “Why
don’t I see what I can find out tomorrow, so you’ll know when he’s due home.
Will that help?”

Lexie nodded. “You know what I don’t get? How can I still miss
him so much, when I’m so mad at him?”

Lynn allowed herself a small and this time genuine smile at the
very complex question. Hadn’t she wondered the exact same thing herself more
than once? As furious as she was at Ed most of the time these days, there were
moments when the thought of never having his arms around her again made her want
to weep.

“Relationships are complicated, sweetie. Love doesn’t go away
just because someone’s done something to disappoint you. You know how mad I get
when Jeremy drinks milk right out of the carton or when you leave damp towels
all over the bathroom floor?” She tickled Lexie. “I still love you.”

“Or what about when you tell me ten times to clean up my room?”
Lexie asked, getting into the spirit of the teasing. “I get annoyed, but I still
love
you.
”

“Or when you deliberately disobey me no matter how many times I
tell you you’re not allowed to have a snack right before dinner?” Lynn said.

Unfortunately, that one caused Lexie’s grin to fade. “Like
there’s anything here to have for a snack these days.”

Once again, Lynn felt the weight of every bit of unanticipated
fallout from the divorce. There were the huge things, like Ed not being around
when the kids needed him or the mortgage payments being late again and again.
And there were the seemingly trivial ones like this, no after-school snacks.
Added together she felt as if she’d failed her kids. No matter how much she
wanted to lay all the blame squarely at Ed’s feet, she couldn’t. She was their
mom. She should be finding a way to provide for her children. Going to work for
Raylene had been a start, but it obviously wasn’t enough, not when Ed wasn’t
holding up his end of the bargain.

She vowed right then to take on a second job, even if it meant
frying burgers at one of the new fast-food restaurants outside of town, anything
to put an end to the dismay of seeing her children suffer because of decisions
she and Ed had made.

“I’m sorry,” Lexie whispered. “I shouldn’t have said that. It
was mean.”

“It was the truth,” Lynn said, then added with determination,
“but not for long.”

Lexie regarded her hopefully. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll find a better job, one with more hours. Or another
part-time job,” Lynn said.

“Maybe I could get some babysitting jobs,” Lexie offered
eagerly.

“I appreciate your wanting to do that, but I’d like you to be a
little older before you take on that kind of responsibility,” Lynn said. “Right
now your job is to get great grades so you can get into whatever college you’d
like to go to. I want you and Jeremy to have the most amazing futures you can
possibly have, and you’ll need college degrees for that.”

“You always say that,” Lexie protested, as yet unconcerned
about the importance of winning a scholarship if she expected to get into a
terrific school. She was focused on the here and now. “Lots of kids my age
babysit. You let me stay with Jeremy.”

“He’s ten and he’s your brother,” Lynn reminded her. “It’s not
quite the same thing as taking care of a baby or a toddler.”

“What if I took the babysitting certification class at the
community center? Then could I?” She gave Lynn a pleading look. “Please. I want
to help out.”

“If you do that and pass the course, then we’ll see. But this
will be for your savings and your spending money, okay? It’s not up to you to
chip in for expenses around here.”

Lexie threw her arms around Lynn. “Thank you, thank you, thank
you! I’ll sign up tomorrow. I already know lots of people who need babysitters.
The minute I pass the class, I’m going to hand out flyers.”

Lynn smiled at her enthusiasm, wishing she could muster up that
same level of excitement for her own job hunt. “Okay, my little entrepreneur.
For now get some sleep. Love you.”

“Love you, Mom.”

Lynn turned out the light on her way out the door, but the
second she was gone, Lexie flipped it back on. Lynn smiled, knowing exactly what
she was up to. She was texting Mandy the big news about taking that babysitting
course. She was probably hoping to get her best friend to sign up, too.

Which Mandy would likely do, Lynn thought. Those two never did
anything without the other one tagging along. It was just one more reason she
intended to do everything she possibly could to stay right here in this house,
so her daughter wouldn’t be ripped away from the friend who’d provided the best
support system a girl Lexie’s age could possibly have.

2

M
itch had gotten into the habit of stopping
in at Wharton’s for breakfast, something he’d never have considered when Amy was
alive. She’d always made sure he left the house with a hearty meal to sustain
him through the morning. Now Grace Wharton looked over him just as protectively,
but her efforts always came with a heavy dose of meddling.

“You’re working too much,” she declared as she set a steaming
cup of coffee down in front of him.

“And how would you know that?”

“You’re in here practically before I can get the coffee brewed
in the morning and I know for a fact you’re over there hammering away at Raylene
and Carter’s till they kick you out at night. Now, since I know you wouldn’t be
looking twice at a married woman, what’s the attraction? You wouldn’t be
thinking of trying to rekindle something with Lynn Morrow, now that she and Ed
are divorcing, would you?”

Mitch blinked at the way she’d cut right to the heart of the
matter before he’d even had a chance to consider such a thing himself. “What’s
to rekindle?” he asked, hoping to throw her off stride. Not that a full-speed
train heading in her direction would cause Grace to falter once she was on a
mission. “Lynn and I were never an item.”

Since Wharton’s wasn’t yet busy because, as she’d noted, it was
barely past dawn, Grace settled down opposite him in the booth and gave him one
of her don’t-fool-with-me looks. “You must think my memory’s bad, Mitch. I can
recall perfectly well the way you trailed around after her back in middle school
with that lovesick expression written all over your face. If she came in here
for a soda or a milk shake with her friends, you were never far behind with that
adoring look about you.”

He winced at the probably accurate description. “Was I that
pitiful?”

“Not pitiful,” she soothed. “Just a boy suffering from his
first unrequited love, as near as I could tell.”

“Well, if you knew it was unrequited, then you also know
there’s nothing to be rekindled. Besides, I rarely catch a glimpse of Lynn while
I’m working over at Raylene’s.”

“Sometimes it doesn’t take more than a glimpse to know when a
possibility’s intriguing,” she said. “Seems to me she could use a steady man
like you in her life. Ed Morrow wasn’t exactly a prize, and if I didn’t think
much of him before, I think even less of him now.” There was a weight behind her
words that suggested she’d heard things that maybe others didn’t know. There
were, despite what everyone in town thought, things not even Grace would share
with the world, not if she felt somebody stood to be hurt by the talk.

She looked Mitch directly in the eye. “And you already know
what I think about it being time for you to move on.”

He laughed. “Grace, you probably know a lot more about romance
than I ever did, but it seems to me that being steady almost never sends a
woman’s pulse scrambling.”

“It does when she’s been dealing with a man like Ed. And you
know exactly what I mean, a man with a broken moral compass,” Grace replied
firmly. “Trust me on that. I hear things.”

Mitch nodded. “More than you need to, I suspect,” he said
wryly. “And I’ll keep your advice in mind should something change. Now, do you
suppose I could get my eggs, ham and grits?”

“You’ll get oatmeal on a chilly morning like this,” she
countered, then gave him a wink. “Then we’ll see about the rest.”

“How on earth do you keep customers coming in here if you boss
’em around like this?”

“What can I say? I have a charming personality,” she said. “And
I always have the best gossip in town.”

That, to his dismay, was all too true. “Just as long as I’m not
your hot topic for today, I’ll put up with the oatmeal,” he called after
her.

“Why would I talk about you? So far, you haven’t done a single
outrageous thing,” she called back, then added, “more’s the pity.”

Trying to imagine what would happen if he did break any of the
hard and fast rules he’d lived by since Amy’s death, Mitch prayed for the
fortitude to keep it that way. As much as he loved Grace’s sass and vinegar, he
wasn’t quite ready to be on the menu right along with the tuna melt.

* * *

Satisfied that she’d grilled Jeremy sufficiently to eke
out a passing grade on his history test, Lynn sent him off to school, then
walked into town. Outside Wharton’s, she grabbed the local weekly, then went in
for a cup of coffee she intended to nurse as long as possible. Grace gave
frequent refills, so it was usually enough caffeine to get Lynn through the
day.

“Well, well, look who’s here,” Grace said loudly as she
entered.

Only then did Lynn notice Mitch sitting by himself in a booth
just inside the door. He gave her what looked like a nervous smile, then
gestured to the table. “Join me?” he asked with apparent sincerity.

“Are you sure? You look as if you’ve finished. Don’t you need
to be over at Raylene’s soon?”

“The crew knows what to do if they get there before I do,” he
assured her. “Coffee?”

“Yes,” she said eagerly even as Grace arrived with a cup and
filled it to the brim, then refilled Mitch’s, a smirk on her face.

Lynn watched her walk away. “Was she smirking?”

Mitch sighed. “She was. Trust me, you don’t want to know why.
How about something to eat? My treat.”

“No, thanks,” she said, though she couldn’t help gazing
longingly at a plate of French toast as Grace carried it by.

“When was the last time you had Grace’s French toast?” Mitch
asked with a knowing grin.

“A while,” she admitted. “But seriously, I’m not hungry.”

“Nobody looks at food the way you just did unless it’s a real
temptation,” Mitch said, then called out to Grace. “An order of French toast,
Grace, and put it on my tab.”

“Done,” she called back.

Lynn regarded him with dismay. “You really didn’t have to do
that.”

“I wanted to. Having someone besides Grace to talk to while I
finish my second cup of coffee is a real treat.”

“I heard that,” Grace said as she passed by. She gave Lynn a
wink. “The man has the hots for me, and don’t think I don’t know it. So does
Neville, but my husband claims he’s past caring what I do as long as I quit
bothering him.”

Lynn laughed, noting the pained expression on Mitch’s face.
“You know she wouldn’t tease you like that if she didn’t adore you.”

“I know.” He leaned across the table and confided, “The woman
scares the daylights out of me. If she has her way, she’ll marry me off before
the summer’s over. You probably want to run for your life.”

Once again, Lynn couldn’t control a chuckle. “I think you’re
tougher than that.”

He gave her a look then that she couldn’t quite interpret.

“I used to think so, too,” he said, his voice suddenly
sober.

Before she could try to figure out what he’d meant by that,
Grace put a plate of thick, golden French toast in front of her, along with a
pitcher of warm maple syrup, butter and a shaker of cinnamon and sugar.

“I wasn’t sure which way you liked it,” Grace said. “Me, I like
the syrup, but a lot of folks prefer the cinnamon.”

“I like it drowning in butter and syrup,” Lynn admitted. She
spread butter over the slices, doused them in syrup, then tried the first
mouthful. “Oh, my God,” she murmured, drawing a smile from Mitch. “What?”

“I remember that look,” he said. “You used to get the same
expression on your face at Rosalina’s when you’d take your first bite of
pizza.”

“As if I’d died and gone to heaven?” she said. “No doubt about
it. When it comes to certain foods, it’s as if they speak to some part of my
soul.”

“So, pizza and French toast do that?” he asked, clearly amused.
“What else?”

“Chocolate decadence cake,” she said readily. “Almost better
than sex.” The second the words left her mouth, she felt herself blushing
furiously. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t have said that.”

He laughed. “I don’t see why not, if it’s true. I’ll have to
remember your very high opinion of those things. Now tell me what you’re doing
in here so early.”

She tapped the newspaper she’d set on the table. “Looking for
another job.”

Mitch frowned. “I thought you were working for Raylene.”

“Only part-time. I need more hours.”

“But what about the kids?” he asked, then waved off the
question. “Sorry, none of my business. I guess I just assumed Ed would be paying
support.”

“He is,” she said quickly.

Mitch held her gaze. “But? I know I heard a
but
in your voice just then.”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

“Is he late with a check or something?”

Lynn squirmed. “Mitch, I’m really not comfortable talking about
this.” She didn’t want everyone in town speculating about Ed and the way he was
behaving. Not that they weren’t already, but she didn’t want to confirm or add
to the talk.

Mitch clearly wasn’t going to back down, though. His expression
filled with concern, he pressed, “I thought we were old friends. If there’s a
problem, maybe I can help.”

“It’s sweet of you to offer, it really is, but this will work
out,” she insisted. “And it’s not going to kill me to work a few more hours
every week. It won’t hurt the kids, either,” she added defensively.

“I know you’re a great mother, Lynn,” he replied patiently. “I
wasn’t suggesting otherwise. I see enough of Jeremy and Lexie over at Raylene’s
to see how well they’re turning out, and I know they have you to thank for
that.”

She drank in his praise. She’d heard far too little of it from
her soon-to-be-ex-husband. “Thank you for saying that. They’re great kids. I
worry myself sick sometimes about how the divorce is affecting them. Lexie’s
growing up too fast, that’s for sure. She’s a sensitive girl and no matter how
hard I try to keep my problems from her, she picks up on everything.”

“She looks just fine to me,” Mitch consoled her. “You should
hear her and Mandy over at Raylene’s. I can hear them giggling over the sound of
all the hammering and, even more impressive, over that music they play. She
sounds like a happy, healthy teenager to me.”

“I wish I’d heard that,” Lynn said wistfully. “She and Mandy
don’t hang out at our house much these days.”

“Could be she feels guilty about having fun when she knows
you’re sad,” Mitch said, surprising her with his insightfulness. “Kids are like
that. Those first months after Amy died, mine did plenty of tiptoeing around
whenever they came home on visits. Surprised the heck out of me. I didn’t think
either one of those boys had a sensitive bone in their bodies, but they were
raised by Amy, so of course they did.”

She saw the faraway look in his eyes and responded to that.
“There’s no mistaking how much you loved her, Mitch,” she said gently. As hard
as the divorce proceedings were, she knew it was nothing like losing someone you
loved so deeply with such finality.

“Always will, I imagine,” he said. “But every day does get a
little easier.”

He seemed to snap himself back to the moment. “Now I’d better
get over to Raylene’s or she’ll be wondering what happened to me. She always has
some kind of checklist for me before she goes off to work.” He leaned closer and
confided, “Don’t tell her, but I stuff ’em in my pocket and never look at ’em
again.”

“Is that because you really don’t give a hoot about what she
wants or because you have a photographic memory?” Lynn asked.

He shrugged. “Maybe a little of both. I know I’ll get to all of
it eventually. I haven’t been in this business my entire life without knowing
what needs to be done and when. See you around, Lynn. Thanks for the
company.”

“Thanks for the breakfast,” she said, then watched as he walked
away. She was still following him with her gaze when Grace appeared just as he
was climbing into his shiny new four-by-four parked out front. She couldn’t help
wondering if a man who took such good care of his truck would be equally
thoughtful when it came to caring for a woman.

“That man does look good in a pair of jeans,” Grace said with a
dramatic sigh. She pinned Lynn with a look. “Just in case you hadn’t
noticed.”

“Hard not to notice,” Lynn replied, then gave Grace a chiding
look. “But don’t go getting any ideas in your head, you hear me? I’m not looking
for a man, and he says he’s not looking for anyone, either.”

“And sometimes people lie to themselves because it feels
safer,” Grace retorted.

She sashayed off, leaving Lynn alone with the discouragingly
paltry list of classified ads. Contemplating Mitch’s sexy butt in a pair of
jeans was a whole lot more fascinating than the few menial jobs available in
Serenity.

But, she told herself staunchly as she forced her gaze back to
the paper, ogling a man wouldn’t put food on the table. And that was what she
needed today, not the fleeting and dangerous satisfaction of feeling her pulse
race for the first time in a very long time.

* * *

Lynn was down to her last possibility, a cashier’s job
at a mini-mart in a dicey section of town. Even in a tranquil community like
Serenity, there were places to be avoided. Unfortunately, she was too desperate
to take that into consideration.

To her chagrin, she was being interviewed by a girl half her
age. She’d probably barely met the twenty-one-year-old age requirement specified
in the ad.

“You willing to work nights?” Karena asked, snapping gum as she
spoke, her expression bored.

“What are the hours exactly?” Lynn asked, inwardly cringing at
the thought of leaving the kids at home alone in the evening.

“Eleven at night to seven in the morning,” Karena replied.

Dismayed, Lynn shook her head at once. That was out of the
question. “Sorry. I have kids at home. I can’t do that.”

“Well, that’s all we have.” Karena stood up, ending the
interview.

“Thanks, anyway,” Lynn managed to say. “Sorry to have wasted
your time, but the ad didn’t mention that it was a night job.”