Czytaj książkę: «A Sweet Magnolias Novel»

1

Lynn Morrow was at her wit’s end. Her tiny desk tucked into a corner of the kitchen was piled high with bills and her checkbook balance was a stunningly low $24.35. Not since college had she seen such a scary balance.

The refrigerator held a half-empty carton of milk, five eggs and some rapidly wilting lettuce. There was a can of diced tomatoes in the cupboard, along with a box of spaghetti, a few spoonfuls of peanut butter left in a jar and maybe a bowlful of Cheerios in the bottom of the box. That, too, reminded her of college. But it was one thing to scrape by at nineteen, and quite another to try to do it in her forties with kids to care for.

“Mom, I’m starving,” Jeremy announced when he walked in the door from school. It was the standard cry of her ten-year-old. “What can I have for a snack?”

Lexie, who was right on his heels, took one look at her mother, apparently interpreted her dire expression for the near-panic Lynn was feeling, and turned on her brother. “You don’t need food. You need sensitivity training.”

Tears sprang to Lynn’s eyes as Jeremy bolted from the room. Lately, Alexis, who was only fourteen, had spent way too much time trying to protect her mother. Ever since the divorce proceedings had been initiated, Lynn had been struggling to make ends meet. She and Ed were still in court wrangling over everything from custody of the kids to support. The temporary order in place barely kept her and the kids above water and, by the end of the month, she was scraping bottom financially, even with the part-time job she’d managed to find at her neighbor Raylene’s boutique on Serenity’s Main Street.

One of these days she supposed she’d thank Ed for providing this unexpected life challenge, but she really, really wasn’t there yet. She was spitting mad, not because he’d left, but because of the upheaval he’d left in his wake.

She’d worked hard to keep her worries from spilling over onto the kids, but Lexie was a smart girl. She’d quickly figured out what was going on. Sometimes her overnight transformation from carefree teen into world-weary adult nearly broke Lynn’s heart. Lexie should be paying attention to her grades, maybe having her first crush on a boy, not trying to be her mother’s savior.

Now, with her brother gone in an indignant huff, Lexie came over to give Lynn a hug. She seemed to know instinctively just when Lynn was in desperate need of one.

“Dad’s late with the check again, isn’t he? How bad is it?” Lexie asked.

Lynn tried to reassure her. “We’re going to be fine, sweetie. I don’t want you to worry about this.”

“We’re not going to be fine,” Lexie retorted angrily. “How did Dad turn out to be such a huge jerk?”

Lynn wondered about the same thing, but somehow Ed had turned into a man she didn’t even recognize any longer. He’d taken his midlife crisis to new heights. He was self-absorbed, self-indulgent and thoughtless.

His family might not have enough money to put food on the table, but she’d overheard a conversation two days ago when it was mentioned that he was off on some expensive golf vacation, his third in the past six months. The wife of one of his business associates apparently hadn’t realized Lynn was nearby when she’d made her remarks about Ed’s latest spending spree. Or perhaps she had, Lynn thought cynically.

“Don’t talk about your father that way,” she admonished Lexie now, albeit halfheartedly. She didn’t want her children to start hating their father, but she wasn’t quite prepared to sing his praises, either. Every single day felt like a balancing act between her own ragged emotions and her children’s needs. No matter how upbeat she pretended to be, lately it seemed she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Lexie’s eyes filled with tears, though it was impossible to tell if she was reacting to Lynn’s stern admonition or to her own panic. “It’s really bad, isn’t it?”

“Bad enough,” Lynn admitted carefully. She gave Lexie’s hand a squeeze. “But this is a temporary blip, sweetheart. It will get sorted out. I promise.”

“Are we going to have to move?” Lexie asked, giving voice to what was obviously her greatest fear.

Lynn wasn’t one to sugarcoat bad news, though she’d hoped to have a plan in place before revealing the sad truth. “More than likely,” she said quietly.

Though she’d been counting on Helen Decatur-Whitney, who was fierce when it came to getting the best possible settlement for her clients, she also knew that even Helen couldn’t work miracles. Still, she tried to reassure her daughter. “Hopefully, Helen will be able to work this out in court before it comes to that, but I won’t lie to you—giving up the house is a real possibility.”

“But I love it here,” Lexie protested with a sniff. “It’s a great house and my best friend lives right next door.” Then, apparently seeing something in Lynn’s face, she squared her shoulders. “But it’ll be okay.” She gave her mother a plaintive look that nearly shredded what was left of Lynn’s heart. “Won’t it?”

“As long as you, Jeremy and I are together, it will be okay,” she vowed.

She would do everything in her power to see that it was. Right now, though, with unpaid bills and little money, she was feeling pretty darn powerless. For a woman who’d always felt confident and in control, that was a new sensation, one she didn’t much like. Just one more thing to lay at Ed’s feet when she was doling out blame.

* * *

Contractor Mitch Franklin had been working on a new addition for Raylene and Carter Rollins for a few weeks now. He’d started in late fall, taken only a brief break during the holidays, and was hoping to have every interior detail finished for them in time for the annual Memorial Day party the couple hosted for all their friends. Normally, winters in Serenity tended to be mild with only a few days when the weather was too bad for construction, but this year had been a nasty exception with bitter cold and more snow and ice storms than he could remember in a lifetime here in South Carolina. While the snow and ice seldom lasted, he was still further behind schedule than he liked.

With various other jobs he was finishing up—mostly interior work—Mitch was proud that he’d kept his crew working enough to put paychecks in their pockets. Now, though, the crunch was on to get this addition built. To keep costs in check he had his men working the usual number of hours, but he’d gotten into the habit of putting in a lot of overtime. He had a reputation for bringing his jobs in on time and he didn’t want this to be an exception.

Of course, there were other things motivating him, as well. For one thing, Raylene was an amazing cook, who usually invited him to join the family for a meal if he was still hanging around at dinnertime. For another, his home felt way too empty without his wife, who’d been killed by a drunk driver a year ago. It had been bad enough with his two boys away at school, but with Amy gone, too, he could barely stand to be in his house even to sleep. The bed he’d shared with his wife for twenty-two years was way too cold and lonely.

His sons were exactly where they needed to be, in college and living their lives, but he was at loose ends way more than he liked. Raylene, Carter and Carter’s younger sisters were filling a huge, gaping hole in Mitch’s life. He suspected that Raylene understood that.

He looked up when Raylene wandered into the midst of what would eventually be a new family room with soaring windows and a spectacular stonework fireplace.

“Thought I told you not to come in here without a hard hat,” he scolded pointlessly. To his everlasting dismay, she did whatever she liked. She’d been that way as far back as he could remember, though it seemed she’d gone a little crazy now that she’d recovered from her agoraphobia and was getting out of the house and around town again. Seemed to him that she’d gotten a little reckless.

“I can’t help sneaking in every chance I get,” she said, looking around, her expression filled with delight. “You’re making such incredible progress, Mitch, and it really is going to be amazing. I usually don’t like to rush the seasons, but I can hardly wait for Memorial Day to have everyone over.”

Mitch wasn’t used to people who threw parties at the drop of a hat, but he’d noticed that Raylene and her husband, Police Chief Carter Rollins, and their friends looked for any excuse to get together.

“You talking about that Sweet Magnolia crew you hang out with?” he asked. “Didn’t you have them all poking around in here right before the holidays, some kind of celebration when that bullying situation at the high school was resolved?”

“What can I say? That seems like eons ago and we’re a curious bunch. Maybe it’s time I invite them over for another sneak peek. They couldn’t really tell what was happening back then. Mostly it was a demolition mess with the new building materials piled everywhere. Just look at it now! You can already tell how fantastic it’s going to be.”

He frowned at her. “Promise me you won’t have them poking around in here until I give the word that it’s safe,” he insisted, knowing he was probably wasting his breath. “Even if my guys are off the job, there are things people can trip over or send crashing down on someone’s head. And the electrician still has some work left to do.”

She laughed. “I was just teasing you. I know how you hate people tramping all over your work site, myself included.”

“Then why do you do it? Just to annoy me?”

“Nope. I figure it’s really my work site, so I get special privileges.”

He shook his head. “Know who you sound like? Maddie Maddox. I swear that woman almost gave me a heart attack when we were doing the renovations for The Corner Spa.” He glanced at Raylene. “You knew we did those, right?”

“Of course. Maddie recommended you.”

“Well, she insisted on sitting right there, practically in the middle of the chaos, the whole time we were working. Said she had things to get done. I have no idea how she could think, much less work with all that hammering and whatnot going on. It makes me a little crazy, and I’m used to it.”

“When Maddie’s motivated, I suspect there’s not much that can deter her,” Raylene said.

“She’s a real pistol, all right,” Mitch said, a grudging note of respect in his voice. “Truth is, I thought working for the three of them—her, Helen and Dana Sue—would be a nightmare. Whoever heard of three women agreeing on anything? Boy, was I wrong! Maddie knew what she wanted, and the other two left her to it. Never before knew Helen to let someone else take charge like that.”

“They’re a great team,” Raylene agreed. “They inspire me, and they’re the best friends in the world.”

“Friends are important, all right,” Mitch said. “I should have done a better job of keeping in touch with mine. With Amy gone and the boys away, I really regret that. I don’t much like hanging out with my crew. It blurs the lines, if you know what I mean. Still, they’ve been there to back me up since Amy was killed. There are good people in this town.”

“There are,” Raylene agreed. “And it’s never too late to restore old friendships or to make new ones. I cut Annie Townsend and Sarah McDonald out of my life for way too long, but look at us now. We’re thick as thieves again. That’s one of the best things about moving back home to Serenity.” She grinned. “That and marrying Carter, of course.”

“Of course,” he said dryly, knowing perfectly well that those two couldn’t seem to keep their hands to themselves.

She gave him a sly look. “You’d be a great catch for some woman, you know.”

“Don’t go getting any ideas about matchmaking, you hear? Enough of that goes on in this town. Grace Wharton has made my social life her personal mission. I can’t walk in the door at Wharton’s without her dragging one woman or another over to meet me.”

“And not a one of them has interested you?”

“Not so far,” he declared. “Can’t see that changing, either.” Unable to keep a nostalgic note from his voice, he added, “Once a man has a woman like Amy in his life, he’s not likely to get that lucky again.”

Clearly undeterred, Raylene said, “Well, I’m just saying you’re a good-looking man. You have a few other appealing traits I’ve noticed, as well.” Grinning impudently, she gave him a thoroughly disconcerting once-over.

Mitch felt his cheeks heat at the compliment and the blatant survey. He’d been happily married every one of the twenty-two years he’d had with Amy. Before they’d met, he’d had quite a roving eye, but he could honestly say that once he’d said I do, that had been it for him. She’d been his whole world.

At forty-three now, he knew there was every chance some woman would eventually come along, but right now he wasn’t interested. The way he saw it, people grieved in their own ways, and his had been to bury himself in work even more so than he always had.

Raylene regarded him with amusement. “Okay, if I promise to stop bugging you about dating, will you stay for dinner? The girls asked for lasagna today. There’s plenty.”

Tempted as he was, Mitch asked worriedly, “What does Carter think about having me at his dinner table just about every night?”

“He thinks it means you’ll finish this addition that much faster,” she said. “Please, stay. You’re part of the family now. And you know perfectly well that I love cooking for a crowd.”

“And you know that I can’t say no to your lasagna,” he said, giving in a little too easily. “Thanks, Raylene.”

When they eventually sat down at the large dining room table, he noticed that he wasn’t the only guest. Lexie Morrow from next door seemed to be almost as much of a fixture at the table as he was. Tonight she, her brother and her mother were there.

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.”