Catching Fireflies

by Sherryl Woods

  Annie bit back a chuckle and stood up. “Come on, Mom. I’ll walk you home.”

  Dana Sue’s gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Isn’t it raining out there? Didn’t a cold front move in?”

  Annie nodded, her expression determinedly cheerful. “Isn’t that great? A brisk walk ought to fix you right up before Dad sees you looped.”

  Dana Sue looked around unhappily. “What’s that line about a thankless child? Something about it being sharper than a serpent’s tooth to have a thankless child. It’s from King Lear, I think.”

  Laura grinned at her. “Oh, sweet heaven! Not only are you right, but you’ve just given me hope that the Shakespeare lessons in my class might actually pay off years later. The kids rarely remember a thing beyond final exams now.”

  Annie rolled her eyes. “I think Mom memorized that one on the day I was born. I’ve heard it often enough over the years. Good night, all. I’ll get the weakling among us safely home.”

  The gathering broke up after that. Laura was the last to leave. Turning to Helen, she said, “I really don’t know how to thank you for everything you’re doing for Misty and for me.”

  Helen smiled. “It’s my pleasure. There’s nothing I like more than seeing the law used to achieve good for the people who deserve it.”

  “Very noble,” Laura said.

  “Okay, maybe I get a kick out of retaliating against the bad guys, too,” Helen admitted, a twinkle in her eyes. “Sue me.”

  “Not a chance. I’d never be foolish enough to go up against you in court.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow then. Let me know as soon as you hear back from Paula.”

  “Will do,” Laura promised.

  As she headed home, rather than being terrified about what the future might hold for her teaching career in Serenity, Laura felt amazingly reassured by the knowledge that there were a whole lot of very good people in her corner.

  * * *

  Paula rarely entertained. For years she’d been far too busy with her art, the traveling it entailed and the very insular life she led with her professor husband and Maddie. Only in recent years had she come to understand how isolating that had been for Maddie and how disconnected she’d felt from her own parents. Maddie’s tight bond with Helen and Dana Sue had filled the void left by her own family.

  Thankfully these days Paula not only made more time for her grandchildren, but for other women, at least the few in her generation with whom she’d made a deeper connection over the years and counted as friends.

  After her promise to Laura, she called Liz Johnson, rather than going directly to Frances. She knew Liz would tell her if her idea to involve Frances in this bullying matter was out of the question. Liz, Frances and Flo Decatur were thick as thieves. She knew that Liz and Flo were not only Frances’s support system, but her staunchest protectors.

  They’d only recently returned from a gambling excursion to Las Vegas that had been covered with outrageous reports on the local radio station. Paula couldn’t recall the last time she’d laughed so hard. Though Vegas wasn’t her style, she’d almost wished she’d been along, if only to see the three women carrying on so outlandishly. She was half surprised that Flo, at least, hadn’t come back wed by an Elvis impersonator to someone she’d met on the Vegas strip.

  Tuesday, on her third attempt, Liz answered her call, reacting with surprise to the sound of her voice. “What’s this? You emerged from isolation on a Tuesday? I never hear from you before Thursday, and then you only call to verify if I’m bringing cookies over that morning so you’ll have them for that sweet granddaughter of yours.”

  “This time I’m on another mission entirely,” Paula admitted. “I need some help.” She described the situation, satisfied by Liz’s increasingly indignant gasps. “Do you think Frances would be up to saying a few words? I didn’t want to ask if it would be too much for her.”

  “Her memory medicine has been helping,” Liz said. “Most of the time you’d never know she has a cognitive disorder. And if I know nothing else, Frances will be as livid about this as I am. You can count both of us in for whatever you need. Flo, too. She likes stirring things up. I wish I still had her energy, in fact. Maybe we can assign her to rally all the seniors in town.”

  “Would the three of you be able to stop by here tomorrow afternoon?”

  “Let me make a couple of calls and I’ll get back to you. None of us have packed social calendars these days, so it should be fine. About four o’clock?”

  “Perfect. That’ll give me time to get in touch with Laura and figure out exactly what’s needed and to sneak over to Sullivan’s and try to talk Erik into selling me some thoroughly decadent cake. I seem to recall you love coconut with lemon filling. Shall I see if he can whip one up for you?”

  “Just thinking about it makes my mouth water, though no one ever made one quite as good as my mother’s, rest her soul,” Liz said. “I’ll make those calls. Unless you hear from me otherwise, you’ll see the three of us tomorrow at four.”

  “Thanks, Liz.”

  “Don’t thank me. There’s nothing like a good cause to make me think I’m young again. See you later.”

  Paula hung up, satisfied. And then she picked the phone right back up and used her powers of persuasion to get that cake for Liz. Luckily, Erik was the kind of chef who responded readily to a challenge. At the mention that no one’s coconut cake had ever lived up to Liz’s mother’s, he was all over it.

  “Give me till the end of the day,” he told Paula. “I was looking for something new to put on tomorrow’s menu as the dessert special. This will be just the thing.”

  “You’re a good man. What do I owe you?”

  “Just tell my wife what a saint I am,” he said.

  “I doubt she needs reminding. Helen was always a smart woman.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, but a man can always use extra brownie points.”

  “Then I’ll be sure to pass the word along,” Paula promised, shaking her head as she hung up. Aside from her closeness with her grandchildren these days, what she enjoyed most was seeing the unmistakable love between her daughter, Maddie’s friends and their respective husbands. Though her own marriage had been solid and exactly right for her, there was something about the open affection among the younger couples that filled her heart with joy.

  * * *

  After playing basketball with the guys and working out their own strategy for helping Laura and Betty fight Mariah’s wrath, J.C. went home, showered, pulled on a pair of sweatpants and sat down to call Laura.

  “You doing okay?” he asked the minute she answered. “I hear it’s been a tough day.”

  “You’ve heard about Mariah and her campaign against me,” she concluded.

  “The whole thing’s ridiculous,” J.C. said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Even an annoying gnat can make life miserable,” she countered. “And something tells me Mariah’s a whole lot nastier than an itty-bitty gnat. When I got involved in helping Misty, I didn’t expect to wind up the center of attention. Not that it would have stopped me, of course.”

  He frowned at her oddly resigned tone. “You’re not really worried, are you? Because I know the guys have your back, and I thought their wives—those Sweet Magnolia women—were crusading for you, too. Weren’t you with them tonight?”

  “I was, and they’re being really, really great. We decided to hold an anti-bullying rally a week from Saturday. Travis’s radio station will broadcast it live from the town square.”

  “That’s great,” he said, loving the idea. “Awareness is the key to changing the way these kids behave.”

  “I hope you’ll be that enthusiastic when I tell you that I volunteered you to be one of the speakers.”

  For an instant J.C. fell silent.

  “That’s okay, isn’t it?” she asked worriedly. “I know how much you care about this, so I thought you’d want to do it.”

  “Of course I do,” he said, wondering if he’d be able to t
ell the very personal story about why this issue meant so much to him. He knew it was exactly the message that the crowd needed to hear. Maybe he could finally turn what had been a Fullerton family tragedy into something that led to a positive change that might affect the lives of other young people.

  “Then why the hesitation?” Laura asked, snapping him back to the present. “Is it because I overstepped?”

  He heard the uncertainty in her voice and knew that he was responsible for making her wonder if she had the right to any claim to him or his time.

  “You can volunteer me for anything,” he assured her. “We’re a couple. If you need me, I’m there.”

  Now it was her turn to fall silent. “We’re a couple?” she said eventually.

  “Did you think we weren’t? I thought the other night sealed that deal.”

  “But you’re so…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Cautious?” he said. “No question about it, but since I met you, I’ve been feeling a little reckless.”

  She chuckled. “Reckless, huh?”

  “Yep. How about you?”

  “I was feeling pretty daring myself,” she admitted. “At least until I found out tonight that you were spotted at my place.”

  “Is that such a big deal?”

  “It is when your car was also spotted in the exact same spot this morning,” she said. “Let’s just say I had some explaining to do.”

  “How is that anyone’s business?” he asked, perplexed.

  Laura laughed. “You are not that new to Serenity. In this town, gossip is everyone’s business, though I gather the Sweet Magnolias are pleased to have trumped Grace just this once.”

  “Does it bother you?” he asked, worried that she’d fear potential damage to her reputation over what might be nothing more than a casual fling, not that either of them had defined their relationship that way.

  “A little,” she conceded. “But I have to admit there’s a part of me that is very happy to finally have a social life worth talking about.”

  J.C. caught the teasing note in her voice and chuckled with her. “Yeah, that’s a new one to me, too. It’s not half as bad as I expected it to be.”

  “Just one thing, though, J.C.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m always going to be more concerned about what you’re thinking than I am about what people are saying.”

  He considered that and thought he heard a faint need for reassurance behind the softly spoken words. “What I’m thinking is that we should continue this conversation in person. Is it too late for me to come over?”

  “I think it’s the best idea you’ve had since you called,” she said without even the slightest hesitation.

  “Then I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “Great. And, J.C.?”

  “Yes.”

  “Bring your toothbrush and clothes for work.”

  “And that’s the best idea you’ve had since I called.”

  He had no idea yet where this was going, but getting there was certainly turning out to be an unexpected delight.

  17

  A week after everything broke at school, Misty stood in the doorway of the kitchen, openmouthed with surprise at the sight of her mother standing at the stove fixing breakfast. It was the first time she’d been up and dressed and looking like her old self in weeks, much less cooking a real meal.

  “Pancakes?” Misty said, sniffing the air appreciatively.

  “With warm maple syrup, just the way you and Jake like them,” her mother confirmed. “Is he up yet? I thought I heard his shower running. You two need to be out the door for school shortly.”

  “Jake’s up,” Misty said. She hesitated, then added, “I was gonna ask you, though, if I could stay home today.”

  Her mother turned away from the stove and studied Misty with a concerned expression. “You feeling okay?”

  Misty shrugged.

  Diana’s face softened with understanding. “You’re afraid of what the talk’s going to be like at school today,” she guessed, then shook her head, her expression filled with regret. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you stay home. It’s going to be all the harder to go back now, isn’t it?”

  “Well, duh!” Misty said with feeling. “By now Annabelle’s had time to call all her friends and get them on her side. I’ll be, like, some kind of pariah.” She gave her mother a pleading look. “I know Annabelle getting suspended was supposed to fix things and send, like, this huge message, but come on, Mom. It’s bound to be worse than ever. Please let me stay home, just one more day. I’ll go tomorrow.”

  “Sweetheart, it won’t be any easier tomorrow. It’s always better to face your fears sooner rather than later. Look what happened to me. I refused to admit to myself that your father was going to leave me no matter what I did to try to hold on. I made all of you miserable for weeks, rather than facing the reality and figuring out how to deal with it.”

  “It’s not even close to the same thing,” Misty insisted. “Everyone doesn’t hate you.”

  “And no one hates you, either. Annabelle was obviously jealous, and she won’t be in school, anyway. And Betty Donovan and Laura Reed are not going to let another student bully you,” Diana said with confidence.

  Misty rolled her eyes. “Come on. They may be motivated to protect me, but they have their own problems now with Mrs. Litchfield spreading all sorts of rumors about them and threatening to get them fired.”

  “You’re their top priority,” her mother said firmly, setting pancakes in front of Misty along with the pitcher of warm syrup. “I truly believe that.”

  “But they can’t be everywhere at once to protect me. Please, Mom, let me stay home. I’ll bet you could get Dr. Fullerton to give me a note.”

  “I’m very grateful to him for how he’s handled all this, but I don’t think asking him for a note when you’re perfectly fine is a good idea. It didn’t work very well last time you tried it, did it?”

  “Yeah, but he knows more now and he really gets what’s going on at school. Seriously, Mom, way more than you know.”

  “I’m glad you have his support, but here’s how I see it. Your job is to go to school, make good grades and get into your dream college. You can’t let this situation ruin that for you. If you do, you’ll regret it.” She held Misty’s gaze. “Do you want a girl like Annabelle to have that much power over your future?”

  When she looked at it that way, Misty shook her head. “No,” she conceded reluctantly.

  “Then going back to school and facing everyone is your only option. I know you’re strong enough to do that. You’ve shown me just how strong you are by dealing with so much on your own.”

  Misty felt a tiny hint of satisfaction at her mother’s praise. “You really think I’m strong?”

  Her mom smiled. “The strongest girl I know. Would you like me to drive you to school today?”

  Misty regarded her with horror. “And let everyone think I’ve turned into this huge baby? No way. You just said I’m strong, so how would that look? If you’re sure I can’t stay home, I’ll walk like always.”

  “I’m sure,” Diana said firmly. She gave Misty a stern look. “And don’t get any ideas about taking a detour that might take, say, six or seven hours to get you there. Ms. Reed and Ms. Donovan know they’re to call me immediately if you’re not in class. We were in touch about my decision to let you stay home. They know that ends today.”

  Misty regarded her mother with a weird mix of approval and disappointment. “I’m really glad you’re getting your act back together, Mom, but you picked a really sucky time to do it.”

  At the sound of her mom’s laugh, Misty grinned, too. Maybe things would be back to normal soon for all of them.

  She poked at the pancakes on her plate, which were suddenly tasteless. “Mom,” she asked hesitantly, “are you and Dad okay?”

  “If you mean are we finally communicating without me wanting to rip his heart out, yes,” Diana said in a resigne
d tone. “But, sweetheart, the breakup of a marriage is tough on everyone, even your dad. It’ll take a while for all of us to figure out how this new arrangement is supposed to work. The one thing that should never be in doubt is that your dad loves you and Jake to pieces. He’s behind you a hundred percent. If you need him, all you have to do is give him a call.”

  “I just don’t want you to feel bad if I do,” Misty told her.

  “The divorce is between me and your dad, not you and your dad. You are never to feel bad about loving him or needing him, okay?” she said, pausing to give Misty a hug, then murmuring half to herself. “We’re going to be fine. All of us are going to be just fine.”

  Misty was almost ready to believe it.

  * * *

  As it turned out, the get-together Paula had planned with her friends had been delayed until Monday. She set Erik’s coconut cake masterpiece—a freshly baked one he’d made just this morning to replace the one she’d had to cancel—in the middle of her dining room table, along with a bowl of fresh fruit and her best teacups. She’d had to wash those to get off the dust that had accumulated in the years since she’d last used them.

  The collectible chintz cups had always made her smile with their cheery, if mismatched, floral designs. Because of Paula’s botanical artwork, Maddie had bought her the first one. She’d found it at a garage sale when she was maybe eight. Each year after that first successful gift, given so tentatively, she’d searched and found a different one for Paula’s birthday until there were a dozen or more in the cupboard. Now they were among Paula’s greatest treasures.

  She wasn’t sure what to expect when Liz, Flo and Frances arrived, but she was happily surprised to see Frances looking both strong and suitably indignant.

  “The minute Liz told me about your call, I was eager to do whatever I can,” Frances told her. “That poor child,” she murmured with a shake of her head. “And for it to be someone with all of Annabelle’s advantages who’s been tormenting her…” She sighed. “I just don’t understand young people these days.”

  “There was always bullying,” Liz reminded them. “Back in my day a lot of it came from racial prejudice, but these days with that internet readily available for whatever slur someone happens to think of, well, that’s new and downright dangerous, if you ask me. It gives people with all sorts of crazy ideas a platform to spew them out there for everyone to see. No one bothers to separate fact from fiction.”