“Money’s not an issue,” Sarah assured her. “I just don’t have time to waste.”
Again, there was a note of hysteria that set off alarm bells.
“We can talk about why that is, too,” Annie told her, leading the way into the spa’s small café, which sold a variety of drinks, smoothies, salads and pastries. The food was supplied by Sullivan’s.
Annie ordered two iced teas, then ushered Sarah out to the patio, choosing a table in the shade of an old oak tree. Two other tables were occupied, but they had relative privacy to talk. “So, you’re obviously married now, since I didn’t recognize the last name when you made the appointment.”
“For the moment,” Sarah said, her expression grim. “Walter says if I don’t get a grip on my weight, he’s through with me.”
Annie stared at her with shock. “Your husband threatened to leave you if you don’t lose weight?”
Sarah nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. “He meant it, too. He’s already seen a lawyer. To tell you the truth, I think he’s been looking for an excuse, and I handed it to him when I gained weight during my pregnancies with our two kids. I kept an extra twenty pounds after each of them.”
Annie was startled. “You have two kids already? When did you get married?”
“The week after we graduated. I was already pregnant with our first. That’s Tommy. That’s why you didn’t get a wedding invitation—his family thought it would be best if we didn’t make a fuss. We had a very small ceremony.”
Annie felt awful for her. She remembered how they used to talk about their weddings. Of all of them—even including Raylene’s social ambitions—Sarah’s dream had been the most lavish.
“You’d hardly be the first bride to be pregnant when she walked down the aisle,” she said, indignant for Sarah.
“Not in their town,” Sarah said. “At least that’s what you’d think to hear them tell it. Me, I think the whole place is a hotbed of people sleeping with anyone they can get their hands on. The Prices think they own the whole stupid town, which I suppose they do, if you consider they own the cotton mill that keeps a lot of folks employed.” She waved her hand. “Never mind. I don’t want to talk about them. They’re hateful people.”
“Have you moved back here, then?”
“I’m staying at Mama and Daddy’s place for a few months, while I ‘get a grip,’ as Walter says. It’s akin to hiding me in a closet. Thank heaven, Mama and Daddy had the foresight to see something like this coming and kept the house just in case I ever needed a place to come home to.”
“And your kids?”
“Tommy and Libby are here with me, at least for now. If Walter really does divorce me, it’s going to get ugly. He’s going to fight to keep Tommy with him.”
Annie regarded her with shock, certain she’d misunderstood. “Only your son?”
“Have to have an heir, don’t you know,” Sarah said angrily. “The family barely acknowledges that Libby exists. Seems my second pregnancy was a worse embarrassment than the first, coming so quickly on the heels of Tommy’s birth.” She leaned close and confided in an exaggerated undertone, “It suggests we had s-e-x.”
Annie had contained herself as long as she could. “Somebody needs to tell Walter what he can do to himself. I recommend Helen.”
For the first time, Sarah’s smile appeared genuine. “I was hoping you’d say that. I want to get fit, but I’m doing it for me, not Walter, no matter what he thinks. Then I intend to hire a lawyer like Helen, stand up for myself and teach him a thing or two,” she said with more spirit. “I can’t do that when I feel like such a failure.”
“You’re not a failure. And if you’re as determined as it sounds, you’ll be back in shape in no time. I’ll see to it,” Annie promised.
Sarah leaned forward. “So, how do we start?”
“Any health problems I should know about? You’ve seen a doctor?”
“The only thing wrong with me is the extra weight I’m carrying.”
“Have you been doing any exercise at all?”
“Nothing beyond chasing a couple of kids night and day. Does that count?”
“It’s definitely a start,” Annie told her, thinking of how worn-out her dad had been after his brief babysitting stint.
“What’s next, then?” Sarah asked eagerly, her expression more animated than it had been since she’d first hugged Annie.
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” Annie told her, “literally. Let’s get inside and get you on the treadmill.”
At the doorway, Sarah paused and gave her an impish grin. “Who ever thought things would turn out like this? Me having an eating problem and you being the one who’s going to help me conquer it. Talk about the tables being turned.”
“I know,” Annie said. “But you know the best part? Every time you have the slightest doubt, all you have to do is look at me and remember the mess I was. That’s all the proof you’ll need that anything is possible.”
Sarah pulled her into an embrace. “It is so good to see you, Annie. I’ve missed you. I’ve missed having a friend who knows all my secrets going clear back to preschool.”
Ironically it was having Sarah know her secrets that had made Annie want to forget the old friendship, but right this second she regretted having let it slip away.
“Do you ever hear from Raylene?” she asked Sarah. The three of them had once been as inseparable as the Sweet Magnolias.
“You mean the hoity-toity princess?” Sarah said with a chuckle. “Not so much. She sends out fancy Christmas cards and even scrawls a note on them about how fabulous her life is, but we haven’t talked in years. You?”
“I ran into her a couple of times in Charleston, but we definitely weren’t traveling in the same social circles. I had some business contact with her husband, who seemed like an okay guy.”
“Was he gorgeous?” Sarah asked.
“Ordinary, actually, but he had a terrific sense of humor.”
“And he’s rich, of course, and has that pedigree her family wanted,” Sarah assessed. She grinned. “I’ve missed this so much, Annie. When I heard you were back in town, it made the prospect of being banished here a whole lot easier.”
To her surprise, Annie realized she understood just what Sarah meant. It was as if a piece of herself had just clicked back into place this morning. “I know, sweetie. I know just what you mean.”
For the first time in her life, she understood why her mom, Maddie and Helen had stayed so close over all these years. Friends like these, who stuck together through thick and thin, were worth their weight in gold. It was about time she appreciated that for the blessing it was.
5
It had been nearly a year since Helen had seen her mother, and she was shocked by the changes. Flo Decatur looked old and frail, asleep in her hospital bed, her complexion ashen, her gray hair badly in need of a perm. She was only seventy-two, but years of hard work and smoking had clearly taken a toll.
She moaned softly, then opened her eyes. Her expression brightened when she saw Helen.
“You came,” she said in a way that suggested she hadn’t believed Helen would take the time.
“Of course I came,” Helen said briskly, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek. “I had to see for myself just how much trouble you’ve gotten yourself into. How did it happen, Mom? How’d you break your hip?”
“Believe it or not, I was taking a class in line dancing at the community center,” Flo said, then added wryly, “I thought it would be good exercise. At my age you’ll try anything to keep your parts working.” She patted her hip. “I guess this one was already shot.”
Helen smiled at the image of her mother taking any kind of dance class, much less one involving country music. She’d always claimed to hate all those love-gone-wrong songs. She said she’d lived it, and it wasn’t worth glorifying. She’d also always had two left feet, or so she’d said. It appeared she might have been right.
“So, what happened?”
&
nbsp; “Tripped over my own feet, if you must know,” Flo said, her expression chagrined at the admission of clumsiness. “Down I went. Took two other people with me.”
“Were they hurt, too?”
“Nope. They both had a few extra pounds on them. They bounced,” she joked, then coughed so hard, Helen handed her a cup of water. When she’d taken a sip, Flo regarded Helen intently. “Did they tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“I can’t go back to my apartment.”
She didn’t sound as dismayed by that as Helen had expected. Still, Helen sought to reassure her. “The nurse mentioned you’d need some rehab, then maybe some help at home. Don’t worry about that. We’ll work it out, Mom. The nurse has already suggested a couple of places, and I’ll talk to the social worker and get some more recommendations. I’ll make sure you’re set up someplace really nice.”
Flo was shaking her head before the words were out of Helen’s mouth. “I’m not going into a nursing home,” she said flatly. “That’ll be the beginning of the end, and you know it.”
“I didn’t say anything about a nursing home,” Helen argued. “I’m sure there are some great rehabilitation centers around, places dedicated to getting you back on your feet and back home. The minute they say it’s okay for you to be back in your condo, I’ll arrange for someone to come in and help you.”
Her mother’s jaw set. “No.”
“Well, what then?” Helen asked, trying to hang on to her patience. “You can’t go directly back to your place. There’s no way you can manage on your own right now. The doctors won’t allow it, anyway.”
Her mother’s gaze locked with hers. “I want to come home with you.”
Helen regarded Flo with alarm. That was out of the question. They’d kill each other in a week. Besides, she was barely coping with a husband, a toddler and a nanny in the house. Adding her mother to the mix simply couldn’t happen, not when she was finally getting back some real balance between family and career. Just the thought of it made her palms sweat.
And yet, if this was what Flo really wanted, did she have a choice?
“Wouldn’t you be happier right here? You have friends here,” Helen said, a desperate note in her voice. “I’m sure they’re all anxious to have you back on your feet.”
“I have friends here, but I have family in Serenity,” her mother declared, her gaze not wavering, her tone stubborn.
Her argument mirrored so closely what Jeanette had said that it gave Helen pause. “Why?” she asked, bewildered by the sudden change in attitude from the time when Flo had been eager to leave Serenity.
“I want to spend some time with my granddaughter,” Flo said, her expression wistful. “She’s growing up so fast, and I’m missing it.”
“That doesn’t solve the problem of rehab, Mom. Maybe once you’re back on your feet, you could come for a visit.”
Her mother shook her head. “I want to come home permanently.” She frowned at Helen. “Oh, don’t look at me as if I’ve invited myself to stay with you forever. As soon as I’m back on my feet, I’ll get my own place.”
Helen was still bewildered by her mother’s determination. “I thought you loved your apartment here,” she said. Helen had spent a fortune buying and furnishing the place for her mother, trying to make her golden years easier than the early years of her life had been. Helen had spared no expense, either with the location or the furnishings. Her monthly checks to help out with expenses were generous, as well.
“It’s a lovely apartment and I appreciate you wanting me to have it, but I miss home, Helen. This accident was the final straw. If it had happened in Serenity, you wouldn’t have had to disrupt your life to fly all the way down here. I’ve made up my mind—I’m coming home. If you don’t want me underfoot at your place or you don’t have the room, then find a rehab facility up there. What was that one place called? Sunset Manor?”
Helen stared at her in horror. “Mom, you can’t go there, even temporarily. That place was a dump ten years ago when we visited your coworker there.”
“Surely by now there’s another alternative,” Flo said. There was no mistaking the intractable note in her voice or the determined glint in her eyes.
“I’ll have to discuss this with Erik,” Helen said, more to buy time than out of any conviction that he’d say no. In fact, he’d seemed to get along with her mother better than she did on the few occasions when they’d met.
“Of course,” her mother said, sounding meek now that she was well on her way to victory.
“And it would just be until you’re back on your feet and we’ve found you your own place.” Helen wanted to be very sure they were on the same page about that.
“Absolutely.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t sell your condo just yet, though. You could change your mind.”
“Sell it,” her mother said emphatically. “In fact, hand me my purse. It’s in that cabinet.”
Helen retrieved it for her. Her mother reached inside and whipped out a business card.
“Here’s the Realtor I’ve been talking to. Call her. Tell her to get the ball rolling.”
Helen regarded her with dismay. “You were already planning to sell and move home? Without even discussing it with me?”
“I knew you’d try to talk me out of it,” her mother replied succinctly. Her expression brightened and even her color improved. “Now you can see how it’s all working out for the best.”
Helen merely stared at her. If the idea hadn’t been so completely crazy, she might actually wonder if her mother weren’t happy about her broken hip. The next thing she knew Flo would be calling it a blessing in disguise.
Resigned, she sighed. “I guess I’d better start making calls. I’ll be back a little later.”
“Take your time,” Flo said cheerily. “I’m not going anywhere, at least not until you take me.”
Outside her mother’s room, Helen leaned against the wall and drew in several deep, calming breaths. She, the barracuda attorney, the master negotiator, had just been outmaneuvered by a wisp of a woman who couldn’t even get out of bed.
As Helen had anticipated, when she called home later that day, Erik was no help at all. If he’d voiced even one objection, she could have seized on it and told her mother no, then gone on a hunt for a rehab facility even if it turned out to be miles and miles from Serenity. In fact, Charleston would have been ideal.
Instead, Erik thought it was a great idea to have Flo living with them for a while. “It’ll be wonderful for our daughter to get to spend some real quality time with her grandmother. Extended family is important for kids.”
“Why don’t we just have your family move in, too?” Helen grumbled under her breath.
Erik chuckled. “Careful what you wish for,” he warned. “You’ll start giving me ideas.”
“Erik, you have no idea what Flo is like. She’s disorganized and unreliable.”
“All I know is that she raised an amazing daughter all on her own, so she can’t be all bad. Besides, she raves about my cooking.”
“How much adulation can you possibly need?” Helen inquired testily. “Your cooking gets rave reviews in magazines and newspapers all over the state. Why on earth do you need to bask in a few words of praise from my mother?”
Erik hesitated, then said, “Look, if you really don’t want to do this, why don’t you find a good facility for her.”
“Thank you!”
“Hold on,” he said. “Let me finish. You can do that, but it seems ridiculous to spend that kind of money when we have room for her here, and this is where she wants to be. It’s not going to be forever.”
Helen tried another approach. “She’ll need help, Erik. I can’t stay home from work now when I’m just getting back on track with my law practice.”
“We’ll hire a caregiver, a physical therapist, whatever she needs. I’ll make some calls today, get some people lined up.”
“What about moving her back to Serenity? I ca
n’t spend days down here packing up her apartment.”
“It’s not likely to sell overnight, and she won’t need her furniture until we’ve found her a house or apartment here. Leave everything there. When the time comes, we’ll get movers to do the packing. I’ll even go down to supervise. You won’t have to lift a finger.”
“You have an answer for everything,” she groused.
“The same answers you would have if you weren’t so resistant to this whole idea.”
“Well, when our house is chaotic, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she said.
“Nope, I definitely won’t be able to say that,” he replied so cheerfully Helen wanted to throttle him. “I love you. Talk to you later.”
“Hold it,” she commanded before he could hang up. “How am I supposed to get her up there? I doubt she’s able to maneuver well enough to fly.”
“Rent a car and let her rest in the backseat while you drive.”
The thought of listening to Flo criticize her driving for hours on end set Helen’s teeth on edge, but it was a reasonable alternative.
“Okay, fine,” she said glumly. “I’ll see you tomorrow night unless I deliberately drive off the road and drown us both in a swamp en route.”
“You won’t do that,” Erik said confidently.
“Don’t be too sure. She can get on my last nerve faster than a flea can pester a dog.”
“You have me and our baby girl to get home to,” he reminded her. “Put our picture up on the visor and glance at it whenever you’re trying to recall why you need to live.”
She smiled despite her sour mood. “That ought to do it,” she conceded. “I do love you, you know.”
“I know.”
“Even if you are a pain.”
“I prefer to think of myself as sane and reasonable.”
“And I’m not?”
“No comment, Counselor. See you tomorrow. Let me know what you need me to do on this end.”
Helen sighed and hung up. Obviously this move of her mother’s was going to happen whether she liked it or not. She might as well get with the program and make the best of it.
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