Where Azaleas Bloom

by Sherryl Woods

  “Of course not,” Mitch said. “It’s not as if we’re running around flaunting some big romance. We’ve been out once with the kids, that’s it.”

  Terry’s deep laugh rumbled in his chest. “Yeah, that dinner at Rosalina’s hit the grapevine before the two of you got your sodas.” He looked directly into Mitch’s eyes. “Word of advice from a man who’s lived his life in this town?”

  Mitch nodded reluctantly.

  “It’s not what you do in plain view that’s gonna get you into trouble.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Your truck in her driveway late at night or early in the morning. That’s going to stir talk, the kind you don’t want. Park right here at Raylene’s. She won’t care and you’ve got a legitimate reason for being here.”

  As much as it annoyed Mitch to be told he needed to be sneaking in and out of Lynn’s, especially when he’d barely stolen so much as a kiss, he could see Terry’s point.

  “Will do,” he said. “Thanks.”

  Terry nodded toward Jeremy. “Take your helper there on home. I’ll finish up in here.”

  “Thanks, again,” Mitch said. “I’ll do that.”

  And he resolved that when he came back for dinner at Lynn’s tonight, he’d walk.

  * * *

  Lynn listened to Jeremy’s report on his afternoon helping out on the construction site with a mix of delight and annoyance. She loved seeing her son so excited, but hadn’t she made herself clear to Mitch what he was and wasn’t allowed to do?

  The minute Mitch returned from his quick trip home to shower and change, she frowned at him. “A miter saw? You let my ten-year-old use a miter saw?”

  Jeremy winced. “Sorry I blabbed,” he whispered to Mitch, then scampered from the kitchen to the safety of the back deck.

  “Did he mention that Terry was right there with him?”

  “You mean the same Terry who lost the tip of his finger on the job a couple of years ago?” she said wryly.

  Mitch had forgotten all about that. “He’s the one,” he confirmed. “Taught him a valuable lesson, so he’s extra careful now.”

  “I’m not quite ready for Jeremy to be learning those kind of valuable lessons,” she said, standing in front of him, hands on hips.

  Before she guessed his intentions, Mitch leaned in and kissed her. She thought she heard him murmur, “God, you’re cute,” just before his lips settled on hers.

  He never once touched her beyond the contact of their lips, but the kiss took her breath away just the same. She sighed when he eventually pulled away.

  “You are not going to win an argument by kissing me,” she told him when he stepped back. Needing to cool off, she took a minute to stick her head in the fridge as she grabbed the lemonade she’d made earlier. When she emerged, he was smiling.

  “Were we arguing?” he inquired innocently. “I thought you were ranting a little and I was just listening.”

  She blinked at that, then sputtered, “Now that’s just plain old condescending, Mitch Franklin. I was trying to get through to you that I need to know my son is going to be safe over there or I’ll have to keep him at home.”

  His expression sobered at once. “Jeremy will always be safe with me,” he said quietly. “He’s your son, Lynn. I’d never put him at risk.”

  “Then we’re clear?”

  “We’re clear.”

  “No more saws,” she said flatly. “I told you that the other night. It’s one thing for Jeremy to ignore my rules. It’s entirely another for you to do it.”

  “To his credit, Jeremy reminded me of the rules.”

  She seemed surprised by that. “He did?”

  “Yep, first thing out of his mouth.”

  “Then what were you thinking?”

  “That when a kid shows a real interest in something, that interest should be encouraged, as long as it can be done safely and with strict supervision.”

  “So you’d let him jump out of a plane, if he sounded excited about it?” she inquired, trying to determine just how far that philosophy of his might go.

  “With the right equipment and a certified instructor, who knows? Maybe.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “Okay, he’s probably a little young to be jumping out of planes,” Mitch conceded. “But can’t you see my point? Kids shouldn’t be discouraged from trying new things, as long as their safety’s not at risk. Once adults put a damper on a kid’s enthusiasm for things and set too many limits for them, it’s death to their imaginations.”

  Lynn sighed. She could see that Mitch was probably the ideal father for boys, one who’d give them the freedom to test their limits. She wondered if that same freedom would extend to girls.

  “Did you ever wish you had a daughter?” she asked as she handed him a glass of icy lemonade, then took a sip of her own.

  He seemed startled by the question. “Sure, but we decided two kids were plenty. Is there some reason you’re asking?”

  “Just wondering how you’d react if your fourteen-year-old daughter expressed a genuine interest in, say, going to a boy-girl party.”

  He frowned. “Would the parents be there? Do I know them? How late?”

  She chuckled. “There you go. I knew I could find something that would freak you out the same way the thought of that saw freaks me out.”

  Mitch chuckled. “Okay, you got me. I live by a double standard. I’m an old-fashioned guy who still believes in protecting the women he cares about, no matter what age they might be.” Suddenly his expression sobered. “Which brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Can it wait till we’ve eaten?” she asked, pulling a platter of steaks from the refrigerator. “These should probably go on the grill now.”

  He hesitated, then nodded. “I’m on it.” He took the platter and went outside.

  Lexie came into the kitchen just as he left, smiling. “He’s here a lot. I think Mandy’s right. He has the hots for you.”

  “You and Mandy talk too much,” Lynn said. “Take the salad outside.”

  Lexie accepted the bowl and the dressing. “Won’t change what I know,” she said, though she dutifully did as she’d been told.

  When Lynn started to go outside a few minutes later with the foil-wrapped baked potatoes that she’d precooked in the oven, Jeremy was helping Mitch with the steaks and Lexie was entertaining him with a story about something that had happened in her French class. One of the other students had suddenly started speaking Spanish, momentarily confusing everyone, including the teacher.

  “Mrs. Riley looked as if she ought to understand what Melinda was saying, but she didn’t have a clue,” Lexie said. “Then it finally dawned on her that Melinda’s bilingual in Spanish and had just slipped up.”

  Lynn stood just inside and smiled at the sound of Mitch’s laughter swirling in the air with her son’s and daughter’s. She hadn’t heard such happy sounds around here in a long time.

  “How are those steaks coming along?” she called out as she joined them.

  “If anyone wants them rare, they’re done,” Mitch said.

  “Medium,” Lynn declared.

  “Mine, too,” Lexie added.

  Jeremy looked to Mitch, who’d already taken his off the flames and set it on the platter. “Rare, like Mitch’s!” he chimed in.

  Mitch smiled down at him. “You sure about that, buddy?”

  “That’s what you’re having, right?” Jeremy asked.

/>   “I sure am.”

  “Then it’s the way I want mine,” her son insisted.

  As touched as she was by the scene, Lynn couldn’t help worrying that her son was rapidly developing a case of hero worship. But looking at the smile on his face and the adoration in his eyes, somehow she couldn’t make herself regret bringing Mitch into their lives.

  * * *

  After dinner, Lexie and Jeremy cleaned up, leaving Mitch alone on the deck with Lynn. He couldn’t recall when he’d had a nicer evening, he thought as the sun disappeared below the horizon. He’d known all night, though, that something was on Lynn’s mind. He had his own concerns to share, as well. It wasn’t a conversation he was much looking forward to.

  “You first,” he suggested eventually.

  She gave him a startled look, as if she’d forgotten that she’d told him earlier that she wanted to discuss something with him.

  “Is this about Ed’s visit this morning?” he prompted.

  She sighed. “Yes. To be honest, for a little while tonight, I’d pushed that completely out of my head.”

  “How worked up was he when he left here? I tried to keep an ear out in case things got too heated.”

  “Oh, he didn’t yell, but he did try to make something out of your being here.”

  “Is that why Helen came rushing over right after he left?” he asked, knowing that he was giving away his attentiveness to everything going on in her life.

  She lifted a brow at the revelation, then nodded. “You saw that?”

  “Hard to miss when she squealed into the driveway like she was making a turn on the track at Daytona.”

  “She overreacted just a little when I called her,” Lynn said.

  Mitch frowned. “Since when does Helen overreact? Exactly how badly did Ed upset you?”

  “He didn’t. I mean I’m not worried for me. It’s you I’m concerned about. I’m afraid he might try to drag you into the middle of our problems. You don’t deserve to get caught up in my drama.”

  “There’s nothing Ed can do to me,” Mitch assured her.

  She gave him a world-weary look. “If you believe that, then you don’t know him very well.”

  “I know enough,” Mitch insisted.

  “He can make your life uncomfortable in a lot of different ways,” Lynn countered. “It’s an easy thing to spread gossip in this town. You know that, Mitch. I don’t want your reputation hurt because he’s looking to make trouble for you.”

  Mitch stood up, then hunkered down in front of her, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Lynn, you do know we haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “I know that.”

  “And I like spending time with you. I think you feel the same way.”

  “I do, but—”

  “No buts,” he said flatly. He thought then of Terry’s earlier warning. “Unless you’d rather I stay away. Is that what you want? Will it make it easier for you if people aren’t talking and keeping Ed all stirred up?”

  She looked away. “Maybe,” she conceded, but then her gaze met his. “But that’s not what I want, Mitch. I enjoy spending time with you. It’s been…” She looked as if she were searching for the right word. “Restful, I guess, though that may not sound terribly flattering. Until the past couple of weeks, I’d forgotten what it was like not to be tense and on edge all the time. I’d come close to forgetting how to laugh. So had the kids.”

  He nodded, pleased, even though she hadn’t mentioned the sparks that kept him up nights. “Good to know,” he said. “Then here’s what I’m thinking. We’ll get together when we want to, but we won’t go parading around town. I don’t like the idea of hiding out, but for now, maybe it’s for the best. The last thing I want is for Ed to have some kind of ammunition he thinks he can use against you.” He paused, then said, “Or would you rather take a break? You’re in charge here, Lynnie. Whatever you need, we’ll make it work.”

  She suddenly blinked back tears. “You’re so blasted considerate.”

  He smiled, even though her tears were almost the undoing of him. “And that’s a bad thing?”

  “No, it just makes me wonder all the more why I didn’t choose you all those years ago.”

  “I’d like to think that’s only because I took myself out of the running way back when I was thirteen. Who knows what might have happened if I’d been brave enough to stand my ground.” He grinned. “My bad.”

  “Or maybe the timing now is exactly right,” she said.

  He smiled at the hint of wistfulness in her voice. “Maybe so.”

  He, for one, could hardly wait to find out.

  * * *

  Flo felt as if she’d been holding her breath for the entire two hours she and Donnie had been sitting in Rosalina’s with Helen and Erik. Erik and Donnie had done their best to keep the conversation flowing, but Helen looked as if she’d been sucking on lemons.

  “Helen, did you know Donnie has just about every episode of Law and Order on tape?” Flo asked, hoping to spark a common interest between the two.

  “Really?” Helen said, though without much enthusiasm.

  “I’m a big fan of Sam Waterston,” Donnie said. “I started watching the series from day one. It seems real authentic to me.”

  “Helen thinks so, too, don’t you?” Flo said, giving her daughter a sharp look that commanded that she at least try.

  “Actually it is one of the best legal shows I’ve seen,” Helen said. She hesitated, then asked, “Are you and my mother serious about each other?”

  “Helen!” Flo protested, even as Erik nudged his wife and gave her a warning look.

  “What?” Helen demanded. “It’s a reasonable question.”

  “It is,” Donnie said, not showing any hint that he was losing his composure. “I’ve had more fun since I started seeing your mother than I’d had since I lost my wife. I’m one of those people who believes you can’t have enough laughter in your life.” He held Helen’s gaze. “Your mother keeps me laughing. She has something to say about just about everything and it usually strikes a chord with me.” He winked at Flo. “Not that we don’t disagree about a few things.”

  “Such as?” Helen asked, seizing on that.

  “Whether or not we should get married,” Donnie said with annoying candor.

  “Donald Leighton!” Flo protested. “This is not the time.”

  Helen’s eyes had lit up, though. “Tell me more,” she encouraged Donnie.

  “I think when two people care about each other the way we do and are as well-suited as we are, it makes sense to get married. Why be alone at this stage of our lives?”

  “An interesting point of view,” Helen said. “Mom? You don’t agree?”

  “I do not,” Flo said irritably.

  Despite the sudden tension, Donnie looked thoroughly amused. “And there you have it. So far, she’s winning, but I hold out high hopes I can change her mind one of these days.”

  “You’re losing ground right this second,” Flo grumbled.

  Thankfully, Erik stepped in. “How about dessert at our place? I brought home an apple pie I baked today. You’ll be able to say goodnight to Sarah Beth, Flo.”

  She regarded her son-in-law fondly. “You know I can’t say no to that.” She gave Donnie and her daughter a warning look, “but if the subject of marriage comes up again, don’t rule out my stuffing some of that pie down someone’s throat.”

  Erik choked back a laugh at her threat, so Flo gave him a
scowl. “I mean it.”

  “I know you do,” Erik said. “I’m just trying to imagine the likelihood of Helen listening to you.”

  “I can take a hint,” Helen protested.

  “That was no hint,” Flo retorted. “It was a direct warning.”

  Helen looked from Erik to her, then back again to her husband. “Okay, I’ll behave. I promise.”

  “Now why would you want to go and do that,” Donnie asked, clearly willing to stir the pot, either for the sake of some excitement or because he sensed he finally had an ally who could win this battle for him.

  Flo frowned at him. “What is wrong with you? I just neutralized her.”

  “Hey, she’s on my side,” he said. “I may not want her neutralized.”

  For the first time all evening, Helen seemed visibly impressed with Donnie. “I like you, Donnie Leighton.”

  He sat up a little straighter and shot a triumphant look at Flo. “There you go. You wanted a stamp of approval. Now you’ve got it.”

  Helen looked surprised by his comment. “You wanted my approval?” she asked Flo.

  “Well, of course I did,” Flo replied impatiently. “What did you think this uncomfortable meal was supposed to be about?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe your getting on my last nerve,” Helen said.

  Flo looked at her, then laughed. “No, sweetie, that was just a perk.”

  12

  Mitch was just wrapping up for the day at Raylene’s when he looked up and saw Carter stepping into the new addition.

  “Come to see how the work’s progressing?” Mitch asked, joining him.

  “Nah, Raylene and I sneak in here just about every night to see what you’ve accomplished. It’s looking real good, Mitch. You do incredible work.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad you’re pleased.” He studied the police chief, who was wearing his uniform tonight. That must mean he was working the streets, something he still insisted on doing, rotating shifts with his men. “Something on your mind?”