“You haven’t been at dinner for a few nights now,” Carter said, looking oddly uncomfortable for a man wearing a holstered gun at his hip.
“I figured you’d seen enough of me at your dinner table.”
Carter winced. “I was afraid you were going to say something like that. Mitch, I hope I didn’t plant that idea in your head. You’re always welcome here. I want you to know that, and if I said something to make you think otherwise, I’m sorry.”
“For a man who’s supposed to keep his eyes and ears on everything going on in this town, I’m astonished you haven’t heard.”
“Heard what?”
“I’ve been going over to Lynn’s for dinner for the past week or so.”
Carter blinked. “Lynn’s? Right next door?”
“Yep.”
His gaze narrowed. “And my wife knows that?”
“Your wife’s among those who practically pushed me into Lynn’s arms. Not that I’ve been in her arms,” he added hurriedly. “I’m just saying…”
“I get it, Mitch. You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m not like Raylene. I’m perfectly comfortable without details.”
“I just didn’t want you getting the wrong idea.”
“Because of Ed,” Carter guessed. He shook his head. “How did it come to be that so many people in this town trust that man? He’s hiding something. I have no idea what it is, but when a man won’t look me in the eye the way you’re doing right now, I get suspicious.”
“As a comparative newcomer to town, you don’t have the same perspective other folks do,” Mitch suggested. “I imagine you see a lot of things the rest of us have turned a blind eye to. Because Ed’s daddy ran that business honestly and with genuine concern for the best interests of his clients, I think everyone just assumed Ed would do the same. To some extent, I suppose he has, but he’s definitely not his father.”
“I’ve only run across Jack once or twice, but he seems like a stand-up guy.”
“He is,” Mitch confirmed. “As for the business continuing to do well, a good measure of that success is because nobody came along to open up a competing insurance agency. People in Serenity don’t like going to outsiders in neighboring towns with their personal business. They like their doctors, lawyers and their insurance agents to be people they know. They feel more comfortable when they know not only them, but their whole family history.”
“And no one yet has noticed that this particular emperor, so to speak, has no clothes, just like the one in the fairy tale?” Carter asked.
“Lately there’s been some talk,” Mitch said. “A few people don’t like the way Ed’s treated Lynn and his kids. I actually think a few have even wondered why Jack didn’t step in. If the bank had foreclosed on their house the way it was rumored, I think Ed would have been doomed.”
Carter looked startled. “Lynn’s situation had gotten that bad?”
Mitch nodded. “She never admitted it to me, but I think so, yes. And I know for a fact that she was having trouble putting food on the table.”
“Raylene picked up on that much, too. What about now?” Carter asked, clearly concerned. “Is it better over there? Anything I can do?”
“Lynn says things are okay, but I doubt her pride would allow her to say otherwise,” Mitch said. “Whatever was going on, though, she does seem to have a little cash again. Of course, she’s working for both Raylene and me, so maybe that’s been enough to help her get by. For all I know, Ed could still be a deadbeat. There’s a part of me that wishes that were true so the court could come down on him and nail his sorry hide to a wall.”
“Not that you care, right?” Carter said, clearly amused by his vehemence.
“The guy’s been a thorn in my side for years,” Mitch said.
“How so?”
“Old story,” Mitch confided with a shrug. “He got the girl.”
Carter’s eyes widened. “Really? You and Lynn had a thing? When?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a thing,” Mitch said, wishing he hadn’t brought it up. “I was thirteen and thought she was about the best thing since the invention of baseball. She never gave me a second look because of Ed Morrow.” He shrugged. “I thought I got over it. Seems like I didn’t.”
“Then this thing now, it could be serious?”
“Way too soon to know something like that,” Mitch insisted. “I enjoy her company. I like her kids. We’ll see where that leads us. First, though, she needs to have her divorce finalized and to be free of that man once and for all. She needs to be steady on her own two feet, so she can make a decision that’s really right for her, rather than turning to me out of necessity or misguided gratitude.”
Carter nodded. “But you already know what you want, don’t you?”
Mitch shrugged. “I can’t deny it. I had a soft spot for her all those years ago. Apparently, I still do.”
“Good luck, then. I’d offer to put in a good word for you, but I imagine Raylene already has the booster thing under control.”
Mitch rolled his eyes. “Your wife’s a meddler, that’s for sure. If Grace Wharton ever retires from that business, Raylene is definitely the top candidate in Serenity to take over for her.”
“You might not want to mention that to Raylene,” Carter warned. “She’ll be so excited by the compliment, she’s likely to head over to Wharton’s and try to muzzle Grace so she can have that role all to herself right now. Since Raylene came out of her shell and out of the house, she seems to be discovering all sorts of hidden talents in herself. I’m not one to discourage her, but this is one I’d like to see her keep under wraps.”
Mitch laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“I know,” Carter said with a rueful shake of his head. “It’s a lost cause. See you around, Mitch. You and Lynn should come to dinner one night this week. Raylene likes having a full house at mealtime.”
“Maybe we’ll do that,” Mitch agreed.
Then, again, he wasn’t sure he wanted to encourage the meddling that would start with the appetizers and last right on through dessert.
* * *
Lynn was fixing dinner when Lexie sat down at the kitchen table, her expression pensive.
“Something going on?” Lynn asked.
“Dad’s ticked off at me,” she confessed.
Lynn turned the burner under the stew to simmer, then joined her daughter at the table. “Why is that?”
“Because I wouldn’t go to Sullivan’s Island with him and Jeremy.”
“What makes you think he’s ticked off about that?” she asked, though she wasn’t surprised that Ed had made no effort to mend fences. Instead, he’d apparently taken his displeasure out on Lexie when she’d held firm on her refusal to go.
“He told me I was behaving like a spoiled brat,” Lexie said. “That I should be grateful to have a dad who wanted to take me someplace great for a weekend getaway.” She gave Lynn a plaintive look. “It wasn’t about that at all.”
“I know,” Lynn said. “Maybe you should look at it from his point of view for a minute, though. Your dad was trying. He wanted to do something special with you and Jeremy.”
“Mom, I know what a weekend in Sullivan’s Island costs,” Lexie said impatiently. “I looked the hotel up online. How can he spend that kind of money on me and Jeremy when we didn’t even have enough for groceries?”
“I think that situation has been resolved,” Lynn told her. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
“How does a man just ignore the fact that his family is about to lose their house?” Lexie retorted. “That’s huge, Mom. It can’t be some silly little misunderstanding.”
Lynn sighed and told herself she had to say the right thing, even if it choked her to try to defend Ed. “Your dad’s attorney made a mistake. As soon as your dad found out about it, he fixed things. All of that is really between me and your father. I don’t want it to change your relationship with him. He loves you, Lexie, and I know you love him.”
“It’s all just so mixed up,” Lexie said. “Can I tell you something else?”
“Of course.”
“After Dad left, I prayed every night that he’d change his mind and come back.”
Lynn allowed herself a smile. “That’s not unusual. Most kids want their parents to reconcile. Every kid dreams of having the perfect family.”
“I’m not finished,” Lexie said. “My point is that now I don’t feel that way. I like Mitch. You laugh when he’s around. And he really listens to me and Jeremy, not like Dad, who makes a big pretense of caring when he wants to impress people, especially Grandma and Grandpa.”
Lynn found it astonishing that her daughter had pegged Ed so accurately. Still, though, she tried to come to his defense. “Not everyone shows their love in the same way, sweetheart. It’s harder for your dad. Mitch is really comfortable around kids. Your dad was an only child. He spent all his time around adults.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “Mom, he must have been a kid once. He went to school. Didn’t he ever have friends?”
“Obviously, but it’s not the same thing relating to a peer as a kid and then relating to a child when you’re the adult.”
“What you’re really saying is that he had terrible examples at parenting. Grandma and Grandpa aren’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type. Well, Grandpa’s not bad, but Grandma…” She shook her head. “What’s with her, anyway?”
Again, Lexie had nailed a problem Lynn had only belatedly recognized. “They try. So does your dad. That trip was meant to show you how hard he’s trying. I’m sure it hurt his feelings when you refused to go. Believe it or not, parents have feelings, too.”
“I guess,” Lexie said. She regarded Lynn worriedly. “Are you saying I should have gone?”
“No, sweetheart. It was always up to you, but it never hurts to think about what consequences your actions might have on someone else’s feelings.”
Lexie regarded her with dismay, though whether it was over her actions or her fear of Lynn’s disapproval was impossible to tell.
“Does that mean I should apologize to Dad?” Lexie asked, sounding resigned.
“Something to consider,” Lynn told her.
“I’ll think about it,” Lexie promised, then gave Lynn a defiant look. “But I’m not going back to Grandma and Grandpa’s. I don’t care who that hurts. Grandma needs to apologize to me for what she said about you. It was mean.”
“I appreciate your wanting to defend me, sweetie, but even that is my battle, not yours.”
“They said it to me,” Lexie corrected stubbornly. “That makes it my battle. Nobody gets to talk that way about my mom.”
“You could tell your grandmother how you feel. Maybe she would apologize if she understood how it hurt you.”
“No way.”
“It’s up to you, but not everyone is lucky enough to have their grandparents in their lives. I don’t want you to regret cutting them out of yours.”
“Believe me, I’m not going to regret anything,” Lexie insisted.
Lynn thought there would come a time when she would, but right this second wasn’t the moment to push. Trying to mend fences between Lexie and Ed was probably enough adult pressure for one day.
* * *
“When’s your next court date?” Mitch asked as he and Lynn sat on the back deck at the end of the evening.
She promptly made a face. “Hard to say. It’s supposed to be on Monday, but Jimmy Bob West is still missing. Helen’s investigator trailed him to the Cayman Islands of all places, but by the time he got down there, Jimmy Bob was nowhere to be found.”
“Shouldn’t the judge insist that Mitch get another attorney? You shouldn’t be left in limbo forever.”
“Helen thinks that could happen if there’s another request for a postponement. I gather Hal Cantor is no happier than we are about all these delays and excuses.”
“Hal’s a good guy, and he’s no pushover. I’ve done a couple of jobs for him and got to know him pretty well. If he thinks Ed isn’t acting in good faith, Ed could get on Hal’s bad side in a big hurry.”
“That would suit me just fine.”
He turned to look at her, noting the color in her cheeks that hadn’t been there just a few weeks ago. She looked good, almost back to her old self. If only those lines of tension he saw around her eyes would ease, but he knew better than to expect miracles. Those would only go away when the stress of the divorce was behind her.
“I noticed Lexie seemed quieter than usual tonight,” he said. “She okay?”
She smiled. “How could you possibly have noticed that with Jeremy chattering away a mile a minute? He is so excited about going out for baseball this summer, thanks to your encouragement. I was stunned when he asked me about it.”
“Do you mind that I made the suggestion?”
“Of course not. I’d have made it myself if he’d shown even the slightest interest. How on earth did you talk him into it?”
“I didn’t do much, to be honest. We had the opening day Braves game on the radio next door. Ty Townsend was pitching, so the guys were talking about him, how he’s a local, that kind of stuff. Jeremy’s ears perked up. I guess he hadn’t realized we had a local sports celebrity from right here in town.”
“But he’s met Ty,” Lynn said. “He and Annie are over at Raylene’s a lot.”
“I guess he just hadn’t made the connection.”
“I suppose those of us who know Ty don’t make a big production about him being a superstar pitcher. To us he’s just someone we’ve all known forever.”
“That’s as it should be,” Mitch said. “Gives him a haven away from all the paparazzi and sports reporters.”
“How did it go from Jeremy asking about Ty to his wanting to play ball himself?” Lynn asked.
“First, he asked me if I’d ever played baseball. I told him I had way back in high school, but not even half as well as Ty. Then he asked me if I’d liked it anyway.”
Lynn frowned. “That seems like an odd question.”
Mitch nodded. “I thought so, too. Seems he’s always been picked last when they played at school, so he started pretending he didn’t care, that baseball was just a dumb game.”
Lynn’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding. He never said a word about that.”
“Probably embarrassed,” Mitch said. “Anyway, I told him that at his age, the game should be about having fun, and that if he wanted to play, he should try, that it was the only way he’d ever get better.” He hesitated. “Did he mention that I’m going to help out coaching the team?”
“Really?” she said, looking surprised. “That didn’t come up at all.”
He gave her a lingering look. “Does that worry you? Not that he didn’t say anything, but that I’m going to be spending more time with him?”
“Why on earth would I be worried about that? You’re great with him.”
“It could be tricky,” he told her
candidly. “You and me, we’re moving along at a snail’s pace here.” When she started to speak, he held up a hand. “Not that I’m complaining. We’re doing what’s best for now. But it does worry me some that Jeremy could get too attached.”
Lynn sighed. “I have thought of that,” she acknowledged. “But he’s been so happy, I convinced myself there couldn’t be any harm in a little hero worship.”
Mitch smiled at her characterization of it. He liked the idea of being somebody’s hero. Even better would be to become hers. “Just so you know, even if things never work out for us beyond being friends the way we are now, I won’t turn my back on Jeremy. Lexie, either, for that matter. I’ll find a way to be around as much as they need me.”
When she didn’t respond, he glanced over and realized that she was fighting tears. “What?” he asked. “I meant that in a good way. I just wanted to reassure you.”
“I know you did,” she said, swiping impatiently at the dampness on her cheeks until he handed her a napkin that was handy. “You are just so incredibly sweet and thoughtful sometimes it makes me want to cry.”
“Well, maybe you could put a lid on the waterworks,” he teased. “Next thing you know you’ll have me bawling, too.”
She laughed, just as he’d intended.
“I don’t see that happening,” she said.
“Hey, I’m as sentimental as the next guy. I cried in the delivery room when both of my boys were born.”
That seemed to bring on a fresh batch of tears, for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom. “What now? What did I say?”
“Ed refused to come into the delivery room. He said it was no place for a man.”
Mitch couldn’t hide his surprise. “You know my opinion of Ed has never been very high, but it’s pretty much shot to blazes right now. I try real hard not to judge other people, but that’s just flat-out wrong unless you didn’t want him in there.”
“When Lexie was on the way, I begged him to change his mind,” she admitted. “He refused. I tried again with Jeremy, but it was clear I wasn’t going to have any better luck convincing him then, either.”
Where Azaleas Bloom Page 17