Where Azaleas Bloom

by Sherryl Woods

  “Well, he missed out on one of the most amazing moments a couple can ever share,” Mitch declared. “I pity him.”

  “He’s missed out on a lot from that day on,” Lynn said. “Lexie’s pulling away from him these days, and I think it won’t be long before Jeremy does, too.”

  Mitch frowned at that. “Not because I’m in the picture, I hope. I don’t want to push my way in and try to take his place. For whatever flaws the man might have, he is their father.”

  “It’s not about you, though I do think Lexie’s every bit as enamored of you as Jeremy is. Ed’s burned some bridges with her and is showing no inclination to fix things. As for Jeremy, he’s still blissfully unaware of most of his father’s shortcomings, but that won’t last forever.”

  Though it went against his grain to ask, he forced himself to say, “Anything I can do?”

  “It’s not up to you to fix this. Ed has to.”

  “I could say something to him,” Mitch offered, though as soon as he tried to envision how Ed would react to such an overture, he shook his head. “Never mind. Bad idea. If I were in his shoes, I’d just slug me.”

  Lynn laughed. “That’s probably not Ed’s style, but you’re right. He wouldn’t take it well. Thanks for offering, though.”

  They fell into a companionable silence then. Mitch stared out at the large backyard that was in definite need of some care. The grass looked sadly overgrown and neglected and the landscaping was nonexistent.

  “You ever thought about putting in a garden back here?” he asked, knowing it might be an expense she could ill afford. Still, there were a few things that could be done inexpensively to create a real oasis in the large space. “Raylene could probably give you some tips. She has a real nice one.”

  “Her yard is gorgeous,” Lynn agreed with unmistakable envy. “And I always thought that would be our next big project around here, but right now, with things the way they are, there’s not a lot to spend on something that isn’t a necessity.”

  “What would you do if money were no object?” he asked, curious to hear her vision.

  “You know your client who has all those azaleas?” She smiled. “The ones she accused you of destroying?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’d like something like that, azaleas of every color imaginable all around in a big circle, maybe, with a birdbath or even a fountain in the middle. Or maybe some fancy birdhouse. Spring’s my favorite season, and I think it would be so beautiful back here, then, with all the shades of purple, fuchsia and white in full bloom.” She closed her eyes, a smile on her lips. “I can practically see it. I visited some formal gardens once just like that at the National Arboretum. I never knew there could be so many varieties. I was the only one on our class trip who wanted to go there, so one of the teachers took me, while everyone else went to the Washington Monument.”

  “I remember that trip,” he said, then slanted a look her way. “You sure you didn’t beg off from the monument thing because you were scared of heights?”

  She looked startled for an instant, then chuckled. “No, I didn’t, but you’re right, going all the way up would have scared the daylights out of me. How did you know that?”

  “Because even out here on this deck, you never go close to the railing.”

  “You noticed that?”

  “I notice everything about you,” he reminded her quietly.

  “And you don’t think I’m a terrible sissy?” she asked. “We’re not even that high off the ground back here.”

  “Oh, I imagine you could break a few bones if you tumbled off the deck,” he said, “But you have nothing to worry about, Lynnie.”

  “Oh?”

  His gaze captured hers, held. “For as long as you let me, I plan to be around to catch you.”

  13

  Lynn was alone in the boutique when Wilma Morrow, Ed’s mother, walked through the door, took one look at her and paled.

  “You! What on earth are you doing here?” she said as if she’d found Lynn in a brothel or some equally disreputable place.

  “Working,” Lynn responded, keeping her tone polite. “May I help you?”

  Wilma’s gaze narrowed. “This is totally inappropriate,” she muttered. “How could you do something like this? Did you take this job to deliberately humiliate my son?”

  Lynn stared at her incredulously, her determination to remember that she was dealing with a customer, not her mother-in-law, instantly out the window. “You’ll need to explain that to me,” she said evenly. “This is a respectable job.”

  Wilma waved a perfectly manicured hand dismissively. “Well, of course it is, but that’s not the point. Morrow women are well-provided-for by their husbands. Any suggestion otherwise is food for gossip in this town. You ought to be home taking care of your children.”

  Lynn kept her gaze steady and managed to keep her voice even, though she was shaking inside with outrage. “I’m working to take care of my children, something your son wasn’t doing.”

  Wilma looked momentarily shaken. “That can’t be right. Ed would never neglect his family. That’s not how he was raised.”

  “Perhaps not, but those are the facts.”

  “Explain yourself,” Wilma ordered.

  “Sorry, if you want to know more you’ll have to speak to your son,” Lynn said, deciding it would serve no purpose to reveal the truth beyond what she’d already said. Besides, it might be satisfying to know that Ed was having to explain himself to his shrew of a mother. Just thinking about it made it easier to smile as she said, “Now, if I can show you something, I’ll be happy to. Otherwise, I have new stock I need to price and put on the racks.”

  Wilma blinked rapidly. “You’re dismissing me?”

  “Not at all,” Lynn said sweetly. “Feel free to stay as long as you like and look around.”

  She was about to turn her back and return to the task she’d been doing when she heard Wilma’s huff of disapproval.

  “It’s little wonder that Lexie behaves the way she does with you as her mother. The child has absolutely no manners, something she obviously learned from you.”

  Lynn drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, but the effort was wasted. By the time she faced her mother-in-law, she was fuming. “My daughter is one of the most incredibly polite teenagers I know. If she was rude to you, perhaps you should consider what you did to cause it.”

  “Excuse me?” Wilma said, drawing herself up indignantly for the second time.

  “Not sure what I’m talking about?” Lynn queried. “Let me explain. You said something completely inappropriate to my daughter about me. She took offense. Because it was so hurtful, she’s flatly refused to tell me what you said, but until you apologize, it’s unlikely she’ll be coming over for any visits. And, just to clarify, that’s her decision, not mine. Personally, I think it’s important that she have her grandparents in her life, but I won’t try to influence her.”

  Even though Wilma looked vaguely shaken, she evidently wasn’t quite ready to concede the battle. “Children should be taught to respect their elders.”

  “And that’s exactly what I’ve taught mine, but Lexie is no longer a child. She’s a young woman who’s learned that respect should be earned. You disappointed her, Wilma. What puzzles me is whether you even understand that whatever you said was wrong.”

  “I only spoke the truth.”

  “The truth, or your view of it? You’re entitled to your opinion of me.
For better or worse, I’m an adult. I can take it. Lexie’s my daughter. She loves me, and you clearly feel absolutely no remorse about trying to drive a wedge between us. How would you feel if I had done that with Ed, if I’d spoken so negatively of you that he’d felt compelled to take sides?”

  She regarded Wilma with pity. “Do you want to know what’s ironic? Despite everything that’s happened recently, despite everything your son has done or everything you’ve said behind my back, I have yet to speak disrespectfully about you to anyone.”

  Wilma stared at her for what felt like an eternity, patches of bright red in her cheeks. For a moment it looked as if she were going to respond, but instead she whirled around and walked out.

  “Brava!” Raylene said, applauding as she came out of the back room.

  Lynn turned toward her in dismay. “You heard? I’m so sorry. I know she was a customer, but she made me so furious, I just couldn’t bite my tongue a second more.”

  “You lasted a lot longer than I would have under the same circumstances.”

  “We lost a sale, though.”

  “Doubtful,” Raylene said. “She pops in here from time to time and I believe she bought a scarf on sale once, but generally she mutters about the quality not being up to her standards. She’s a vicious old woman, Lynn. I’m not sure how Jack Morrow has tolerated her all these years.”

  Lynn was momentarily startled by Raylene’s assessment. Then she confided, “I’ve wondered the same thing. I always thought I had to be missing her good qualities.”

  “Maybe she had them once. I surely haven’t seen evidence of her good nature since I moved back here. She reminds me of a lot of wealthy old biddies who are so self-important they think they can get away with saying and doing anything.”

  “I still feel bad about speaking that way to a customer,” Lynn said. “But thanks for backing me up.”

  “Always,” Raylene said. “By the way, I left you a note earlier. Did you see it? I meant to tell you the second you came in that Helen had called, but I was running late for my appointment.”

  Lynn shook her head. “Did she say what it was about?”

  “Not to me. She just said you should call first chance you get. Why don’t you take a break and do that now? It looks as if this is going to be a quiet day. I can manage for a while. Go have a cup of coffee at Wharton’s, if you like. You can bring one back for me. The one I had earlier at Sullivan’s with Karen Cruz wore off a long time ago.”

  “Thanks. Maybe I’ll run by Helen’s office, then grab that coffee and bring it back,” Lynn said, eager to find out what was going on.

  “Take your time.”

  Ten minutes later she was at Helen’s office, though she winced when she saw the packed reception area.

  “I’m sorry,” she told Barb. “She left me a message and I thought I’d run over in case she was free for a second.” She glanced around. “Obviously, she’s backed up. I’ll just call her later.”

  “Nonsense,” Barb said, lowering her voice. “I’ll slip you right in as soon as her current appointment is over. I know she’s anxious to speak to you. Just don’t take too long or I’ll have a rebellion on my hands.”

  “Thanks, Barb,” Lynn said, just as a man she didn’t recognize left Helen’s office.

  “Now,” Barb said as if she were the starter at a race.

  Lynn hurried back. Helen grinned when she spotted her.

  “I know you weren’t on the calendar,” Helen said. “You must be Barb’s way of protesting the fact that I overscheduled myself this morning. I added a few clients without mentioning them to her. She prides herself on never having a waiting room full of people, because she ensures that my schedule runs like clockwork. Then I go and muck it up by adding people she doesn’t know about, taking too long with some clients. You’re just a reminder that two can play at that game.”

  “I probably should have just called you back,” Lynn said regretfully.

  “No, this is better. I won’t get to calls until late this afternoon at this rate. I wanted you to know that my investigator found Jimmy Bob. He admitted that Ed encouraged this little extended vacation of his.”

  Lynn stared at her incredulously. “Why on earth would Ed do such a thing?” It also said quite a lot about his acting skills that he’d convinced her he was shocked by Jimmy Bob’s absence.

  Helen shook her head. “That’s not clear yet. There’s something definitely strange going on with Ed, though. Has he given you any indication that he’s interested in a reconciliation? Sometimes that’s behind a delaying tactic by one party or the other.”

  “Absolutely not,” Lynn said. “He hasn’t so much as hinted that he wants me back.” She thought about his reaction to finding Mitch at the house, but discounted that as a momentary pang of possessiveness, or even spitefulness, nothing more.

  “Then maybe it really is about the money,” Helen speculated. “He knows that what he’s paying you now is probably a pittance compared to the final judgment. Could be he’s had some financial problems. That would explain those missed payments, even though he blamed them on Jimmy Bob.”

  “What did Jimmy Bob have to say about that?” Lynn asked.

  “Not much. He claimed it was an oversight in his rush to leave town.”

  Lynn shook her head. “None of this makes a bit of sense. And if Ed is having financial problems, what about those trips he’s been taking? And what about Jimmy Bob? He must be losing business by being away so long. Is Ed somehow compensating him for that?”

  Helen gave her an approving look. “All very reasonable questions. As soon as Jimmy Bob gets back here, I intend to ask him. There’s something odd going on with those two. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the thought of the two of them in cahoots makes my skin crawl.”

  “When is Jimmy Bob due back?”

  “Tomorrow afternoon. He’s flying back with my investigator. I gather he spoke to Hal Cantor to try for another postponement, but Hal strongly encouraged him to be in court on schedule. Jimmy Bob might be sleazy, but he’s not dumb. He knows when a judge is out of patience.”

  “Then our court date on Monday should hold?”

  “Looks that way to me,” Helen confirmed. “I’m thinking we should ask for a financial records disclosure. It may be the only way to figure out exactly what’s going on here. Those missed payments are sufficient grounds for it. You okay with that?”

  Lynn hesitated. “That’s only going to delay things, isn’t it?”

  Helen nodded. “I know you’re anxious to end this, Lynn, but I think this is essential to protect your interests.”

  Lynn nodded her consent. “I trust your judgment.”

  “I’ll see you in court first thing Monday morning, then. If anything else comes up, I’ll let you know.”

  “You should probably know that I had a little set-to with Ed’s mother this morning. She accused me of working at Raylene’s purely to humiliate her son.”

  Helen looked incredulous. “What?”

  “She seemed to think it might suggest he couldn’t provide for me.”

  “Really?” Helen said, looking surprisingly pleased. “That makes me all the more certain that we’re on the right track with this financial angle. Otherwise, why would she be so sensitive to what impression you might be giving people?”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Lynn said. “I just thought she was being her usual overly critical self.”

  Helen smiled. “That could be, too. I’m ju
st cynical. I’ve found there’s usually a reason people overreact.”

  Lynn stood up. “I’d better get out of here before there’s a riot in your waiting room. Thanks for seeing me.”

  “You can thank Barb for that,” Helen said. “On your way out, tell her I’ve learned my lesson. She’s in charge of the schedule from here on out.”

  Lynn regarded her with disbelief. “Really?”

  “No, but it’ll soothe her ruffled feathers for a day or two, till I do it again.”

  * * *

  Flo and Liz had been at the community center for a half hour waiting for Frances to play cards.

  “This isn’t right,” Flo said eventually. “Frances is never this late.”

  Liz nodded, her expression filled with worry. “Then you’re thinking what I’m thinking. We need to go over there again.”

  Reluctantly, Flo nodded. “She’s going to be furious if she just overslept or something,” she said, even as she reached for her purse. “But, yes, I think we’d better go. I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  As they got into Flo’s car, Liz regarded her with dismay. “I hate this. Watching Frances start to slip away like this is breaking my heart. I was so sure when the doctor said it was only a mild cognitive disorder and the medications seemed to be helping that we’d have the old Frances for a good long time.”

  “I know. Me, too,” Flo said. “I was so proud of her when she stood up and spoke at the rally against bullying. That was Frances at her finest.”

  Liz smiled. “I’m sure her tough words brought back a lot of memories to all those folks she once taught and lectured on good behavior.”

  It was only a few minutes to the small apartment complex where Frances had moved when she’d retired from teaching. Widowed and with her children living out of town, she’d wanted someplace small that she could manage on her own. Now, it seemed, even the apartment might be too much for her if she continued on this downward spiral.