Mitch wanted to defer, to give Lynn time to adjust to the idea of meeting his sons, to let them absorb the fact that he was dating, but the unyielding look in Luke’s eye suggested that he’d be wasting his breath by suggesting a delay.
“I’ll see what I can work out,” he said eventually.
Luke grinned, apparently recognizing his discomfort. “Looking forward to it,” he said, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Mitch hesitated, then asked, “You’re really okay with this?”
Luke’s expression turned thoughtful. “With your dating? I guess so. Nate and I talked about it. We knew you’d eventually want someone new in your life. As for Mrs. Morrow, I guess I’ll have to reserve judgment till we spend more time with her.”
“You’re going to like her,” Mitch predicted.
For the first time, a flash of sorrow darted across his son’s face. “Is she anything like Mom?” he asked.
“She’s sweet and strong like your mother,” Mitch said. “But she’s not an exact replica, no. Nobody could replace your mom, Luke.”
He spotted the faint sheen of tears in his son’s eyes as Luke said, “She was one of a kind, wasn’t she?”
Mitch nodded. “She was one of a kind,” he confirmed.
And she’d given him two remarkable sons. It was unlikely he’d ever forget all she’d brought to his life.
But now there was Lynn, and a whole new phase of his life unfolding. He’d never been more certain that there were seasons to a person’s life, each one meant to be lived to the fullest.
20
It was nearly eleven when Lynn’s bedside phone rang. “Mitch?” she asked anxiously. Ever since Mitch had left Raylene’s, she’d been thinking about him and about his son’s reaction to seeing the two of them together. Poor Luke! It must have come as such a shock to see his father with someone else for the first time since his mother’s death.
“I’m sorry it’s so late,” he apologized. “This took a little longer than I’d planned.”
“Is Luke okay?”
“He wasn’t at first,” Mitch told her. “But I’m telling you, Lynn, sometimes even I’m amazed by his maturity.”
“Why? He is your son, after all.”
“I can’t take the credit for this. This was all Amy. Despite his initial shock, he was able to look at this from my perspective and keep an open mind.”
He chuckled, though Lynn thought she heard a hint of nervousness beneath the humor. “What?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, it remains to be seen how Nate has taken the news that I’m moving on,” he explained.
“Nate knows, too?” Lynn asked, surprised. “Did you call him?”
“No way. We can thank Luke for spreading the word. I gather he was on his cell phone to his brother before he ever left Raylene’s. Nate will be home in the morning,” he added, a rueful note in his voice.
“Oh, my,” she said, joining in his amusement despite the seriousness of the situation. “Tell me, is Dad in trouble?”
“Hard to say just yet,” he said. “A lot depends on your willingness to step up.”
Lynn stilled. “Step up how?” she inquired cautiously.
“Luke thinks a family gathering is in order, an inspection, so to speak.”
Lynn’s stomach fell. “You’re kidding! And you’re going along with it?”
“I didn’t feel I had much choice. I want them to be as crazy about you as I am.” He hesitated. “So, will you do it? I know it’s asking a lot, but will you join us for lunch or dinner tomorrow? I’d even suggest breakfast since it’s a lot more casual and you could win them both over with that pecan coffee cake, but I’m not sure what time Nate’s likely to roll in.”
“Tomorrow’s a workday, remember? I’m at the boutique all morning and early afternoon, then I have to go straight to the bar. Monty needs me early tomorrow. It’s a chance to put in a full shift for a change.”
“Then we’ll have dinner there,” Mitch decided. “You can join us whenever you get a break. That way it won’t be quite so formal, anyway.”
“Do you really want the first time I see your sons to be while I’m waiting tables in a bar?” She couldn’t imagine it would be a terrific first impression.
“As you informed me very clearly, it’s honest work,” Mitch said. “I’ll fill them in on why you’re doing it, if you’re worried about what they’ll think. Not that I can imagine them disapproving of you for any reason. You’re going to win them over, Lynn. There’s not a doubt in my mind about that.”
“Do they need to be won over?” she asked worriedly. “Was Luke more upset than you told me just now?”
“No, I swear, he came around as soon as we talked.”
“But you’re not so sure about Nate, are you?”
“I suppose that depends on how worked up Luke got him when he called Nate on his way home from Raylene’s,” Mitch said. “Luke wasn’t thinking quite so rationally then. Both boys were close to Amy, but I think her death hit Nate even harder than it did Luke. For a long time he just couldn’t accept that she wasn’t going to make it after the accident. I swear to God, it was the longest week of my life sitting in that hospital room, knowing things weren’t going to change but trying to let Nate adjust to the truth.”
“How perfectly awful for all of you!” Lynn said, her heart aching. “I hadn’t realized that she didn’t die instantly in the crash.”
Mitch sighed. “In some ways it might have been easier if she had. At least that’s what I think now, but at the time I was grateful for that little bit of time to get used to the idea of losing her.”
“Mitch, don’t you think maybe it’s too soon to be introducing me to your sons?” she asked, wanting to postpone an encounter that was likely to be hard for all of them.
“Sorry, sweetheart, that ship has sailed. Luke wants this to happen and, to be honest, so do I.”
Lynn resigned herself to a few awkward moments, maybe more if Nate proved to be difficult. “If this is what you want, then,” she said. “Mitch, I know on some level you’re envisioning a big, happy family gathering, but I don’t want Lexie and Jeremy involved in this. There’s bound to be a lot of tension, at least at first.”
“I agree,” he said readily. “I think they can skip this.”
Lynn still thought the whole thing was a lousy idea. “Mitch, isn’t there some way we could put this off?” she asked one more time. “Shouldn’t you and I know where we’re headed before you introduce me to your sons?”
“I know where we’re headed,” he said confidently. “I think you do, too. You’re just having a little more trouble accepting the idea than I am.”
“You know it’s not that simple,” she said.
“Simple never entered into it, Lynnie. As for postponing, believe me, the thought crossed my mind, too. But with Nate already planning to come home in the morning and Luke gung-ho for getting together, I don’t see how we can wait, not without making this more complicated than it should be. I don’t want either one of them getting the idea that we have anything to hide.”
“Okay, then, but I’m trusting you to lay the groundwork for this so I don’t come off like some low-class barmaid who’s out to trap their successful daddy.”
Mitch had the audacity to laugh at that. “Lynnie, you couldn’t come across as low-class in a million years. I think you can cross that worry right off your list. We’ll see you tomorrow around seven, how’s that? You usually get a break around seven-th
irty, right?”
“I’ll make it work,” she agreed reluctantly. “If I didn’t like you so much, Mitch Franklin, I think I could hate you right now for putting me in this position.”
“Sweetheart, hormones put us in this position. If I hadn’t been longing to be close to you and holding on so tight when we were dancing, Luke wouldn’t have freaked out in the first place, and we wouldn’t be having to explain ourselves like a couple of horny teenagers.”
She laughed at the image, relaxing for the first time since he’d called. “Too bad you couldn’t stick around long enough to make out in the shadows,” she said daringly.
He sucked in a sharp breath at the taunt. “Definitely too bad,” he said. “But that day will come, Lynnie. I’m counting on it.”
Truthfully, most of the time, so was she.
* * *
In movie parlance, it had to be some sort of Freaky Friday take on Meet the Parents, Mitch thought as he walked into the bar with his sons in tow. Rather than either Nate or Luke bringing home a girl, he and Lynn were the ones on display, seeking approval. Judging from Nate’s negative attitude all afternoon, it wasn’t going to come easily.
Just inside the door, Mitch latched onto his older son’s arm. “Behave,” he ordered. “Do not embarrass me or yourself. Understood? Your mother raised you better than that.”
His reference to Amy drew a glare.
“Don’t drag Mom into this,” Nate said. “This is all on you.”
“Chill,” Luke ordered his big brother. “If I’d known you were going to go nuts, I’d never have called you.”
“You were nuts when you called me,” Nate reminded him.
“But I actually listened to what Dad said. All you’ve done is overreact and keep throwing Mom in his face as if he’s betraying her.”
“Well, he is,” Nate insisted.
“Okay, that’s it,” Mitch declared, ready to drag the two of them right back out the door. “Let’s go.”
Nate’s scowl deepened. “We’re already here. We might as well eat.”
“And you’ll keep a civil tongue in your head?” Mitch asked.
“I’ll see to it, Dad,” Luke promised, shooting a warning look at his brother.
“Okay, then,” Mitch agreed, reluctantly leading the way to a booth toward the back. At least if there were fireworks, they wouldn’t be in plain view of the other customers.
To his surprise, it was Betty Lou who came over to wait on them. She winked at Mitch. “Thought this might be best,” she said, her voice low as she leaned in close. “She’ll be over on her break.”
She straightened up and smiled. “What can I bring you gentlemen to drink?”
When Nate ordered a beer, Mitch regretted that he couldn’t join him. Instead, he, like Luke, settled for a Coke.
“I’ll have those for you in a sec,” she promised.
“So where is she?” Nate asked, looking around. “Hiding out in the kitchen, I’ll bet.”
Just then, Lynn did emerge from the kitchen, laden down with a heavy tray filled with plates. She kept her gaze averted as she passed by.
“That’s her,” Luke said, nudging Nate, obviously recognizing her from the glimpse he’d caught at Raylene’s.
Mitch saw the surprise in Nate’s eyes. “Not the floozy you were envisioning, is she?” he asked quietly.
Nate winced. “Sorry. When you said she worked here, I didn’t know what to think. Monty’s isn’t exactly a dive, but it’s a long way from Sullivan’s.” He shrugged. “Besides, I couldn’t remember her all that clearly from before. Even now, I don’t recognize her. Doesn’t seem as if I ever saw her around town.”
“Maybe not,” Mitch told him. “She and I are the same age, but her kids are younger than you two. We don’t go to the same church or live in the same neighborhood. I doubt she and your mom were in any of the same activities.”
“She doesn’t look like Mom,” Nate observed as Lynn hurried past, heading back into the kitchen.
“Not a bit,” Mitch agreed.
“But she is pretty,” Luke said, trying to intercede. “She looks a little tired, though.”
“Three jobs,” Mitch said succinctly.
Even Nate’s skeptical expression changed then. Looked to Mitch as if she might have climbed a notch in his son’s estimation.
“She’s really working three jobs?” Nate asked.
“Long story,” Mitch said. “Her divorce isn’t going smoothly.”
“But she’s married to Ed Morrow,” Nate said. “Isn’t he loaded?”
“I honestly don’t know the details of what’s gone wrong, but I do know he hasn’t been doing right by her,” Mitch said, heat in his voice. “Enough said about that. I’m not going to spread gossip or share my opinion. Besides, here she comes.” He gave each of them a pointed look. “Be nice.”
“Hi,” Lynn said, sliding into the booth in the space Mitch had left for her next to him. She managed a wan smile. “I can’t stay but a second right now. For some reason we’re swamped tonight. I thought everyone would be staying home after the holiday, but obviously not.”
“Lynn, these are my sons, Luke over there and that’s Nate next to him.”
“I’m so glad to meet you both,” she said, her well-honed Southern manners not quite enough to cover her nervousness. “Your dad has told me so much about you and about your mom. I wish I’d had the chance to know her.”
Mitch bit back a smile at the look on Nate’s face when she brought Amy openly into the conversation.
“Mom was incredible,” Luke said.
“And from everything your dad has said, she’s the one responsible for you both being amazing young men. I hope I do half as well with my kids.”
“How many do you have?” Nate asked.
His tone was stiffly polite, but at least he was making an effort, Mitch thought, proud of him for trying.
“A boy, Jeremy, who’s ten, and a daughter. Lexie’s fourteen.”
“I can vouch for them being pretty incredible,” Mitch said. “I think Jeremy’s destined to be a contractor or an architect. I’ve never had a kid ask me so many questions.”
Luke looked startled. “That’s the kid Terry’s been talking about, isn’t it? The one who was following you around over at Carter and Raylene’s place?”
Mitch laughed. “That’s the one.”
“Your dad has been very patient with him,” Lynn said, slipping out of the booth. “Sorry. I need to check on my tables. I’ll be back when I can.”
After she’d gone, Mitch glanced at Nate. “Well?”
“She’s not at all what I expected,” he admitted.
“She seems nice,” Luke added. “I liked that she talked about Mom. Not everybody does. They avoid mentioning her. I know they do it so we won’t be sad, but we are sad. And not talking about her makes it feel as if she never existed or something.”
Nate nodded. “I liked that, too. I liked that she acknowledged how important Mom was to us.”
“Because there’s no denying that,” Mitch told him. “None of us are ever going to forget your mother, Nate. Lynn gets that. She’s never going to try to compete with our memories of her. That’s not the kind of woman she is. She has a warm, generous heart, just like your mom did.”
Luke glanced in her direction as she went past with another order and shook his head. “Every time I see her with one of those trays, I want to rush over and take it from her. Those things must weigh a
ton.”
“Yeah, she brings out the protective instincts in me, too,” Mitch said, “but trust me, she’d slap you silly if you tried.”
“I know you said you didn’t need my blessing, Dad, but you’ve got it,” Luke said.
“Thanks, Luke.” Mitch looked at Nate. “How about you?”
Nate looked uncomfortable. “I’m not quite ready to jump on the bandwagon, especially if you’re going to rush into something. I think it’s way too soon.” He held Mitch’s gaze. “But I will reserve judgment, Dad. If she makes you happy, I promise to give her a chance.”
Mitch nodded. “That’s all I ask, son.”
And, after the way Nate had reacted earlier in the day, it was a lot more than he’d had any reason to hope for.
* * *
By the time Lynn was finally able to take a real break, Mitch and his sons had finished their meal. In a way it was a relief not to have to sit there and try to swallow food around the knot that had formed in her throat as she’d endured their frank scrutiny. She’d been able to tell that Nate wasn’t even remotely resigned to having her in his father’s life.
As she slid into the booth again, she noted three beer bottles lined up on the table between Mitch and Nate. Since she hadn’t paid attention to who’d been drinking them, her heart did yet another nosedive.
Apparently, Mitch saw her expression and interpreted it correctly. He pointedly tapped on his own glass of soda. Even though she was relieved, her unease didn’t entirely disappear. Her first reaction told her it was going to be a long time before she believed his drinking days were truly behind him.
“Dad says you’re working three jobs,” Luke said. “How are you able to juggle them all? I can barely handle one.”
“I imagine your work for your dad is a lot more physically demanding than my jobs,” Lynn told him.
“Are you kidding me?” Luke said. “Those trays you carry can’t be light.”
She laughed. “No, they took a little getting used to,” she agreed. “The first two days, I was terrified I was going to dump every single plate into some customer’s lap.” She grinned. “I’m proud to say I haven’t done it yet.”
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