Sweet Southern Hearts

by Susan Schild

  “. . . and those boys can be, um . . . high spirited,” he said.

  She froze. “I didn’t catch what you just said.”

  He spoke patiently. “Sturgis hosts the biggest motorcycle rally in the country this week. Five hundred thousand bikers were there last year. They’re a nice bunch for the most part, but it will be loud and rowdy and there’ll be some folks who are . . . high-spirited,” Jack said.

  Linny’s legs and arms turned to water. “What do you mean by high-spirited? You mean like rowdiness?”

  “Possibly, and possibly roaring bikes and women in skimpy biker gear. I think your mama and the girls will be fine,” he said, but paused a beat. “But is there any way to head them off?”

  Linny groaned. “Based on the time of her email, they’re already there.” She closed her eyes and rested her head on the steering wheel. “So my mama and her girlfriends are accidentally going to the motorcycle rally?”

  “I think so, Lin,” Jack said in his extracalm voice that he only used when there could be trouble. “They’ll be fine. They can take care of themselves.”

  But Linny wasn’t so sure. As soon as she ended the call, she hurriedly called her mother but got no answer. She tried twice more. Ruby and Dessie didn’t pick up either. She blew out an exasperated sigh. So much for their tech savvy. They knew ten times more about devices than most people their age did but hadn’t gotten the compulsion about needing cells on their person and switched on at all times. She sent texts to all three that read: U R going to motorcycle rally. That is what Sturgis is!! Call me!!

  She stared at the screen, willing one of them to respond, but all she saw was the blue background of her message. Her mother had so little experience with people outside her friends, neighbors, and members of her church.

  Her breathing grew shallow as she remembered a scene from a movie in which an elderly woman accidentally backed her Volkswagen bug into a motorcycle that crashed onto the one parked beside it and triggered a domino effect with a whole row of motorcycles. Angry motorcycle gang members chased her as she putt-putted off, unaware of the chaos she’d caused.

  A cold knot formed in her stomach as she had another thought. Mama watched just enough Christian TV shows to think that justice prevailed and bad guys always got caught. She could picture Dottie going into full-bore church lady mode if she came across a group of rowdy partiers. Linny blinked to try to erase the mental picture of Dottie marching up and telling them to pipe down and be considerate of others.

  She drew in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Dessie was calm under pressure and Ruby was good with people. They could handle themselves, she decided, giving the phone one last glance and slipping it into her purse. Not a whole lot she could do when she was half the United States away. She sent up a little prayer: God, please be on the lookout for my mama and her friends. Please protect nice little ladies from North Carolina.

  Linny got out of the car, found the spare key on her key ring, and walked up to Kate’s front door. As she drew closer, she heard Baby Ivy squalling. She fought a smile, though.

  Her news would be a good distraction for Kate. She couldn’t wait to tell her sister that Mama was looking for gourd birdhouses at the motorcycle rally.

  * * *

  That afternoon, Linny took a seat in the reception room of Green Sage, folded her hands in her lap, and tried to look like a competent, unruffled professional. With the news she had to deliver to Chanel about her lack of leadership being a big part of her company’s problems, today’s meeting could go downhill fast.

  “Hello, Linny.” Chanel was poker-faced as she stuck out her hand.

  “Hello, Chanel.” Linny shook the young woman’s hand. Chanel looked more nervous than Linny felt. Her shoulders were hunched up and she raked her hair back with her fingers, leaving a tuft in front that was standing on end.

  “I didn’t sleep last night,” Chanel admitted as she walked Linny to her office. “I was dreading this meeting—worried you were going to tell me I didn’t know how to run a business and that my employees are all knuckleheads.”

  “Not true,” Linny assured her. Before she sat she rustled in her purse and pulled out two big dog cookies baked in the shape of squirrels. “I brought treats for Sage. These are organic and have limited ingredients. Are these okay to give to him?”

  Chanel nodded, looking slightly less wary, and wheeled her chair away from her desk to make way for Linny. Sage was snoring and twitching this morning, but the old boy woke as she drew closer to him.

  Kneeling, Linny proffered her gifts. Daintily, the big dog took them and crunched into them. Crumbs fell all around him. The good fellow must be missing a few teeth. Linny gave him a reverent pat and pushed herself up on creaky knees.

  Now Chanel’s smile was a few degrees warmer. “Thank you,” she said.

  Linny just nodded and pulled from her briefcase a two-page summary of her interviews. “Before I give these to you let me just give you the bottom line.”

  Chanel’s skinny shoulders hunched up higher. “Go ahead and shoot.”

  Linny met her gaze, willing her to relax. If Chanel rejected what Linny told her, she’d never get the help she needed. “I worked with a company that operated in a big new building with fixed windows.”

  Chanel cocked her head, but a look of impatience flickered across her face.

  Linny went on. “One day the AC went out in the whole building and it got hot as blazes. A supervisor walked past the cubicle of one of his fresh-from-college hires and his mouth dropped open because the young man was working diligently at his desk but was buck naked from the waist up.” She grinned at Chanel. “He explained it to his supervisor. It was hot. He took his shirt off. That’s what he did in the frat house when it got hot.”

  Chanel broke into a smile and shook her head. “Please tell me none of my employees are working with their shirts off.”

  “No, but remember in the beginning we talked about how most of your employees came to Green Sage straight out of college and that this was their first professional job? This group of employees has no knowledge about what is expected of them working in a professional work environment. They don’t even know what they don’t know. They’re guessing how to dress and act with one another and with customers.” Linny paused. “Initially, I thought we might be looking at sexism, bullying, or a hostile work environment: a lot more serious stuff to eradicate.”

  Chanel’s face brightened and she breathed out a whooshing sigh of relief.

  Linny held up a hand and cautioned her, “They need to work on some things in those areas, too, but I think the biggest problems are professionalism and customer service.”

  “Thank goodness,” Chanel said, nodding slowly, but a moment later she crossed her arms and the wary look was back. “I like the environment like this, though. I worked hard to make it casual and fun. Despite some of the foolishness, we’re a creative and hardworking group.”

  “The workplace can still be fun, but it needs to be respectful,” Linny said. “Your team members need to demonstrate respect for one another and present a confident and competent impression to customers. They need to be aware of the appropriate behaviors they need to grow the business. They need to understand what customers want and deliver it. They need to graciously and expertly solve customer problems.”

  Chanel nodded slowly. She leaned back in her chair and steepled her fingers together. “They don’t always show respect for me either. I don’t like the way some of them talk to me,” she admitted. “Just because I knew them from school doesn’t mean I’m not their boss. Some make comments about my salary. You know, jokey stuff but with an edge to it. For example, one of the guys was lusting over a Ducati motorcycle, and this other guy says, Get Chanel to buy it for you. She’s loaded.” Her eyes narrowed. “That really ticked me off. For one, I’m not loaded. We’re getting stronger and stronger, but there’ve been a lot of months when I didn’t draw a paycheck because the money wasn’t there.”

&nbs
p; Linny nodded. “It’s none of their business anyhow.”

  Chanel gave Linny a searching look and then her words came rushing out. “They don’t understand sixty-hour weeks or how many times I’ve worked all night, or maxed out my credit cards to float us during lean times or . . . other sacrifices I’ve made.”

  Linny gazed at Chanel. “You’ve put your personal life on hold to build this business, haven’t you?”

  Chanel slumped, suddenly looking vulnerable. “Yeah.”

  “You need to look at that, too,” Linny said quietly. “You can’t grow a business without making sacrifices. I get that. But you can change how you lead. When you grow your business to a certain point—unless you want no life at all—you’ve got to start delegating more, cut back on doing the direct work yourself and focus more on your main job, which is leading. I’ve seen too many business owners who’d made no time for love or family or enjoying life end up deeply regretting it.”

  Chanel’s eyes began to tear up and she grabbed a tissue to blot them. Taking a moment to collect herself, she straightened in her chair and gave Linny a cheeky smile. “We need you to help get us on track. If you’re willing to work with our sorry butts, let’s get this party started.”

  Linny grinned. “Let’s do.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Jailhouse Mama

  On the way home Linny had just paid for her celebratory iced tea at the drive-through when the phone rang. Pulling over, she snatched the cell from her bag, saw the name, and broke into a smile. “Hey, Dessie,” she caroled, relief making her practically sing.

  “Hey there,” Dessie said, her voice sounding reedy. “We’ve had a little misunderstanding. We’re down at the police station talking to a gentleman named Sergeant Allen Bowman.”

  “Okay,” Linny said, trying to still the quaver in her voice. “What kind of misunderstanding?”

  “Well, turns out Sturgis isn’t an arts and crafts festival and your mama accidentally got arrested,” Dessie said evenly.

  Her breathing grew shallow and Linny asked, “How do you accidentally get arrested?”

  “It was a wrong place, wrong time, wrong person situation,” Dessie said, sounding regretful. “Let me let Ruby talk to you. I’m going to try to get Mack on the phone.”

  Ruby came on, sounding subdued. “Hey there, Linny,” she said cautiously.

  “Details, please,” Linny said grimly.

  “Your mama’s fine and no one got hurt badly, so everything is fine. Well, except for the charges. Your mama and the whole crowd of them got arrested. Let me just have you talk to Sergeant Bowman. He’s with the Meade County Sheriff’s Department and can explain everything.”

  After fumbling sounds, a man barked, “Bowman here,”

  “Sergeant, this is Linny Taylor, Dorothy Taylor’s daughter. Can you tell me what’s going on?” Linny said, trying to stay calm but fighting panic.

  “Your mother is under arrest. She’s been charged with disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, simple assault, and resisting arrest. She’s in custody until the bail hearing tomorrow.”

  “Officer, my mama is a small-town church lady. . . .” Linny trailed off, not quite grasping what he’d said. Her heart galloped as she pictured Dottie sharpening shivs with the whole cast of Orange Is the New Black.

  “Ma’am, this town goes from a population of sixty-five hundred to five hundred thousand this week.” He breathed a weary sigh. “We get a lot of small-town churchgoers who have a little too much fun during the bike rally. The magistrate is just getting in and we’ll have a bail hearing for her and the sixteen others we arrested last night. She’ll stay at the Meade County Jail until bond is posted.”

  “This has to be a mistake.” Linny shuddered. Now the mental picture was of Mama in a jumpsuit doing crafts with hardened lady criminals.

  “No mistake, I’m afraid. The jail is comfortable, and we’ll keep her separate from the rowdies,” he said, his voice softening. “I need to go now, ma’am.”

  Dessie came back on the line. “Mack’s going to come out here,” she said briskly.

  “I’ll be out as soon as I can. Have him call me and we can make a plan.” Linny ended the call. She’d tried to sound confident to reassure Dessie, but she had no idea of a plan. Squeezing shut her eyes, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and tried to think.

  Her thoughts darted around at lightning speed. Sitting up straighter, she felt a flutter of excitement in her chest. Jack often kidded her about having so many lawyers in her life. She’d get hold of them all: Mary Catherine, Diamond—if she’d not gone full housewife yet—and even Chaz, if need be. She’d put in a quick call to Jack to let him know the situation, but she wouldn’t tell Kate. She had enough on her plate without worrying about a jailbird mother.

  * * *

  Ninety minutes later Linny wore her good black linen dress and pearls as she stood beside the sleek King Air at the Worth County Regional Airport and talked with the pilot, Jim, about the weather report for flying.

  Diamond pulled up in her wheel-spinning Range Rover and gave a cheery little wave as she strode toward them, a decided pep to her step. She stuck out a hand to Jim and gave Linny’s neck a quick hug. “I’m so excited. Being a housewife was getting on my nerves. Let’s go spring your mama from jail.”

  Mack wheeled up his gray Jeep Grand Cherokee and stepped out. He looked calm but had a steely set to his jaw. He wore Ray-Ban Aviators, a blue blazer, and a button-down shirt in place of his usual retired gent outfit of a fleece, baggy khakis, and New Balance tennis shoes. He had a dignity and gravitas about him and looked every bit like the successful businessman who’d made a bundle selling his natural gas company.

  Linny introduced him to Diamond and moments later the aircraft gathered power and winged toward South Dakota.

  * * *

  At the Meade County Courthouse, Diamond smiled confidently at the desk officer, introduced herself, and the three were ushered into a green cement-block room.

  A female guard with a boxy build escorted Dottie in. Her mama beamed and waved at them but paused to say to the guard, “Now, Ginger, you need to get to the doctor about that congestion. After three weeks it’s probably a sinus infection.” The guard flashed her a look of gratitude, gave her arm a little pat, and left the room.

  “Mama.” Linny gave her mother a warm hug, then watched Mack embrace her. “This is Diamond, the lawyer friend we brought with us from home.”

  “My, my, my. All this fuss. I’m sure we could have gotten something worked out without disturbing all of y’all.” Dottie led them over to a green pleather couch in a seating area and made a graceful, sweeping gesture for them all to sit, just like she was inviting in her bridge group and getting ready to serve them chicken salad sandwiches and lemon bars.

  “So, Miss Dottie, can you tell us about your little scrape and how exactly you came to be a guest here at the Meade County Jail?” Diamond held a gold pen poised over a small notebook she’d pulled from her crocodile purse. When she crossed her legs a flirty ankle bracelet tinkled.

  “Well, as I told that Sergeant Bowman, this was all a misunderstanding,” Dottie began.

  Mama’s two girlfriends burst into the room, smiling with relief. Dessie said, “We just got coffee. The guard told us you were here and that we could talk to you and your mama. We’re so happy you’re here!” Dessie threw her arms around Linny, and Ruby joined in the hug.

  Linny introduced Diamond to the two of them and they all took seats.

  Ruby handed Dottie a Diet Pepsi and a box of Krispy Kremes.

  “Oh, bless you. I’ve been parched and starving.” Mama popped open the tab on the soft drink and took a long swallow.

  “Well, the Sturgis festival turned out to be very . . . colorful,” Ruby said, her voice bright and brittle.

  “Can you cut to the chase, Ruby?” Dessie suggested.

  Ruby looked hurt but soldiered on. “We were walking around downtown and Dessie and I stopped to use the ladies’ room.
Your mama stayed outside, saw this group of motorcycle riders standing around talking, and thought she smelled marijuana. One of the ladies in her prayer group has a son who got real messed up on pot, so she felt she just had to go talk to this man about the dangers of drug use. That’s when we caught up with her. The man was big as a bear, with a bushy beard and a motorcycle helmet with two giant steer horns coming out the side. But she just marched up to him and began telling him how smoking marijuana could ruin his life.”

  Mama was nodding along with the story, her mouth full, but she interjected, mumbling, “They didn’t have any of the Chocolate Iced Custard Filled?” She managed to look indignant with crumbs stuck to her mouth.

  Mack patted her on the shoulder.

  Dessie glanced at Linny and rolled her eyes.

  Ruby went on. “Turns out the fellow was smoking a clove cigarette because he was trying to quit smoking tobacco. In fact, this whole little group ended up being a group of just-say-no-to-drugs-and-alcohol motorcycle riders called the Sober Sentinels, but your mama had clamped her hands to his wrists while he was trying to explain to her about the cloves. Then other folks walking by thought the big man was holding on to your mama, and they charged in trying to save her and a scuffle broke out. . . .” Ruby trailed off, shaking her head.

  Dessie explained, “One man thought he was breaking up a domestic dispute, then another fellow piled on. Dottie was wearing the SWAT Team T-shirt and another man in law enforcement jumped in to give her a hand.” She raised her eyes heavenward. “It was a big mess.”

  Dottie sighed. “The biggest problem was that there were just too many nice men trying to rescue me at Sturgis.”

  “A pile of nice men.” Ruby shook her head, looking regretful. “And I missed out on most of it because I was in the ladies’ room.”

  “How about resisting arrest and assault on an officer? The officers don’t take kindly to those particular charges.” Diamond leaned forward with her notebook, looking intrigued.