Where Azaleas Bloom (6 page)

“How about a strong woman going after what she wants?” Raylene
asked. “I think that would demonstrate a whole new level of maturity and
intelligence.”

“Or make me look more foolish than ever,” Lynn said direly.

Raylene gave her a sympathetic look. “From what I’ve seen when
you’re around Mitch, I don’t think you need to worry about that a bit.”

But even her friend’s words of encouragement didn’t quite calm
the very bad case of nerves Lynn was suddenly feeling as she headed for home and
an unavoidable encounter with the man who’d been at the center of their
conversation.

* * *

Mitch had been so distracted all day by his son’s
unexpected announcement, even the guys had called him on it. When he was in his
truck and heading for home before remembering he was supposed to stop over at
Lynn’s, he knew his worry over Nate’s decision ran even deeper than he’d
realized.

He considered calling Lynn to postpone till tomorrow, but he
didn’t want her worrying that he’d changed his mind about the job. He turned the
truck around and headed back to her house, parking in her driveway this time,
not Raylene’s.

When Lynn answered the front door and spotted his truck, she
studied him with confusion. “Weren’t you just next door working?”

He nodded. “Sorry. I took off, then remembered I was supposed
to come over to check on how you were making out with the computer systems. I
turned around and came back.”

She frowned at the admission. “Was there someplace else you
needed to be? This can wait.”

“To be perfectly honest, I’d be glad for the company,” he told
her. “I can’t promise you, though, that my mind’s going to be on work.”

Lynn looked vaguely alarmed by that. “Why?”

“Are you sure you want me laying my problems on you? You seem
to have plenty going on in your life these days.”

“Which is why listening to you would be a real break,” she
assured him. “Come on in and tell me.”

“I had a call from my son Nate this morning,” Mitch explained
as he followed her inside. “He announced that he’s engaged and wants to bring
the girl home this weekend. I didn’t even know he was seriously dating
anyone.”

“Wow! That must have come as a shock.”

“You have no idea.”

She gestured toward the sofa. “Why don’t you have a seat in
here for a minute? Can I get you something to drink? I have iced tea and water.
I’m afraid that’s it. There might be a can of frozen lemonade left in the
freezer. I could make that.”

“Iced tea would be great.”

“Sweetened or not?”

“Straight’s good,” he said, following her into the kitchen,
startling her when she turned suddenly and found him right behind her.

“I thought you were going to wait in the living room.”

He shrugged. “I like the feel of this kitchen. If it’s all
right, let’s just stay in here.” Besides, he was less likely to act on impulse
and give in to the ridiculous urge he had to kiss her if they were separated by
her kitchen table.

“Sure, here’s fine,” she said, putting ice into two large
glasses, then adding the tea from an old-fashioned glass pitcher like the ones
his mom used to have with fruit painted on the glass. She’d always served orange
juice in hers.

“So, you really weren’t expecting Nate’s big news?” she said,
when she’d taken a seat opposite him.

He shook his head. “I honestly don’t know what he’s thinking.
He’s still a kid.”

“How old?”

“Twenty-one.”

She fought a smile. “And how old were you when you and Amy got
married?”

Mitch frowned at the question. “Twenty, but that’s not the
point.”

“Really?”

“I was old at twenty. I’d already been working construction for
a couple of years. I knew what I wanted out of life. Nate’s changed his major
three times. I’m not even a hundred percent sure what his degree will be in. I’m
not criticizing him for that. He’s hardly the first kid to get out of college
and not be sure he wants to work in the field he majored in, but shouldn’t he
figure that out, maybe even be earning some money before he takes a huge step
and gets married?”

“Maybe they’re not planning to get married right away,” Lynn
suggested. “Did he mention the timetable?”

“No,” Mitch confessed, taking hope for the first time since
morning.

“Or how old his fiancée is? Maybe she’s even younger than he is
and wants to finish college. They could be planning on a long engagement.”

“Or he could have told me this just so I’d let the girl sleep
in his room,” Mitch added dryly, reaching a conclusion he should have formed
early on. “I’d just blown that idea out of the water right before he made his
big announcement.”

Lynn looked startled. “You don’t think he’d lie just to get
your approval for sleeping with her, do you?”

Mitch considered the question, which he thought was fair, but
eventually shook his head. “Nah. Nate’s not like that. He’s always been pretty
open with us, or at least with his mother. He figured out early on that we
appreciated honesty more than evasions.”

“A lesson more kids should learn,” Lynn said. “I constantly
tell Jeremy and Lexie that the truth will get them in a lot less trouble than a
lie. They’re still working on believing that, since I punish them either
way.”

Mitch chuckled. “Yeah, that’s a hard one for kids to figure
out. Maybe you need to tell them in advance, here’s what’s going to happen if
you tell me the truth and this is the much harsher punishment if I catch you in
a lie. Sometimes it takes that kind of clarity to get through to them.”

“Good plan, but they usually don’t think they’re going to get
caught in the lie.”

“But they always do, don’t they? They’ll catch on eventually.
My boys did.” He met her gaze. “And I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Nate
and Luke are terrific young men. Amy saw to that.”

“I imagine you were a big influence, too,” Lynn told him. “How
could you not be? You’re an admirable man.”

Mitch couldn’t help being flattered and a little startled by
her open declaration. “You sound as if you mean that.”

“I do. I told you before that I’ve never heard a bad word about
you around town, but I’ve seen it for myself recently. You’ve taken me under
your wing, given me a job.” She flushed as if she felt she’d said too much. “And
speaking of that, we should probably get to work. I’m sure you’re anxious to get
home and have dinner. You didn’t plan on staying to have dinner at Raylene’s
tonight, did you?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I figured they deserved a night off
from having me underfoot. I wasn’t such good company anyway.”

“Your company’s just fine,” Lynn said.

Mitch hesitated. “But I am starving,” he said. “How about I
order some food from Rosalina’s? We can eat while we go over these bills.”

She looked as if she were about to refuse, so he held her gaze.
“You have anything against pepperoni or jalapeños on your pizza?”

Her eyes widened. “Jalapeños?”

“Trust me. It’s worth staying awake half the night for that
combination. You’ll never want a plain old cheese pizza again.”

“If you say so.”

“Is that a yes? I can give Rosalina’s a call?”

“Sure, why not?” she said.

“I’ll order a salad, too. We can pretend we’re being healthy.
How about soda? You want a bottle of soda to go with that?” he asked, already
hitting speed dial on his cell phone.

“You have their number programmed into your phone?” she
teased.

“And the entire menu memorized,” he said unrepentantly. “Now,
about that soda?”

“Sure. Diet soda, if that’s okay.”

“Suits me.” He placed the order, then sat back and took a good
long look at the woman seated across the table. She looked different
somehow.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, squirming
uncomfortably.

“You look different.”

“Different how?”

“More rested, I guess. Did you take a nap this afternoon?”

She shook her head, but there was an odd smile tugging at her
lips.

“Well, your eyes are brighter. It looks good.”

To his surprise, she actually laughed the way he’d remembered.
“What?” he demanded.

“It’s eye makeup. Raylene swore to me that men never noticed
things like that, so I put some on for the first time in ages.”

Mitch could see it, then, the thin stroke of liner on her lids,
the hint of pale blue shadow, the darkened lashes.

“Was that for my benefit?” he asked, oddly pleased to think it
might be.

She blushed furiously at the question. “Maybe it was just a
test. Maybe I was trying to prove her wrong, to show her that some men are
observant.”

He grinned at the deliberate evasion. So she wasn’t totally
immune, after all. Now he just needed to figure out what he wanted to do with
that information.

6

W
hen Lynn saw the enormous amount of food
Mitch had ordered, she blinked. “Were you planning on feeding an army?”

“What can I say? I like pizza and salad, and leftovers are
always good, right? The kids will gobble this right up.”

She saw the ploy for what it was, a face-saving way to put a
little extra food on her table. Before she could call him on it, he frowned at
her.

“Do not make a fuss over this, Lynnie,” he said, resorting to
the nickname only he had ever dared to use. “It’s pizza. I’m not having steaks
and champagne delivered, along with boxes of fresh produce.”

“You should take the leftovers home with you,” she insisted
with a touch of defiance. She wasn’t about to tolerate his pity.

“Nate’s coming home this weekend. We’ll be going out to eat,
more than likely.”

“But did you ever know a college kid who couldn’t eat his
weight in pizza?” she countered just as stubbornly.

“How about we wait and see how many leftovers there are?” he
suggested. “I have a big appetite. And the kids might turn up and want their
share.”

“The Jolly Green Giant doesn’t have a big enough appetite to go
through this much food,” she insisted. “And the kids are eating with
friends.”

“You realize while we’re debating this, the pizza’s getting
cold,” he said, reaching for a slice.

She started to argue some more, but finally relented. It was
clearly futile, at least for now. “Okay,” she said, then warned, “but the
discussion’s not over.”

He grinned. “We’ll see about that.”

Regarding him with frustration, she asked, “Do you have to win
every
argument?”

“Only when I’m right,” he said. “And, just so you know, I’ve
never been afraid to admit when I’m wrong, either.”

“Now
that
I can hardly wait to
see,” Lynn told him, taking her first bite of pizza and nearly choking at the
heat that burst in her mouth. It was true that the slice had cooled, but the
jalapeños hadn’t.

“Come on, wimp. It’s not that hot,” Mitch teased as she began
picking off the jalapeños.

“Are you kidding me? I could heat the house from the fire in
these things.”

“So, no more jalapeños for you,” he said, looking
disappointed.

“No, no, I left one piece on here,” she said, pointing out a
tiny sliver. “Just enough for a hint of spice.”

Mitch studied her for a minute. “Is that the way you want to
live your life these days, Lynn? Being safe, with barely enough spice to keep
things interesting?”

She thought she detected a hint of criticism in there, but it
was a legitimate question. “For now, yes,” she told him. “For the kids’ sake I
have to be cautious. Things are topsy-turvy enough around here without my
rushing into things.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.”

“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? I thought you
weren’t looking for anything more right now, either,” she said, puzzled by his
reaction.

“I wasn’t,” he said, then added more firmly, “I’m not.”

“But?”

“I seem to be a lot more open to the possibilities than I was a
few days ago.” He looked into her eyes. “And just so you know, I’m probably no
crazier about that than you are.”

Lynn was rattled by his candor. She couldn’t think of a single
thing to say in response.

They continued eating in silence. To her surprise, it didn’t
feel the least bit strained. It felt…comfortable.

“Maybe we should pretend we never had this conversation,” she
suggested eventually. “We could just go on working together, be friends, no
complications.”

“A nice theory,” he agreed, still holding her gaze. “I just
think maybe it’s too late.”

“It’s not too late,” she said a little urgently. “It can’t be.
That’s all I can handle, Mitch. Seriously.”

He smiled at her reaction. “No need to panic. We’re not
impulsive kids. We don’t have to rush into anything. I just figured you deserved
to know where my head is.”

“Are you sure your head has anything to do with it?”

A grin broke across his face at the question, and then his
booming laugh filled the kitchen. “Now that, my friend, is something I imagine
I’ll be puzzling over for most of the night.”

Lynn couldn’t bear seeing him out on that limb all by himself
for another second. She finally allowed herself to relax and grinned back at
him. “Since we’re being honest, me, too.”

Mitch’s expression sobered at once. “Now that is the best news
I’ve heard in a very long while.”

He sounded so sure of that, Lynn thought, while she thought
maybe it was the scariest bit of news ever.

* * *

When her doorbell rang the next morning a little after
nine, Lynn glanced up gratefully from the computer. What had seemed so simple
last night with Mitch’s coaxing was proving completely bewildering this
morning.

When she opened the front door, though, and found Raylene on
her doorstep with a coffee cake and a smug expression, she had second
thoughts.

“I thought maybe you’d have time for a cup of coffee before I
leave for the store,” Raylene said, then added hurriedly, “The coffee cake
stays, even if you want me to leave.”

Since the aroma of the apparently still-warm cinnamon pecan
coffee cake was too tempting to ignore, Lynn stepped aside. “Come on in. I just
made a fresh pot of coffee. I figure I’m going to need it if I’m going to figure
out this billing system of Mitch’s.”

Raylene looked momentarily chagrined. “You were working. I’m
sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m not on a rigid timetable. I think Mitch finally
realized there’s going to be a learning curve with me. I’ll get the bills out
today, but his payroll system is going to take a lot longer. He’ll pick up the
computer later and deal with that himself this week.”

Raylene joined her in the kitchen. “A knife? Forks? Plates?”
she asked, glancing around.

Lynn realized then that this was one of the few times in the
years they’d known each other that Raylene had been in her kitchen. She pointed
to the drawers and cabinet. “I’ll get napkins.”

“I’ll cut the coffee cake while you pour the coffee.”

As soon as they were settled at the table, Lynn gave her
friend—and boss, she reminded herself—an amused look over the rim of her cup. “I
assume there’s a price for this neighborly gesture.”

Raylene looked momentarily taken aback, then chuckled. “Okay, I
want information. I know Mitch was here till late last night. Lexie called Mandy
the second she got home to report that. As if I needed confirmation,” she
scoffed. “His truck was right there in the driveway in plain view. I saw Tony
from Rosalina’s deliver food, too.”

“Very observant,” Lynn noted, more entertained than
annoyed.

“I’m the best asset the neighborhood crime watch has,” Raylene
said. “It comes from all that time I spent hunkered down inside the house. Not
much gets past me.”

“And here I thought it was just my social life you were finding
fascinating,” Lynn teased.

“Well, seeing that you have one is a definite bonus,” Raylene
admitted. “So how’d it go? Any progress?”

“As I said, I understand the billing system,” Lynn replied,
being deliberately obtuse.

“That is so not what I was asking,” Raylene said, her
exasperation plain. “Come on. Spill. Were there sparks?”

Lynn thought of the way Mitch had looked at her a few times the
night before, the way her pulse had scrambled under the scrutiny. “Maybe one or
two,” she admitted. “And that is absolutely all I’m saying.”

Raylene grinned. “Good enough,” she said. “At least for now. By
the way, I didn’t come over this morning just to pry information out of you. I
wanted to invite you over next week. We’re having a Sweet Magnolias get-together
on Tuesday. It used to be we had them spur of the moment, but it’s getting
harder and harder to coordinate everyone’s schedule, so now we plan.”

Lynn regarded her with surprise. “You’re having one of those
infamous margarita nights and you want me to come?” Though the Sweet Magnolias
were not a formal organization, there was a certain exclusivity to being invited
to join the group of longtime friends.

“We do,” Raylene confirmed. “I know you probably have your own
friends, but I also know that when life’s offering challenges, you can never
have too many women on your side. Will you come?”

Lynn thought about how much she’d been longing for the kind of
support system she knew Raylene had. Now, thanks to her neighbor, it was being
offered. “I’d love to come, if you’re sure the others won’t mind an
interloper.”

“First, you have to stop thinking of yourself as any sort of
outsider or interloper,” Raylene scolded. “And this wasn’t even my idea. Sarah
and Helen both suggested it, and the whole group agreed we want you there.”

“That’s very kind of everyone. What can I bring?” she asked
automatically, because she knew all the women contributed something. It would be
a stretch to provide much, but she couldn’t go empty-handed.

“Just your presence will do this time,” Raylene said. “We
rotate who brings the various things, and this time it’s all taken care of. Your
turn will come, though, never fear.”

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this,” Lynn
confessed.

“Let’s see if you still feel that way after the traditional
Sweet Magnolias inquisition,” Raylene taunted. “These women make my intrusive
questions look like child’s play.”

Lynn stared at her. “You’re kidding!”

“Not so much,” Raylene said, standing up, evidently satisfied
at planting the prospect of more questions in Lynn’s head. “Now I’d better be
off to work. With the success you and Adelia are having making these gigantic
sales, I’m starting to feel like a slacker. Today’s my day to catch up. And,
also thanks to you two, I need to order more spring inventory or our racks will
be bare.”

“I’m glad you stopped by,” Lynn said, meaning it.

She’d forgotten what it was like to have a real friend. And
now, thanks to Raylene, she had not only one, but several more on the horizon.
Even if their questions were likely to make her squirm.

* * *

Mitch left Raylene’s at four on Friday, determined to
run the vacuum at home and take a serious stab at straightening up the house.
He’d had a housekeeper come in a few times, but she’d constantly moved things
around. Not knowing where his paperwork might turn up had driven him crazy, so
he’d let her go after a couple of months.

Since he wasn’t entirely sure what time Nate and this fiancée
of his would arrive, he’d gone to the grocery store and filled the refrigerator
with a few of his son’s favorites. He’d bought a rotisserie chicken, some
prepared potato salad, coleslaw and a cherry pie, in case they wanted dinner.
Nothing would be as good as what Amy would have made, but he’d discovered that
the store’s offerings weren’t half bad.

It was nearly eight by the time he heard his son’s car in the
driveway. Mitch walked outside to greet the couple, pulling Nate into a bear
hug, then turning to meet the young woman with him. He had to fight to keep his
mouth from dropping open. She looked no more than sixteen. Surely Nate was
smarter than that, though. If not, they needed to have a serious talk in a big
hurry. And he could forget about sharing a bedroom with this innocent-looking
young thing!

“Dad, this is Jo. She’ll be graduating this May, too. She’s
getting a master’s in chemistry.”

Mitch blinked, trying to wrap his mind around that.

Nate grinned, clearly having expected exactly that reaction.
“She doesn’t look twenty-three, does she?”

“She certainly doesn’t,” Mitch said, breathing a sigh of
relief. “Chemistry, huh. That’s a tough field.”

“I’m going for an engineering degree after this,” she told him.
“My dad’s a chemical engineer, too, and I’ve been hanging around his lab since I
could climb up onto a stool next to him.”

“I’m impressed,” Mitch said candidly. He gave his son a long
look. “Is she motivating you to think about some postgraduate work?”

Nate shook his head. “Nah. I think one brain in the family will
be plenty.”

Mitch let the comment pass. This wasn’t the time to chide his
son for his seeming lack of direction.

“Well, let’s get your things inside and get you settled. Then
you can tell me all about your plans,” Mitch said. “There’s food, if you’re
hungry. And I thought tomorrow we might go to Sullivan’s.” He turned to Jo.
“That’s the best restaurant in town. It has a great reputation around the
state.”

“I know,” she said. “Nate’s told me all about it and I read
some of the reviews online. I’d love to go there.”

“But not tomorrow,” Nate said. “Sorry, Dad. Some of my buddies
from high school are coming home this weekend. Luke said he’d drive over in the
morning, too. I want to get the gang together at Rosalina’s so they can meet Jo.
Maybe we can go to Sullivan’s for Sunday brunch before we head back to
school.”

Mitch nodded. “Works for me. You say your brother’s coming
home?”

“He told me he was. He didn’t call?”

“Of course not.”

“Typical,” Nate said.

Inside the house, Nate gave him a questioning look. Mitch knew
exactly what he was wondering. “Your room,” he said, though getting the words
out without a hint of regret was a struggle.

Nate clapped a hand on his back as he headed toward the steps.
“Thanks, Dad.”

With the couple upstairs, Mitch stood in front of the mantel
staring at his favorite family picture. Though there had been many through the
years taken in a photography studio, this one, taken on a trip to the beach with
everyone windblown, sunburned and laughing, was his favorite.

“Oh, Amy, guide me through this,” he murmured, looking into her
eyes.

He sensed, rather than heard, Nate come up beside him. “Do you
think Mom would approve?” he asked hesitantly.