“You working at Raylene’s tomorrow?” Mitch asked Lynn after dinner. He’d come to look forward to these evenings on her deck with a glass of lemonade or sweet tea and pleasant conversation. Tonight the lemonade was just a little tart and ice-cold.
She grinned at him. “Do you really need to ask? I thought you’d memorized my schedule by now.”
He winced. “I pay attention, that’s all,” he said guiltily, then tried to regroup by adding, “Which means I know that sometimes the schedule changes if Raylene or Adelia need to be somewhere.”
Though she was still smiling, she asked, “Is there some particular reason you wanted to know about tomorrow?”
“Just making conversation,” he fibbed. “I had no idea it would turn into such a big deal.”
Now she looked guilty. “Sorry. I’m just teasing you. It’s been a while since anyone really cared about my plans for the day. Ed was always oblivious unless I forgot to pick up his dry cleaning. Yes, I’m working in the morning. I should be home around two-thirty.”
Satisfied, he nodded. “Good to know.”
Lynn studied him. “Look, I know it’s not my imagination that you’re acting kinda funny. If something’s going on, you need to tell me what it is,” she commanded in a tone that probably terrified the truth out of her kids.
Mitch gave her the most innocent look he could muster. “I swear I was just making conversation.”
Her expression remained skeptical. “So that’s your story and you’re sticking to it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, hoping there wasn’t a telltale twinkle in his eye.
She shook her head. “You’re no better at fibbing than my children.”
Actually, Mitch considered that a compliment since he was a big proponent of telling the truth, but under the circumstances it wasn’t a line of conversation he wanted to pursue. Instead, he said casually, “Nice night, isn’t it? You can feel summer in the air.”
“You mean the heat and humidity?” Lynn said wryly. “They’re right on schedule.”
She took a long, slow drink of her lemonade, sighing with such pleasure that Mitch regretted he couldn’t haul her off to bed and coax that same sound from deep in her throat.
“I wish it were possible to air-condition a deck,” she said.
Mitch seized on the comment like a lifeline, anxious to get his mind out of dangerous territory. If there was one thing he knew and could discuss endlessly, it was construction possibilities. “You can, but you’d have to enclose it,” he told her.
“And that would pretty much defeat the purpose of having an outdoor space, wouldn’t it?” Lynn said, clearly unconvinced.
“Pretty much,” he agreed, glancing around. “Of course, you could add a roof, turn this into a screened-in porch, then make glass panels to insert during the really hot months and put in one of those portable air-conditioning units.” He grinned at her. “Ask any contractor. There’s a solution to just about everything for the right price.”
Lynn gave him an amused look. “I think maybe it would be simpler and certainly less expensive to adapt to the heat.”
He laughed. “That’s another alternative,” he agreed. “Or I could get a big palm frond and fan you like some Roman slave.”
To his surprise, she looked instantly intrigued by that notion.
“You’d do that?”
“If it would make you happy,” he said solemnly. “I’ve told you before, I like seeing you smile.” In fact, lately that had become his mission in life. He wondered if he wasn’t becoming a little obsessive about it.
She smiled at him, “You keep talking like that, Mitch Franklin, you’ll turn my head.”
“I’m hoping,” he responded.
She looked away nervously, a sure sign that she wasn’t yet where he was with this relationship of theirs. Increasingly, though, he felt confident that she was at least heading in the same direction.
“When are the boys due home from college?” she asked, determinedly changing the subject to a more neutral one.
“A couple of weeks,” he said, letting her get away with it. “They have finals the first couple of weeks in May, I think, and that’s it.”
“Do they have plans for the summer?”
“Luke’s going to work for me. He’s not crazy about the work, but he likes the paycheck and he tolerates my bossing him around. Nate hasn’t said yet, but I think he may stay near school after graduation to be close to his fiancée. He mentioned that Jo’s taking one more class over the summer to wrap up her master’s. He has a part-time job in a restaurant and they’ll put him on full-time, if he wants it.”
“But you’d rather have him home,” she guessed.
“Can’t deny it,” Mitch admitted. “If his fiancée does go out West and he goes with her, this could be the last summer he’d be around. Maybe the last time ever.”
He shrugged, feigning an indifference he was far from feeling. He knew it was time for his sons to grow up and leave the nest for their own lives, but he didn’t have to like it. “But it’s not about what I want,” he added, a realization that grated on him just the same.
She gave him a sympathetic look. “Letting go must be incredibly hard.”
“It’s a killer,” he agreed. “Just sending him off to college tore Amy up. I was so busy consoling her, I didn’t notice how empty the house felt, even with Luke still at home then. Now, with all of them gone, I rattle around at loose ends. I’m always glad for a little company and commotion.”
“Can I ask you something?” she said, regarding him intently. “Are you hanging out here just because you’re lonely?”
Mitch nearly choked on his sip of lemonade. “Why on earth would you ask a thing like that? Haven’t I made it plain enough how I feel about you?”
“Sure. I mean I know we’re friends. And I know you thought you were imposing on Raylene and Carter by hanging out there for dinner. I thought maybe this turned into a comfortable alternative. There’s nothing wrong with it, if that’s what’s going on,” she said hurriedly. “I’m glad for the company, too. Even though I have Jeremy and Lexie at home, it’s nice to have an adult to talk to at the end of the day like this.”
Mitch didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her interpretation of what was happening. He could think of only one way to set her straight. After a moment’s hesitation, he stood up and moved in front of her.
“Come here,” he said quietly, leaning against the railing to give her space so she could make up her mind about whether to comply with his request.
She blinked at the intensity in his voice. “Why?”
He smiled at her sudden nervousness. “Just do it, Lynnie. Stand up.”
Slowly, she got to her feet, her eyes locked with his.
“A little closer,” he said, wanting her to take this next step fully conscious of what was about to happen.
“Another step,” he coaxed.
When she was within an arm’s reach, he touched her cheek, felt her tremble. He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip, never once looking away. She swallowed hard, but she didn’t move. In fact, she swayed toward him ever so slightly.
It had been a long time since Mitch had kissed any woman other than his wife, longer still since he’d wanted to. Now he thought maybe he might die if he didn’t get to taste Lynnie’s lips.
“I’ve wanted to do this since we were thirteen years old,” he said, his voice ragged as he took the next step, then bent to place his mouth over hers.
Her lips were soft as silk and bore the faintest hint of tart citrus and sweet sugar from the lemonade. All his senses, denied this sort of closeness for way too long, sparked to life as he kissed her, first gently, then more hungrily.
Her hands fluttered briefly at her sides, then came to rest on his shoulders, then slid behind his neck, holding him close. Her response encouraged him to deepen the kiss until they were both breathing hard and he, at least, was feeling a little reckless. That white-hot flash of desire told him it was time to back off. A kiss, he’d promised himself more than once, was the most he could allow himself until the divorce was final, until she was emotionally steady and knew without a doubt what she wanted. Who she wanted. He prayed she’d choose him.
In the meantime, though, what a kiss it had been, he thought, smiling as he released her. “Are my intentions any clearer now?” he asked.
She sighed, slowly opening her eyes, her expression vaguely dazed. “Crystal clear,” she whispered a little breathlessly.
“And that’s okay with you?”
“Uh-huh,” she murmured, still looking shaken.
Mitch smiled. “Good to know.”
A slow smile broke across her face. “Definitely good to know.”
“I think maybe I should go now,” he said, since his blood was still thrumming through his veins with a little too much anticipation for things that weren’t in the cards just yet.
“Already?” she asked, her disappointment plain.
“Wouldn’t want to wear out my welcome,” he told her.
“Not a chance of that,” she murmured, her fingers touching her lips as he turned and walked away.
Mitch couldn’t help the satisfaction that stole through him or the tune he whistled as he headed back over to Raylene’s to get his truck.
Unfortunately, he found Raylene standing right beside his four-by-four, hands on hips, a worried frown on her face.
“Are you playing games with her, Mitch Franklin?” she inquired, sounding as indignant as any mother hen.
“No idea what you’re talking about,” he said, hoping he was doing a better job fibbing now than he had been earlier with Lynn.
“The kissing right out there for anyone to see,” she explained.
“We weren’t in the middle of the town green,” he replied irritably, since there was no point in denying it had happened.
“But I saw,” Raylene explained patiently. “And anyone else in the neighborhood who happened to be out on their decks tonight probably saw. You don’t think word of a thing like that will spread by morning? How do you suppose Ed’s going to react?”
“Blast it all!” Mitch muttered under his breath. For a few brief, amazing moments he’d mostly forgotten about Ed and why it was important for him to keep his feelings for Lynn under wraps a while longer. Lynn had just made that remark about him coming around to spend time with her because it was comfortable, and the next thing he knew, he’d been determined to prove there was a lot more than comfortable on his mind.
“Exactly,” Raylene said, looking pleased that he’d caught on so quickly to her concern. “You know I’m not criticizing you for getting involved with her, right? I’m all for it. I’m just worried that Ed will find some way to use this in court.”
“You’re not the first to warn me about that,” Mitch said, thinking of Terry. “And most of the time I’ve been real careful, but something happened tonight. I guess I lost my head.”
“You sure it wasn’t your heart?” Raylene inquired.
“Nah,” he said. “I lost that to her a long time ago. But, trust me, I hear what you’re saying. I’ll be more discreet from here on out.”
She nodded. “All I’m suggesting,” she said, then winked. “Looked pretty hot from over here, by the way.”
Mitch frowned at her, trying to hide his amusement. “You are not getting details from me, Raylene. Go back inside. Call your husband. Let him whisper a few sweet nothings in your ear. You’ll forget all about me and Lynn.”
He could only hope that all the other nearby neighbors who’d witnessed the kiss would forget as readily.
* * *
Lynn suspected she probably still had a glow in her cheeks when she arrived at work in the morning. She knew she couldn’t seem to stop smiling. Raylene gave her a knowing look.
“Interesting night?” Raylene inquired.
Lynn regarded her suspiciously. “What do you know?”
“I saw the kiss,” her friend admitted. “Looked like a doozy. Was it?”
“I’m not talking about this,” Lynn said emphatically, even though she was still a little stunned by the wonder of it. She’d had no idea a kiss could generate that much heat, which said a lot about her marriage, if she stopped to think about it.
“Darn,” Raylene grumbled. “Mitch wouldn’t say a word, either.”
Now Lynn knew she was blushing. “You actually asked Mitch about the kiss?”
“Well, sure,” Raylene said unrepentantly. “Right after I warned him that maybe he should be more discreet before Ed gets wind that things between you two are heating up.”
“This is none of Ed’s business,” she said defensively.
“Well, of course it’s not,” Raylene agreed. “That doesn’t mean Jimmy Bob wouldn’t love to have some ammunition to use against you in court. Character assassination is one of his favorite weapons. That’s all I’m saying.”
Lynn winced. She knew Raylene was right. In fact, she spent the rest of the morning worrying about the kiss, concluding that there could be no more of it, maybe even no more contact with Mitch at all until after these drawn-out divorce proceedings eventually ended. She should probably tell him that when she saw him this afternoon.
But when she arrived at home, there was a local landscaper’s truck in her driveway and a flurry of activity in her backyard. She walked around the side of the house, then stood there, her mouth agape.
Azaleas, still in full bloom, had turned what had been a drab, neglected yard into exactly the sort of garden she’d imagined. As she walked along a newly placed flagstone path, set amid freshly laid sod, she heard water gurgling and spotted a fountain flowing into a small pond.
Tears came to her eyes as she turned in circles, drinking in the amazing transformation. It was the little slice of paradise she’d dreamed of.
Only one person knew what she’d envisioned, only one man was sweet enough to create it for her. She’d turned to race next door, when Mitch slipped up behind her.
“What do you think?” he asked, sounding more nervous than she’d ever heard him.
She turned to face him and, despite all her best intentions, kissed him hard on the mouth in full view of the workmen who were putting the finishing touches on the landscaping.
Mitch chuckled. “I gather you like it.”
“It’s the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me,” she told him, her heart full of joy. “Why, Mitch?”
He touched a finger to the upturned corner of her mouth. “To see this,” he said. “This smile of yours makes me want to slay all those dragons you once talked about.”
“This is why you were so concerned with my schedule for today,” she realized.
“I wanted to be sure they’d have time to finish it before you got home,” he said. “I wanted you to see the full effect. If there’s anything you want changed, just say the word.”
“Nothing,” she assured him. “It’s perfect.” She looked into his eyes. “You’re perfect.”
“Hardly,” he said, clearly embarrassed. “I thought maybe you’d want to put a few benches along the path or maybe one of those freestanding swings, so two people could sit out here in the evening. I couldn’t decide what you might like. We can go looking one of these days.”
Lynn shook her head. “Mitch, this is enough, just the way it is. Too much, in fact. I know what this kind of landscaping must cost.”
“Not when you’re such good friends with a contractor who has a relationship with this particular nursery. They owed me a few favors for the big jobs I’ve brought them over the years. Don’t start fretting over the cost, you hear me?”
“Thank you,” she said softly, accepting the sweet gesture gracefully. “I can’t tell you how beautiful it is and how thoughtful you are for doing it. I remember when Carter put in a garden for Raylene because she couldn’t go outside. I was so envious, and not just of the beautiful garden, either. I thought it was the sweetest gesture a man had ever made. Now you’ve gone and done the same thing for me.”
Mitch frowned. “I didn’t realize Carter had done something similar.”
Lynn detected a hint of disappointment in his eyes. “Don’t you dare think that makes this less incredible. I am going to cook such a meal for you tonight! What’s your favorite pie? I’ll even bake a pie. Or a cake. You tell me.”
“I wouldn’t say no to a cherry pie,” he told her, smiling once more. “But all I really need is this…” He touched her cheek again. “The look on your face and the sparkle in your eyes, those are thanks enough.”
To her astonishment, after living with a man who paid little heed to her needs or desires, Mitch honestly seemed to mean it. What an amazing revelation! And, in that moment, she fell just a little bit in love.
* * *
After basking in the sensation of being cherished that Mitch’s gesture had stirred, Lynn wasn’t prepared for the animosity and tension she sensed when she walked into the courtroom on Monday.
She was about to join Helen when Ed latched onto her arm and pulled her aside, his expression angry.
“My mother!” he said. “You had to have a confrontation with my mother in the middle of a public place. What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking she was being rude and impossible,” Lynn told him, refusing to feel guilty about the scene. “And there was no one else in the store at the time.” At least not until Raylene had made her presence known at the end.
“Well, believe me, she was not one bit happy about your attitude.”
Lynn smiled at that. “Ditto. Hers wasn’t a barrel of laughs, either.”
Ed sighed. “No, I’m sure it wasn’t. What did you tell her? She was all over me about missing those support payments. Why would you say anything about that to her of all people?”
“Because she thought I was only working to humiliate you. I explained that it was a necessity, but left it to you to fill in the blanks. I didn’t want to be the one to completely disillusion her.”
Ed swiped a hand though his thick hair. It looked as if he’d been doing that a lot this morning since not a single strand was in place the way it usually was.
“This is turning into such a mess,” he said, sounding genuinely miserable. “I know I’m the one who wanted to end our marriage, but I thought we could do it with some dignity.”
“So did I,” Lynn said. “It’s obviously too late for that now.”
“Helen’s gonna make a big deal about those missed payments, isn’t she?”
“Of course,” Lynn said. “Did you think it wouldn’t come up?”
“I was hoping, especially since I fixed everything.”
“Not quite everything,” Lynn said. “It’s still not clear why you encouraged Jimmy Bob to postpone all these court dates. I know you, Ed. You’re up to something. Was he down in the Cayman Islands hiding your assets?”
He looked stunned by her stab-in-the-dark question, but he also looked nervous, which made her wonder if she hadn’t inadvertently hit the nail on the head. Maybe his acting skills weren’t up to one more lie.
“You might want to work on your answer to that one,” she warned him. “I think it’s going to come up, and just now your expression was a dead giveaway.”
She brushed past him, took the seat next to Helen, then filled her in on the conversation. Helen’s eyes widened. “Seriously? You think that’s what he was up to?”
“I can’t swear it, of course, since he didn’t open up and confess, but he sure looked guilty as sin to me.”
“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Helen murmured, jotting down a few notes.
To Lynn’s astonishment, it took less than a half hour for Helen to get the judge’s approval for the full financial disclosure she’d requested. He faced Jimmy Bob with a scowl.
“And I want her to have every single thing,” he warned. “I don’t want so much as a piggy bank to go unaccounted for, understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Jimmy Bob said, looking a little queasy.
Not wanting to be around for Ed’s reaction, Lynn bolted from the courtroom while Ed was still giving Jimmy Bob a blistering earful. Helen caught up with her outside.
“I don’t know what’s in the cookie jar,” Helen said, looking pleased by the morning’s events. “But we definitely caught the two of them with their hands in it. As soon as the records turn up, I’ll want to sit down with you and see what you think might be missing. I have a hunch that, despite Hal’s warning, we won’t be seeing everything, especially whatever Ed might have socked away in the Cayman Islands. All we’ll really be able to go on is whether things locally look incomplete. Will you be able to spot any gaps?”
“Maybe,” Lynn said. “I have some idea of what the business brings in and what our joint account and other savings accounts used to have in them, but I’m sure there was plenty that Ed kept from me, especially when it comes to the business.”
Helen’s expression turned thoughtful. “Might be interesting to bring Jack in and get his take on that.”
“You want to call his father as our witness? Is that really necessary?”
“He’d be the expert on the company, wouldn’t he? If something’s off, he’ll spot it right away.”
“But he’ll never admit it to us,” Lynn predicted.
“I imagine his retirement money is coming out of that company. If there are glaring discrepancies in the bottom line, it’ll be in his own best interest to speak up.”
“Against Ed?” Lynn said doubtfully. “Wilma would shoot him.”
“Or maybe it would strip off those rose-colored glasses she wears when it comes to her son. I guess we’ll see.”
Lynn felt a wave of nausea just thinking about it. “All this is making me a little queasy. I’m not used to thinking like this.”
“That’s why you have me,” Helen told her. “I’m very good at unearthing dirty little secrets and using them to my clients’ advantage.”
“Couldn’t we just sit down and negotiate a fair settlement?” Lynn asked plaintively.
“That’s always my first choice,” Helen said. “And then they got sneaky, missed those payments and that told me there was no way they were going to play fair. I know this goes against your grain, Lynn, but the only way to deal with that is to fight back just as dirty.”
“If you say so,” Lynn said. But she wasn’t terribly happy about it.
* * *
Mitch saw Lynn come back from the courthouse, her shoulders slumped, her expression dejected. He arrived at her back door seconds later.
“You okay?” he asked when she opened the door.
“Mitch, now really isn’t the time,” she said wearily.
“I gather it didn’t go well.”
“Oh, Helen won what she wanted, but it’s going to get so ugly. I can feel it. If it’s this hard on me, what’s it going to do to Jeremy and Lexie? Lexie’s relationship with her dad is strained enough as it is. Or what if they both start hating me for backing their father into a corner?”
“That’s just not going to happen,” Mitch told her. “Those kids adore you. And I know you’ll protect them from as much of this as you possibly can.” He studied her intently. “What’s really worrying you?”
“I just told you,” she insisted, but Mitch was already shaking his head.
“It’s about more than that,” he said with conviction.
“Okay, yes,” she admitted with obvious reluctance. “There’s a chance that Ed has been hiding money in the Cayman Islands. Right now, we don’t know if that’s true or, if it is, whether it’s his personal assets or company funds. If it’s our assets he’s trying to keep from me, that’s bad enough, but company money? Can you imagine the scandal of that? I’ll never be able to protect the kids if charges of some kind are filed against their dad.”
Mitch was stunned. He might not like the man, but that seemed extreme, even for Ed. “Do you really think Ed’s capable of stealing from the company that his father built?”
“I honestly don’t know what’s going on with him these days,” Lynn said wearily. “I just know he’s not the man I married.”
“Is there another woman? One he’s trying to impress?”
Lynn shook her head. “Helen asked me that a while ago. I honestly don’t think so. It’s not as if I ever even caught him looking a little too long at another woman. He may not have been as attentive as I might have liked, but he wasn’t having an affair. I’m sure of it.”
“He’s been going out of town a lot lately, hasn’t he? It ought to be easy enough for Helen to find out if he was alone on those trips.”
Lynn shuddered, clearly uncomfortable with even the idea of such an investigation. “Does it really matter now? Whatever he’s doing these days is beside the point. Why make this any uglier than it already is? And if I start slinging mud about an affair now, that’s a sure-fire way to get you dragged into this.”
She was probably right about that, Mitch thought. He immediately backed off, reminding himself that this wasn’t his fight. Lynn needed to handle it as she saw fit. “It’s entirely up to you. I’m just saying it’s another angle to check out if you need one.”
“I know,” she said. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”