Flo was a nervous wreck. How on earth could a woman get to be in her seventies and still get flustered over a date, especially when it was a date with a man she’d been seeing for months? She felt as if she were back in high school, a time that should have long since faded from memory.
Of course, the issue wasn’t so much having dinner with Donnie, but being joined for the meal by Erik and Helen. When Donnie had left her apartment this morning, he hadn’t been the least bit rattled by the prospect of being cross-examined by her daughter, who’d made a career of dissecting witnesses.
“You’re naive if you think she’s not going to try to trip you up,” she’d told him.
He regarded her with amusement. “About what? I have nothing to hide. And my intentions as far as you’re concerned are honorable.”
“Honorable?” Flo had scoffed. “Not in Helen’s book. They’d only be honorable if you put a ring on my finger, and we’ve agreed we don’t want to get married.”
“If it would ease things between you and Helen, I’d be happy to reevaluate that,” he’d said, stunning her.
“Do not go there,” she’d ordered. “Not when I’m already a basket case. We agreed, and that’s that.”
“Stubborn woman,” he’d accused right before kissing her.
“You know I’m right about this,” she’d called after him.
And she was. They didn’t need marriage at their age. This arrangement they had was perfectly comfortable. It suited them having their own space to escape to. At least it suited her. Didn’t it suit Donnie, after all, she worried? What if he’d changed his mind and she’d cut him off? She groaned. Now there was one more thing to fret over.
She called Liz, looking for a distraction. “You busy?”
“I thought I’d head over to the community center and play cards,” she said. “Want to come?”
“I’ll be there,” Flo said eagerly. “Have you spoken to Frances?”
“She says she’s tired and wants to rest at home.”
Flo didn’t like the sound of that. She was a little surprised that Liz had accepted such an answer. “That doesn’t sound right,” she told Liz. “I think I’ll stop by on my way to the community center.”
“Not without me, you won’t,” Liz said. “To be honest, I’ve been debating with myself about going over there ever since I spoke to her. I don’t want to start treating her as if she’s incapable of making a decision for herself.”
“That’s not what we’re doing,” Flo insisted. “She’s our friend. We know the situation. Of course we’re going to be concerned when something seems a little off-kilter. With her family still in the dark about this cognitive disorder, it’s up to us to pay close attention. We agreed on that, Frances included.”
“Right,” Liz said. “You’ll pick me up? I hate to ask Travis to drop me off over there.”
“Give me ten minutes,” Flo said. “I have to put my face on.”
“And you can do that and still be here in ten minutes?” Liz teased.
“At this stage, mascara and lipstick will get me out the door looking presentable. Everything else is pretty much a waste of time. These wrinkles of mine can’t be covered up. Your skin’s still smooth as a baby’s bottom. One of these days I’m going to figure out what you did to accomplish that. You must have slipped off to Columbia or Charleston for a face-lift sometime or another.”
Liz laughed. “Clean living,” she countered. “Never smoked. Don’t drink much. And the blessing of good genes.”
“Well, it’s too late for me to claim any of that,” Flo said. “See you shortly.”
* * *
Twenty minutes later they arrived at Frances’s apartment. After pounding on the door, Frances finally opened it looking half-asleep and disheveled.
“What on earth are the two of you doing here?” she demanded. She frowned at Liz. “I told you I was going back to bed.”
“And I got worried when I heard that,” Flo told her unrepentantly. “Sue me.”
A smile tugged at Frances’s lips. “Not if you have Helen on your side in court. I suppose, since you’re here, you might as well come on in. I’ll put on a pot of tea. Maybe that will get my blood stirring.”
Liz and Flo followed her into the kitchen.
“Are you feeling okay?” Flo asked worriedly.
“Other than being exhausted because I stayed up half the night watching a marathon of Fred Astaire movies, I’m fine.” She sighed. “That man was one very smooth dancer.”
“Even better than my Donnie,” Flo agreed.
Liz shook her head impatiently. “That’s it? That’s why you’re so tired, because you were awake watching movies till dawn? Why didn’t you just say that when I called?”
Frances gave her a defiant look, as she poured boiling water into a teapot she’d already filled with Earl Grey tea. “It never occurred to me I had to fill you in on my every activity. If you want to live vicariously, Flo’s life is much more exciting than mine.”
Liz looked momentarily taken aback, then chuckled. “No, I suppose you don’t have to report what you’re doing, though it might have been nice if you’d invited me over. I’m a big Fred Astaire fan myself.”
“Next time I will,” Frances promised, the tension gone from her voice.
Flo looked from one friend to the other, grateful to have them in her life. “Since we’re all here, I could use some advice.”
Liz grinned. “Is this about that double date you’re having soon with Helen and Erik?” She shook her head. “What were you thinking?”
“That it may be insane to need it at this stage of my life, but I’d like my daughter’s approval,” Flo said. “Helen and I have been closer since I came back from Florida. I don’t want my dating Donnie to change that.”
“Do you really think she has any right to have a say?” Frances asked.
Liz gave her a chiding look. “No more than my kids had a right to decide I needed to move out of my own home. I could have put my foot down. There isn’t a judge in this region who would have declared me incompetent,” she said feistily.
“Not if they were in their right minds,” Flo agreed, smiling at the idea of it.
“But,” Liz continued, “out of respect for their feelings and their concerns, we found this compromise. The guesthouse on my old property is the perfect size for me, to be honest, and having Travis and Sarah right there in my old house to look out for me is a comfort to all of us.”
Frances looked at her skeptically. “And you think that’s the same as Helen butting into Flo’s social life?”
Liz nodded. “Helen’s concerned, just the way my kids are.”
“No,” Flo contradicted. “Helen’s embarrassed, though why she feels that way is beyond me. I’m hardly the first senior citizen to date.”
“I don’t think it’s the dating that makes her crazy,” Frances said. “It’s the image of your sharing a bed with Donnie.”
“Well, she just has to get over that,” Flo said emphatically.
“And you think having a dinner together will ease her mind?” Frances asked.
“I think when she sees how well Donnie treats me and what a thoughtful man he is, yes,” Flo said.
“And if she’s not reassured?” Liz asked. “What then, Flo?”
Flo sighed. “To be honest, I haven’t let myself think that far ahead. Donnie’s bright idea would be to get married.”
Frances’s eyes lit up. “Then do it.”
Flo frowned. “Just to please my daughter? No, absolutely not.”
Liz gave her a penetrating look. “Are you saying it wouldn’t please you? Do you care about Donnie?”
“Of course, I do. But, seriously, what’s the sense of getting married at my age? Besides, it’s been so long since I lived with a man, I’m not sure I’d be able to tolerate all the changes I’d have to make.” She shook her head. “No, things are just the way they’re supposed to be. Donnie and I agreed.”
“Did you really?” Frances asked. “Or did you state your case and ignore his? You did say he’d suggested marriage, right?”
“Oh, he didn’t mean that,” Flo scoffed. “It was just a way to pacify my daughter.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Liz said. “Donnie’s a whole lot younger than any of us, so I don’t know him all that well beyond saying good morning and how are you at the post office. Seems to me, though, that he’d never have mentioned getting married if he didn’t want to. He doesn’t have the same negative recollections of it that you do.”
“That’s true,” Frances confirmed. “I used to see him with his wife at church and they always looked happy as could be.”
“That was then,” Flo insisted, more rattled than she wanted to admit by their impressions of the situation. “Let’s just focus on my date, okay? How am I going to make sure Helen behaves?”
“Tell her not to come,” Liz said. “That’s the only way I can see.”
“Maybe I need to have a talk with Erik,” Flo suggested.
“And put him in the middle?” Frances said. “Don’t do it. It’ll only make matters worse.”
“She’s right,” Liz said. “If you won’t call this off, then you’re just going to have to say a prayer and hope for the best.”
That, unfortunately, was not the reassurance Flo had been hoping for from her friends. Even more unfortunately, they were probably right about disaster looming on the horizon.
* * *
Lynn had finally triumphed over Mitch’s payroll system. She’d finished the checks at midnight. They were all sitting on the kitchen counter now just waiting for him to stop by and sign them before distributing them to his crews. At his insistence and after some debate about his being overly generous, she’d even cut her own check for the agreed-upon amount.
Yesterday, with the money Helen had loaned her in the bank and the promise of more later today from Mitch and Raylene, she’d done the first serious grocery shopping she’d done in months. This morning she’d gotten up at dawn to bake a coffee cake to share with Mitch when he stopped by. She’d brewed a pot of coffee, too. For the first time in ages, she’d felt like her old self.
There was a familiar tap on the kitchen door and the knob jiggled. She smiled when Mitch couldn’t open the door. His second knock actually sounded impatient. She hurried over and unlocked the door, then grinned at him.
“See, I can be trained,” she said.
“I’m proud of you,” he said, then sniffed the air appreciatively. “It smells great in here. Have you been baking already this morning?”
“A cinnamon pecan coffee cake,” she said. “Raylene gave me her recipe.”
“What’s the occasion? You have a meeting this morning?”
“No,” she said, then admitted, “I thought maybe you’d have time for a cup of coffee.”
“I’ll make time,” he said eagerly. “Does that coffee cake come with it?”
“Of course.” She cut him a generous slice and set it on the table, then poured the coffee and brought it over.
“Any problems getting those checks finished?” he asked.
“Nope. I finally got the hang of it,” she said proudly. “I don’t think I’ve disgraced myself or given anyone more money than they’re entitled to. They’re all on the counter awaiting your signature. I’d advise you to double-check them, though, at least this time.”
“I trust you.”
“It’s not me you need to worry about exactly. It’s my math and computer skills. I’ll feel better if you took a close look.”
“Will do, then. You’re a real godsend, Lynnie. I hope you realize that.”
“Is that because I provided coffee and cake?”
“No, because you took over a task I have no time to do these days. I just want you to know I appreciate it. Now tell me what you’ve been up to. I’ve been trying to wrap up a job across town the past couple of days. We hit a glitch with a permit, so I’ve been down at Town Hall trying to get that straightened out.”
“I wondered why I hadn’t seen you next door,” she said, then could have kicked herself.
He grinned. “You missed me?”
“I like knowing you’re nearby in case there’s a crisis I can’t handle, that’s all,” she insisted.
“You missed me,” he repeated, looking entirely too happy about it.
“Okay, maybe a little bit,” she conceded. “Don’t let it go to your head.”
“If I do, I know you’ll bring me straight back down to earth,” he told her.
He looked as if he had something more on his mind, but the front doorbell rang.
“I’ll be right back,” Lynn promised.
When she saw Ed on the stoop, she sighed. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“What? You want me to call ahead now, too? Isn’t it enough that I turned over my key and can’t walk in?”
“Sorry. I don’t want to fight with you. I’m just surprised. That’s all.”
“I thought we could talk about the kids. Things have been kind of rough lately, especially with Lexie. I’d like to improve them.”
Before she could stop him, he headed for the kitchen then halted abruptly.
“Mitch,” he said tightly. “What are you doing here?”
“He’s here to pick up the payroll checks I finished for him last night,” Lynn said defensively.
Mitch gave her a lingering look that held a hint of disappointment, but he took her hint and stood up. “I’ll just grab ’em and go,” he said. “I signed yours and left it on the counter, Lynnie.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll call you later.”
She nodded. Relief washed over her when he’d gone. Not that he hadn’t had more right to be here than Ed did, but she’d known it would get awkward. Even now, Ed was obviously feeling territorial, and he wasn’t the sort of man who’d hide it well.
She turned back to find him pouring his own cup of coffee and leaning back against the counter.
“So,” he said, studying her speculatively, “you and Mitch? I’d never have guessed it. Then again, he did have a thing for you years ago.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she claimed, though she could feel the heat climbing into her cheeks. “If you want to talk about Jeremy and Alexis, let’s talk. Otherwise, you can go.”
“I thought I’d take them over to the beach this weekend. They used to love going to Sullivan’s Island.”
“It was one of their favorite family outings,” she agreed.
“When I mentioned it, Jeremy was all for it, but Lexie refused to go.”
“Really? She didn’t say a word to me about it.”
“You need to talk to her, straighten out this attitude she has toward me.”
Lynn stared at him incredulously. “If she has an attitude, who do you think brought it on? Not me, Ed. That’s all on you and your parents. It’s up to you to fix it. You might start by warning your mother not to bad-mouth me in front of them. Lexie, especially, is very protective of me these days.”
“Which you’ve no doubt encouraged,” he said.
She stared at him in amazement. “Are you really that clueless? I could praise you to the heavens, but she would still see that I was struggling to put food on the table, that I couldn’t sleep trying to figure out which bills I could pay with the few dollars left in the bank.”
“You should have kept all that from her,” he said stubbornly.
“It’s hard to keep it a secret when there’s no food in the refrigerator or the cupboards. Do you have any idea how many times we’ve had dinner at Carter and Raylene’s?”
“Why is that a big deal?”
“They included us because they knew the situation was dire over here. Mandy picked up on that from Lexie. Raylene figured it out for herself when I came to her looking for a job.”
“So now half the town considers me some kind of deadbeat?” Ed demanded. “Thanks for that.”
“You can thank Jimmy Bob for that,” she corrected. “Has your attorney turned up? Will he be in court tomorrow?”
Ed finally squirmed uncomfortably. “He filed for a continuance. Hal Cantor granted it. Hasn’t Helen told you?”
Lynn’s gaze narrowed. “When did this happen?”
“Late yesterday. Jimmy Bob’s still out of town.”
“Doing something more important than showing up in court for his client?”
“He’s tied up, that’s all I know.”
“And you believe him? Maybe he’s taking an extended vacation with the money he was supposed to be paying me in child support or our bank for the mortgage.”
“I told you I’d taken care of that,” Ed said stiffly. “It won’t happen again. I’ll pay closer attention or I’ll handle it myself.”
“Look, how you handle it is none of my concern as long as you don’t leave me and the kids without food on the table or a roof over our heads. Understood?”
“Crystal clear,” he said. “Now, about Lexie.”
“Talk to her yourself,” she repeated. “Despite everything that’s happened recently, she adores you. I’m sure with all your charm you can think of the right words to get through to her.”
“When did you get so cold?”
“I’m not cold. I’m learning to stand up for myself,” she said, then actually smiled. “Thanks for that, by the way. It’s something I should have learned to do years ago.”
“Does this new attitude have something to do with Mitch Franklin?” Ed speculated. “How much is he hanging around here?”
“I told you I’ve been working part-time for him.”
“And were you working for him when you and the kids were with him at Rosalina’s?” he inquired, seemingly delighted when the question brought a blush to her cheeks. “Didn’t think I’d hear about that, did you? You should have known better. Three people had called me before you ever left the restaurant.”
“Nice to know your spy network is thorough,” she said. “But what I do these days or whom I see is absolutely none of your business. I don’t ask what you’re up to.”
“It’s my business if they’re hanging around my kids.”
“Do you have some kind of problem with Mitch?” she asked.
“I just don’t like walking into my house and finding him with my wife at eight o’clock in the morning. Was he here all night?”
Lynn stood up, trying not to let him see that she was trembling over his outrageous insinuations. “Get out, Ed. And don’t come back here without making arrangements ahead of time.”
For an instant he looked taken aback by her fury, but then his expression turned smug. “So, that’s the way things are,” he said. “I thought you were smarter than to fool around right under my nose.”
“Get out now,” she said. “I mean it.”
Thankfully he didn’t argue. The second he was gone, she sat down hard and picked up the phone. She dialed Helen’s number, though the first two times she got it wrong because she was shaking so badly.
“What’s the matter?” Helen asked as soon as she heard Lynn’s voice. “Are you crying?”
“Trying not to,” she said. “Ed was just here.”
“I’ll be right over.”
“You don’t have to come,” Lynn said, but she was talking to dead air.
Not ten minutes later, she heard a car squeal to a stop out front and Helen burst into the house through the door Ed had obviously left unlocked.
“What happened?” she said, her hands gripping Lynn’s shoulders. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Lynn shook her head, even as she burst into tears. After an awkward beat, Helen gathered her close.
“Oh, sweetie, nothing can be that bad. Don’t shed a single tear over that man.”
Lynn finally calmed down enough to draw in a deep breath. She took the tissue Helen handed her and dabbed away her tears.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how furious and upset I was until I saw you. Then I kinda came unglued.”
“Do you have coffee?”
Lynn managed a small smile. “Given the morning I’ve had and the parade of people stopping in, it’s a good thing I thought to make a big pot.”
At the kitchen table, she filled Helen in on Ed’s visit and his hints about her relationship with Mitch.
“Could he make something out of that?” she asked worriedly. “Mitch has been so kind to me. I don’t want him to get dragged into the middle of my divorce because of that.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past Ed or Jimmy Bob, but you’ve done nothing wrong, Lynn. Nothing! You need to remember that.”
“Ed says the court date has been pushed back again.”
“Unfortunately, yes. I just found out this morning. I gather that happened right at the end of the day yesterday. Hal Cantor’s office was very apologetic when they called this morning. His clerk said he’s fit to be tied about all these delays and excuses from Jimmy Bob.”
“Is there a way to stop this?”
“First I have to find Jimmy Bob,” Helen said. “The investigator told me last night he has a lead. He thinks he’s in the Cayman Islands.”
“Why on earth would he go there?”
“He’s on an extended vacation, or he’s hiding out from something or someone. The investigator’s going down to check it out.”
Lynn stared at her with alarm. “I can’t afford to pay expenses for a trip like that.”
“Not to worry. Ed will cover it if I find that they’ve dreamed this up as a way to avoid bringing the case before the judge. If not, I will. I’d love to be the one to catch Jimmy Bob with his fingers in some cookie jar where they don’t belong.”
Lynn was a little surprised by the venom in Helen’s voice. “You really don’t like him, do you?”
“I like him fine,” Helen corrected. “I just don’t trust him, and I think he’s a disgrace to the profession.” She studied Lynn. “You okay now?”
“Better, thanks.”
“Then I’d better get back to my office. I had three clients in the waiting room when I ran out. Barb’s probably ready to string me up by now. She hates it when my schedule gets thrown off, especially when I’m the one responsible for ruining her orderly plan for the day.”
“Apologize to her for me,” Lynn said.
“No apology necessary. And it gives me a chance to remind her once in a while that it’s still my office and I’m the boss. She forgets that from time to time.”
“Thanks for coming over.”
“Anytime, you know that. I’m not just your attorney, I’m your friend.”
Tears stung Lynn’s eyes once more, but she managed to keep them in check until Helen had gone. Then she allowed them to flow freely.