Where Azaleas Bloom

“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.”