Sherryl Woods - Where Azaleas Bloom

She also enjoyed the meals her son-in-law sent home from Sullivan’s. That restaurant of Dana Sue’s where he was the sous-chef had better food than anything Flo had ever put on her table at home, and she’d at one time been considered the best when it came to her church’s potluck suppers.

Tonight Erik had sent home two fried catfish dinners for her and Helen, some chicken tenders and mashed potatoes for Sarah Beth, along with some of that gooey molten chocolate cake that was Sarah Beth’s favorite. Flo’s, too, for that matter.

Flo poured a glass of milk for her granddaughter, then made cocktails for herself and Helen. She sat with Sarah Beth while she ate, then sent her off to her room to play before bedtime. “But give Mommy some peace and quiet, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Sarah Beth said, then scampered off, dragging a tattered stuffed tiger with her.

By then, Helen was back, looking refreshed, though worry was still etched on her forehead.

“Bad day?” Flo asked, always interested in the legal cases her daughter was involved in. They’d realized a while back that Helen’s interest in law probably went back to all the TV shows like Divorce Court and The People’s Court that Flo used to keep on while she did the baskets of ironing that brought in a few extra dollars each week.

“You have no idea,” Helen said, taking a sip of her drink, then closing her eyes with a sigh of satisfaction. “I needed this.”

“One of these days I’ll make you a batch of margaritas,” Flo said, grinning. “I know they’re a personal favorite of yours. You must have gotten that from me. Made a batch for the first time in years not long ago.”

Helen regarded her with amusement. “Do you really want to remind me of the Senior Magnolias fiasco at Liz’s?”

Flo chuckled. “Yep, that was the night and I refuse to apologize for it. Frances needed a distraction from the diagnosis the doctor had given her.”

“Even so, I hope you learned a lesson when the neighbors called the police,” Helen said with mock sternness.

Her mother just grinned. “Afraid not. Best time we’ve had in years, at least as best we can remember.”

Helen sobered. “How’s Frances really doing these days? She seemed pretty sharp at the bullying rally a couple of weeks ago.”

“She’s fighting this cognitive impairment thing or whatever it is with the same determination she’s faced everything else in her life. I think stirring up a ruckus that day was good for her.” She winked. “So were the margaritas. You should know firsthand the healing effect one of those and a night with friends can have.”

“The operative word being one,” Helen chided, but she was smiling.

“Yes, well, we might have gone a little overboard,” Flo conceded. “We’re old. Allowances should be made.”

Her daughter laughed at that. “I imagine people have been making allowances for the three of you for years. I’ll bet you all created chaos in this town back in the day,” Helen said, regarding her mom with something Flo thought might have been a hint of approval.

“Well, I can’t speak for Frances and Liz, since they have a good ten years or more on me, but I certainly did,” Flo said. “I imagine we have a few more commotions left in us.”

But even as she spoke, she frowned. “Despite what I just said about Frances giving this her best fight, I’m not at all sure she’ll be able to live alone much longer. Maybe it’s not Alzheimer’s yet, maybe it won’t be, but there’s been a worrisome change in her. Liz and I have been nudging her to face that, but she’s not ready to deal with going into assisted living just yet. It’s a hard thing for anyone to think about being dependent on other people, but especially for someone like Frances, who’s always been the one to help others.”

“I’m sorry.”

Flo sighed. “So am I. One thing I hate about getting older is seeing so many of my friends lose their vitality. It seems once we start on that downhill slide, there’s no turning back. That’s why I intend to live every second I’m able to the absolute fullest.”

“Other than your broken hip, you’ve been lucky,” Helen reminded her. “The doctor says you have the heart of a healthy woman twenty years younger.”

“I’ve been blessed, no question about it,” Flo agreed. “And I’m so grateful to be back here in Serenity where I get to spend time with you and Sarah Beth. Florida was nice and I’ll always be grateful to you for setting me up in that nice condo down there, but home is better.”

“I’m glad you’re here, too,” Helen said.

Flo gave her a knowing look. “You didn’t feel that way when I said I wanted to move back from Boca Raton.”

“No,” Helen agreed. “I thought it was a mistake, but I was wrong.”

Flo chuckled at the pained expression on her daughter’s face. “Hurts spitting out an admission like that, doesn’t it?”

“You have no idea,” Helen said, grinning. “Fortunately, thanks to Erik calling me on every single mistake I make, I’m learning to accept that I’m as human as everyone else.”

“You do know your husband is one in a million, don’t you?”

“I do, and I thank God for him every day,” Helen said.

Flo nodded in satisfaction. “That’s good, then. Now, why don’t you tell me what went wrong with your day?”

“Just one of those nasty divorce cases that makes me question why it’s illegal to chase down some of these deadbeat men with a shotgun.”

Flo hesitated. “I know you can’t give me details about your cases, but this wouldn’t have anything to do with Ed and Lynn Morrow, would it?”

Helen regarded her with surprise. “Why would you ask that?” she said in a way that to Flo’s ears was answer enough.

“I know you took her case. I also know that Sarah and Travis are worried sick about Lynn. They used to live next door, you know, in Sarah’s parents’ house. Raylene’s there now, and she mentioned a few things to Sarah. I guess Raylene gave Lynn a part-time job, and she’s been trying to have Lynn and the kids over for dinner a couple of times a week, but they all seem to think things are pretty bad.”

“How did all this information get from Raylene and Sarah to you?” Helen asked curiously.

“Liz, of course. Living in the guest cottage behind Sarah and Travis, she sees them all the time. They’ve become like family. Sarah confides in her.”

“And Liz naturally mentioned it to you,” Helen concluded. “The Serenity grapevine at its best.”

“It’s not always a bad thing,” Flo reminded her. “I know it can hurt being the talk of the town, but sometimes it lets people know when folks need help. I can’t abide idle gossip, but this is different. At least, that’s how it seems to me.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

She regarded her daughter intently. “So, just how bad are things? Is there anything I can do? I’ve been in that position, a single mom with nowhere to turn. If I can help, I’d like to. Liz feels the same way, but we’re at a loss about what we could do without offending Lynn’s pride.”

Helen looked at Flo with amazement.

“Is that incredulous look on your face about your not believing I have a compassionate bone in my body or because you’re stunned by my insight?” Flo asked wryly.

“I guess I’m just surprised that you’d want to get involved when neither of you knows Lynn that well. It’s very thoughtful of both of you, but you’re right. I don’t think Lynn’s open to a lot of outside help right now. Admitting there are problems, even to me, is hard for her.”

“Are you going to be able to fix this for her?”

“I hope so,” Helen said. “I’m just afraid it’s going to take longer than I anticipated.”