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.”
“Well, if you need backup, you can count on Liz and me. Frances, too, more than likely, if she’s feeling up to it.” Flo regarded her daughter with a grin. “At our ages, we don’t mind stirring up a little trouble, if need be. Might be fun to land myself in jail for a worthy cause.”
Helen looked vaguely alarmed. “What sort of trouble are you contemplating?”
“Picketing outside of Ed’s office came to mind,” Flo said eagerly. “Folks expect their insurance people to behave responsibly. A little public humiliation might go a long way toward making him shape up and do the right thing by his family.”
Helen’s expression lit up momentarily, but then she shook her head. “Much as I love that idea, I think we’ll stick to a legal approach for now, Mom. But believe me, if I can’t get him to change his ways in a big fat hurry, the three of you are welcome to take him on.”
Flo nodded. “Just say the word. I’m pretty good at making up protest signs, if I do say so myself. They turned out real good for that antibullying rally, and the ones Liz dreamed up in support of Laura Reed at the school were downright inspired. All those civil rights demonstrations Liz carried out years ago taught her a thing or two about effective protests.”
“I can’t deny that the three of you played a big part in rallying public sentiment,” Helen said. “Let’s see how this plays out in court next week before we take the next step, okay?”
“Whatever you want,” Flo said, then stood up. “I hate to leave you with the dishes, but I need to run.”
Helen regarded her with a startled expression. “It’s still early. Don’t you want to stay and help me tuck in Sarah Beth?”
Flo took a deep breath, then blurted, “Actually I have a date.” She held her breath, waiting for Helen’s reaction. It was pretty much what she’d expected—her daughter looked as if Flo had spoken in a foreign language.
“A date? Since when? Who?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you all about him next time I’m over,” Flo said breezily. “I don’t want to keep him waiting. We’re going over to Columbia dancing.”
“At this hour?”
“You just said yourself that it’s still early. And I’m a night owl.”
Helen frowned. “Since when? You didn’t used to be.”
“Because I had to be up and out the door for work at the crack of dawn,” Flo explained patiently. “Now I can stay up as late as I like.” She pressed a kiss to her daughter’s cheek. “Love you. Tell Sarah Beth good-night for me.”
She grabbed her purse and hurried out before Helen could gather enough of her wits to do the kind of cross-examination that Flo knew was coming sooner or later. To
