I told you not to come in here without a hard hat,” he scolded pointlessly. To his everlasting dismay, she did whatever she liked. She’d been that way as far back as he could remember, though it seemed she’d gone a little crazy now that she’d recovered from her agoraphobia and was getting out of the house and around town again. Seemed to him that she’d gotten a little reckless.
“I can’t help sneaking in every chance I get,” she said, looking around, her expression filled with delight. “You’re making such incredible progress, Mitch, and it really is going to be amazing. I usually don’t like to rush the seasons, but I can hardly wait for Memorial Day to have everyone over.”
Mitch wasn’t used to people who threw parties at the drop of a hat, but he’d noticed that Raylene and her husband, Police Chief Carter Rollins, and their friends looked for any excuse to get together.
“You talking about that Sweet Magnolia crew you hang out with?” he asked. “Didn’t you have them all poking around in here right before the holidays, some kind of celebration when that bullying situation at the high school was resolved?”
“What can I say? That seems like eons ago and we’re a curious bunch. Maybe it’s time I invite them over for another sneak peek. They couldn’t really tell what was happening back then. Mostly it was a demolition mess with the new building materials piled everywhere. Just look at it now! You can already tell how fantastic it’s going to be.”
He frowned at her. “Promise me you won’t have them poking around in here until I give the word that it’s safe,” he insisted, knowing he was probably wasting his breath. “Even if my guys are off the job, there are things people can trip over or send crashing down on someone’s head. And the electrician still has some work left to do.”
She laughed. “I was just teasing you. I know how you hate people tramping all over your work site, myself included.”
“Then why do you do it? Just to annoy me?”
“Nope. I figure it’s really my work site, so I get special privileges.”
He shook his head. “Know who you sound like? Maddie Maddox. I swear that woman almost gave me a heart attack when we were doing the renovations for The Corner Spa.” He glanced at Raylene. “You knew we did those, right?”
“Of course. Maddie recommended you.”
“Well, she insisted on sitting right there, practically in the middle of the chaos, the whole time we were working. Said she had things to get done. I have no idea how she could think, much less work with all that hammering and whatnot going on. It makes me a little crazy, and I’m used to it.”
“When Maddie’s motivated, I suspect there’s not much that can deter her,” Raylene said.
“She’s a real pistol, all right,” Mitch said, a grudging note of respect in his voice. “Truth is, I thought working for the three of them—her, Helen and Dana Sue—would be a nightmare. Whoever heard of three women agreeing on anything? Boy, was I wrong! Maddie knew what she wanted, and the other two left her to it. Never before knew Helen to let someone else take charge like that.”
“They’re a great team,” Raylene agreed. “They inspire me, and they’re the best friends in the world.”
“Friends are important, all right,” Mitch said. “I should have done a better job of keeping in touch with mine. With Amy gone and the boys away, I really regret that. I don’t much like hanging out with my crew. It blurs the lines, if you know what I mean. Still, they’ve been there to back me up since Amy was killed. There are good people in this town.”
“There are,” Raylene agreed. “And it’s never too late to restore old friendships or to make new ones. I cut Annie Townsend and Sarah McDonald out of my life for way too long, but look at us now. We’re thick as thieves again. That’s one of the best things about moving back home to Serenity.” She grinned. “That and marrying Carter, of course.”
“Of course,” he said dryly, knowing perfectly well that those two couldn’t seem to keep their hands to themselves.
She gave him a sly look. “You’d be a great catch for some woman, you know.”
“Don’t go getting any ideas about matchmaking, you hear? Enough of that goes on in this town. Grace Wharton has made my social life her personal mission. I can’t walk in the door at Wharton’s without her dragging one woman or another over to meet me.”
“And not a one of them has interested you?”
“Not so far,” he declared. “Can’t see that changing, either.” Unable to keep a nostalgic note from his voice, he added, “Once a man has a woman like Amy in his life, he’s not likely to get that lucky again.”
Clearly undeterred, Raylene said, “Well, I’m just saying you’re a good-looking man. You have a few other appealing traits I’ve noticed, as well.” Grinning impudently, she gave him a thoroughly disconcerting once-over.
Mitch felt his cheeks heat at the compliment and the blatant survey. He’d been happily married every one of the twenty-two years he’d had with Amy. Before they’d met, he’d had quite a roving eye, but he could honestly say that once he’d said I do, that had been it for him. She’d been his whole world.
At forty-three now, he knew there was every chance some woman would eventually come along, but right now he wasn’t interested. The way he saw it, people grieved in their own ways, and his had been to bury himself in work even more so than he always had.
Raylene regarded him with amusement. “Okay, if I promise to stop bugging you about dating, will you stay for dinner? The girls asked for lasagna today. There’s plenty.”
Tempted as he was, Mitch asked worriedly, “What does Carter think about having me at his dinner table just about every night?”
“He thinks it means you’ll finish this addition that much faster,” she said. “Please, stay. You’re part of the family now. And you know perfectly well that I love cooking for a crowd.”
“And you know that I can’t say no to your lasagna,” he said, giving in a little too easily. “Thanks, Raylene.”
When they eventually sat down at the large dining room table, he noticed that he wasn’t the only guest. Lexie Morrow from next door seemed to be almost as much of a fixture at the table as he was. Tonight she, her brother and her mother were there.
Mitch couldn’t help taking a frank survey of Lynn. Her complexion was even paler than usual, and there was no mistaking the worry in her eyes. He’d known her practically since grade school, had a brief, though intense, unrequited crush on her in seventh grade, but it had been all about Ed for her, even back then. Over the years they’d both moved on, and rarely saw each other except in passing.
“Everything okay, Lynn?” he asked quietly, leaning in close so the others at the table wouldn’t overhear.
She smiled, but it looked forced to him. He remembered how her carefree laughter had once reminded him of the joyous sound of church bells pealing. He hadn’t heard that sound in a long time. Looked to him as if she didn’t have much to laugh about these days, not with the divorce he’d heard about still pending.
“Everything’s fine,” she said, but despite her effort, the
