Where Azaleas Bloom by Sherryl Woods Page B

hesitated,
debating with himself, then decided to ask. “I’m taking the kids to Sullivan’s
for brunch tomorrow. Luke’s coming home, so he’ll be there, too. Would you,
Lexie and Jeremy like to come along?”
    The invitation clearly flustered her. “Thanks, but I think
that’s a bad idea.”
    Mitch frowned. “What’s bad about it?”
    “You’re going out for a family celebration. I think your boys
would take it the wrong way if I came along with my kids. It might raise
questions that not even we know how to answer at this point.”
    Mitch reluctantly concurred. Her wisdom, inconvenient though it
might feel, was another thing he saw to admire about her. “You’re probably
right. Another time, then, okay?”
    She smiled. “We’ll see.”
    Knowing it was useless to press for more when her mind was
clearly made up, he stood. “See you on Monday, then.”
    “See you,” she said. “I’m glad you have your family home this
weekend and that things are good with Nate.”
    “Thanks.” He headed for the back door. As he opened it, he
turned and regarded her with the stern expression he usually reserved to get
through to his sons. “And lock the darn door, you hear me?”
    Lynn’s laugh rang out. While the sound pleased him, it also
signaled that she wasn’t taking his admonition one bit seriously. For the second
time in recent days, he shook his head and turned the lock himself. He wondered
just how long it would take her to flip it back.

7
    W hen they were seated around a table at
Sullivan’s on Sunday, Mitch surveyed his family and felt a familiar stirring of
sorrow. Amy should have been here for this. He had a hunch his invitation to
Lynn the day before had, in part, been an attempt to fill the void that would be
left by his late wife’s absence. He knew, though, that Lynn had been wise to
decline. It wasn’t the time to introduce someone new into his sons’ lives,
especially when things with Lynn were far from certain.
    “Dad, you okay?” Luke asked, leaning closer and regarding him
with concern.
    Mitch was still surprised when his younger son showed so much
insight. Nate was more like him in a lot of ways with his carefree exuberance,
but Luke was pure Amy, filled with compassion and taking everything to
heart.
    “Just wishing your mom were here for this,” he told Luke.
    “I know. I think she’d love Jo, though, don’t you?”
    Mitch nodded. “I do.”
    “Hey, Dad, how about a bottle of champagne?” Nate asked.
    “Sure, why not?” he said, beckoning their waitress.
    When she returned with the requested bottle and glasses, Mitch
declined. “I’m good with sparkling water.”
    The waitress poured three glasses, though she gave Luke a
considering look before filling his. Mitch, however, moved the glass aside.
“He’ll have sparkling water, too.”
    “But I’ll be twenty-one in a couple of months,” Luke
protested.
    “Then in two months, we’ll have champagne and toast you,” Mitch
said. “I don’t want Dana Sue losing her liquor license because her waitress
looked the other way and served you.”
    Since he noticed that Nate had been watching him curiously ever
since he’d declined the drink for himself, Mitch decided to forgo the rest of
the lecture about underage drinking. Instead, he raised his glass in a
toast.
    “To Nate and Jo,” he began. “I hope you have many wonderful
years together and, Nate, I especially hope that the two of you are blessed with
as much happiness as your mom and I had.”
    “Hear, hear,” Luke echoed, lifting his own glass of sparkling
water. “To Nate and Jo. I’m not losing a brother. I’m gaining a really smart and
probably successful sister.”
    “Could I make a toast?” Jo asked softly, her expression
uncertain.
    “Of course,” Mitch said. “This is your celebration, after
all.”
    “To Amy,” she said, her gaze resting on each of them in turn.
“From everything Nate has told me, she must have been an incredible woman. I
truly