“Everything’s fine,” she said, but despite her effort, the lie didn’t sound convincing.
Mitch glanced around the table and noted that both Lexie and Jeremy were eating as if they hadn’t had a meal in days. Thinking again about the toll divorce could take, he wondered just how tough times were for Lynn. He’d heard plenty of rumors about her husband taking off every few weeks on various trips and wondered if that was having an impact on Lynn’s finances. Just the thought of the man gallivanting around while his family suffered was enough to twist Mitch’s stomach into knots. He told himself he’d have felt the same way even if he didn’t have a few fond memories of the woman.
Then, again, maybe just because of those memories, he was seeing trouble where there was none. Wouldn’t be the first time his imagination had run wild. He seemed to be the kind of man who was always looking for someone to help.
After dinner he lingered until the Morrows were ready to head home, then walked out with them. It was pitch-dark outside and there was no light burning at home.
“Why don’t I walk up the path with you?” he suggested. “It’s pretty dark out here.”
“Oh, I just forgot to leave on the outside light,” Lynn said, but the embarrassed nervousness in her voice suggested otherwise. “I think it’s burned out anyway.”
“Let me check it for you,” Mitch offered.
“That’s okay. I know I’m out of spare bulbs. They’re on the shopping list, but I keep forgetting them.”
He heard the claim for what it was, another face-saving lie.
“No problem. I always have extras in the truck.” He walked over and grabbed one out of the back before she could object, then crossed the yard. “If you’re going to be out at night, you’ll need this,” he said as he quickly removed the old bulb and screwed in the replacement. “Even in Serenity, it’s important to take safety precautions.”
“I know,” Lynn said. Then, as if it were costing her considerable pride, she managed to mutter, “Thanks.”
“Not a problem. If you ever need anything done around here, let me know. For the next couple of months or so, I’ll be at Raylene’s every day. I’d be happy to help out. No charge, of course. Just a neighborly gesture between old friends.”
Lynn gave him a wan smile. “I appreciate that, but we’re managing okay.”
Mitch understood pride all too well. He merely nodded. “Well, the offer’s on the table, if anything comes up. Don’t hesitate, okay?”
“Thanks. Good night, Mitch.” She hesitated, then added, “I know I should have let you know when the accident happened, but I was real sorry to hear about Amy. Losing her must have been hard for you and your sons.”
He nodded. “She was a good woman. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. It’s been a year now, and I still walk in the house some nights and call out to her.” He shrugged. “They say that will pass.”
She touched his arm briefly. “They, whoever they are, say a lot of things, but I think it’s mostly because they don’t want to say that loss of any kind really sucks.”
“Yeah,” he admitted, “it really does. Good night, Lynn.”
The kids had gone inside right away and now she hurried after them. Mitch stood where he was, staring after her.
Something wasn’t right here. Anyone could see that. But he understood the need to reclaim independence after a blow. He also knew that it was a woman’s natural tendency to protect her kids at all costs. If Lynn needed help badly enough for their sake, she’d turn to anyone who offered a helping hand. And if she ever asked, he’d be right there. Somebody needed to fix the unmistakable sorrow and fear that never seemed to leave her eyes.
And he, more than he’d realized, needed a project. Maybe, he thought, they might actually need each other.
* * *
“Raylene’s lasagna is the best,” Jeremy murmured sleepily when Lynn went to check on him before bed. “How come you don’t cook like that anymore?”
“There’s not enough time in the day,” Lynn told him.
“But Raylene works, too, and she does it,” he persisted.
She knew her ten-year-old couldn’t possibly understand how uncomfortable this entire conversation was making her, but it was hard to resist the desire to snap. “Tell me what you miss most and I’ll make it for you soon,” she promised.
“Steak and baked potatoes,” he said at once. “That was Dad’s favorite, too.”
And way beyond their current budget, Lynn thought wearily. Somehow, though, she would make it happen.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Tomorrow?” he pressed excitedly.
“Not tomorrow, but soon,” she said firmly, sighing at the unmistakable disappointment in his eyes. “Now go to sleep. You have school in the morning. Did you study for your history test?”
He gave her a shrug. “Enough.”
Which meant, she feared, not at all. Why hadn’t she sat down with him immediately after dinner and gone over the information with him the way she used to?
Because she’d been trying to figure out how to make that paltry $24.35 last another week, she thought angrily, while her soon-to-be-ex was off dining on steak himself, no doubt.
“I’m getting you up a half hour early,” she told Jeremy. “We’ll go over the material together.”
“Mom!” he muttered with a dramatic groan.
“And don’t even think about faking a stomachache or a sore throat or an earache, you hear me?” She leaned down and gave him a noisy kiss that had him giggling, despite the required protest that he was too old for such displays of affection.
Leaving her son, she tapped on Lexie’s door. “Still studying?”
To her dismay, Lexie looked up from the book she’d apparently been pretending to read, her cheeks streaked with tears. “I miss Daddy,” she whispered. “I’m sorry, but I do.”
Lynn sat down beside her on the bed and gathered her into her arms. “You don’t ever have to be sorry
