He bent and picked up the samples. “Why don’t I haul all this fabric back to your car and then take you to lunch at Sullivan’s.”
Her eyes lit up. “Do you have the time? The meal we had there was surprisingly good. I’ve mentioned it to several of my friends.”
“I’m sure Dana Sue will appreciate that,” he said wryly, knowing that the restaurant was already booked to capacity most evenings.
They took his mother’s silver Cadillac over to Sullivan’s, where the parking lot was already jammed with cars. Dana Sue greeted them at the door, looking frazzled.
“Obviously, you’re not part of this invasion by the Red Hat Society,” she said to Tom. “Hello again, Mrs. McDonald. It’s nice to have you back. We’re a bit crowded, but if you’ll give me two minutes I’ll get a table set up for you in the bar area. Will that be okay?”
“It’ll be fine,” Tom assured her. “Thanks, Dana Sue.”
His mother was gazing around the packed room. “I’ve heard about these Red Hat women,” she said. “They look as if they’re having fun, don’t they? And I love all those red hats and purple accessories. They’re a bit garish, but very lively.”
“They sound lively, too,” Tom said, listening to the roars of laughter.
“I’ve spotted several groups like this around Charleston at various restaurants,” his mother commented. “Most of the women seem to be my age or older. I wonder what they do.”
“Maybe Dana Sue can tell you that,” he suggested just as she returned to lead them to a table as far from the commotion as possible. “Dana Sue, do you know anything about what these Red Hatters do?”
“I don’t know that they do anything in particular,” Dana Sue said. “I just know they come in once a month for lunch and seem to have a wonderful time. I’ve always thought everyone should take that kind of break from their hectic lives, get together with friends just to catch up and laugh. Helen, Maddie, Jeanette and I do that from time to time, but not nearly enough these days.”
A young waitress rushed up. “Dana Sue, crisis in the kitchen!”
“I’m on my way,” Dana Sue assured her. “You’ll have to excuse me. Someone will be over to take your order in a minute.”
“Go, we’re in no hurry,” Tom said.
He glanced up then and saw Jeanette rushing through the front door. She smiled when she saw him, but the instant she spotted his mother, dismay flashed in her eyes and she bolted.
“Mother, I’ll be right back,” he said, hurrying after Jeanette as she sped toward the kitchen.
He entered the kitchen right on her heels to find chaos as Dana Sue, Erik and their sous chef tried to keep up with the rush of orders. Dana Sue spotted Jeanette first, then Tom.
“If you two need a quiet corner to talk, this isn’t it,” she said as she dished up chicken salad with walnuts and grapes on a row of plates. “Go in my office.”
“I’m just here to pick up Maddie’s order for the café,” Jeanette said, ignoring him. “She’s tied up with a vendor.”
“Five minutes,” Dana Sue said. “And out of my kitchen, both of you.”
Tom exited at once, then held the door for Jeanette. “Since you have to wait, now’s the perfect time for you to say hello to my mother. Perhaps you can both put that unfortunate incident behind you once and for all.”
Jeanette frowned. “Unfortunate incident?” she said, her voice low. “Please. I won’t let you try to minimize what happened, Tom. Your mother tried to ruin me. If I’d worked for a boss other than Bella, she might have succeeded.”
He was about to tell her not to be so dramatic when his mother stepped up beside him.
“Is everything all right?” she said, her words directed at him, but her gaze locked on Jeanette.
Tom saw the precise instant recognition dawned. His mother looked as if she’d just tasted a sour lemon.
“You!” she said, practically quivering with indignation. “I’m not entirely surprised to find you in this nothing little town. I imagine Bella ran you out of Charleston.”
Bright patches of color darkened Jeanette’s cheeks. She shot an apologetic look at Tom, then drew herself up to face down his mother. This wasn’t going to go well. He could tell even before she opened her mouth. Since he couldn’t decide which of them to drag away, he was forced to let it play out.
“Actually, Bella supported me one hundred percent,” Jeanette told his mother. “I’m in Serenity because I had the opportunity to manage spa services at an exceptional new spa. I’ve been here for three years. We’ve gotten rave reviews from the media and our customers.” She fixed her gaze on his mother. “And you know the most amazing part, not one single customer has ever complained about her skin care here. Do you know what that tells me? It tells me I’m darn good at what I do and that if someone had a problem with a treatment, just maybe it was because she never told me she was allergic to certain ingredients.”
Undaunted by Jeanette’s suggestion, Tom’s mother gave Jeanette her haughtiest glare. “You are a very rude young woman,” she declared. “And incompetent, as well. I have half a mind to call your current boss and report exactly what you did to me.”
“Mother,” Tom protested, “you’ve known about your allergies for years.”
“That’s not the point!” his mother huffed.
“It’s exactly the point,” Jeanette said. “You knew you were in the wrong, but you tried to get me fired anyway. What gives you the right to toy with someone’s life that way? Is it just because you’re rich and you think you can get away with it? People like you make me sick.”
Tom winced. Jeanette was obviously out of patience and way beyond thinking about the consequences of her words. He was tempted to clamp a hand over her mouth, but in her present mood, she was likely to bite it.
“Forget about trying to
