“If you’d seen some of these posts, you’d have been appalled,” Paula told her. “Why don’t we sit in the dining room while we talk.” She winked at Liz. “I have that coconut cake I promised you. I’ve no idea how it tastes, but it looks pretty amazing. Erik definitely rose to the challenge.”
Liz clapped her hands like a child anticipating a favorite treat. “Oh, I can’t wait. If it’s even half as good as my mama’s, you’ll have made my day.”
When they were settled at the table and tea and cake had been served, the rest of them waited while Liz took her first bite of the moist yellow cake with its fluffy coconut frosting and tart lemon filling. She closed her eyes, a look of pure pleasure suffusing her face.
“Oh, sweet heaven,” she murmured. “That’s what this is, just heavenly.”
“As wonderful as your mother’s?” Paula asked, watching her closely, anxious on Erik’s behalf.
“Even allowing for nostalgia, which usually has me dismissing all the pretenders I’ve tried, I’m forced to admit, Erik has done himself proud. This might even be just the tiniest bit better than my mama’s, and I would never say such a thing lightly. Is he going to put it on the menu at Sullivan’s?”
“He says he is,” Paula confirmed. “He thought he’d call it by your mother’s name, if you thought that would be all right. What do you think?”
Liz’s eyes lit up. “She’d be very honored, and so would I. Adelaide’s coconut cake. I love it!”
Flo grinned. “That son-in-law of mine sure does have a magic touch when it comes to baking!”
“He does, indeed,” Liz said, closing her eyes as she savored another bite.
“Now that all the cake accolades are out of the way,” Frances said briskly, “Paula, I want you to tell me what you want me to do to help young Misty.”
Paula explained about the rally this coming Saturday, which both Maddie and Laura had called to tell her about. “Could you say a few words there? Remind the parents about their role in teaching their children how to behave toward their classmates?” Paula grinned. “You know, give them a little come-to-Jesus talk the way you used to.”
“Count me in,” Frances said eagerly. At Liz and Flo’s worried looks, she waved them off. “If I’m having a bad morning, we’ll have to reconsider, but this is too important for me not to at least try to say what needs to be said.” She turned to Paula. “Can we make my appearance contingent on that, that I’m feeling up to it when the time comes? Or maybe Liz can take over for me.” She smiled at her friend. “You haven’t lost your touch at rallying a crowd, have you?”
“Oh, I imagine I could think of a few things to say,” Liz said. “I’ll be happy to step in if needed, but only if needed. You have a connection to these parents, Frances. I’m better known by an entirely different generation, many of whom have died off.”
“Then we’re set,” Paula confirmed, pleased by their willingness to pitch in.
“Now, what about us?” Liz asked. “What can Flo and I do, beyond me providing backup for Frances if needed?”
“I’ve already spoken to Helen,” Flo said. “She’d like us to make some signs.” She gave Liz a sly look. “You’re the expert on protest signs. You tell me what to put on them, and I’ll make them up. My hand’s steady, and I have a whole bunch of bright markers for my granddaughter’s art projects.”
Paula nodded with satisfaction. “I had one more thought last night. I know the local radio station will broadcast this live, but I think we need to stir things up a bit farther afield. What do you think about me making a few calls to the other media? I still have a few contacts from my various art shows. The individuals may not be the right reporters, but I imagine they can point me in the right direction.”
“I say go for it,” Liz said. “This isn’t an isolated incident or something unique to Serenity. If anything, I’m sure it’s a bigger problem in the larger communities. Maybe we can point the way to how things like this should be handled.”
“Go, Liz,” Flo said. “Still a rabble-rouser.”
“And intend to be one until the day they lay me to rest,” Liz said proudly.
“Then we have a plan,” Paula said, pleased.
The others nodded. “We have a plan,” Flo confirmed. “I’ll fill Helen in. I have to admit I’m tickled to be part of some crusade she’s on. It’s not as if I can go to the courthouse and cheer her on when she’s handling a divorce, but I want her to know just how proud I am of the stances she takes against all kinds of injustice.”
“You should be proud of her,” Paula said. “I know it wasn’t always easy, but you raised a strong, intelligent, independent woman.”
“Who’s given me a granddaughter who’s the joy of my life,” Flo said. “Since I moved back to Serenity to be close to Helen, Sarah Beth and Erik, I count my blessings every single day of my life.”
“At our age, just getting up in the morning is one of the biggest blessings of all,” Frances said. “Having this cause where we might make a difference, that’s just downright amazing.”
Paula looked at the three extraordinary women around her table and thought they were the amazing ones. Having them as her friends was at the very top of her own list of blessings.
* * *
Laura took one look at Misty’s panicked expression when she arrived in class and felt her heart sink. There was little question that things weren’t going well on her first day back after the news of Annabelle’s suspension had spread. She was torn about pulling Misty aside for a chat. She feared that drawing attention to her would only compound the problem.
Thankfully Misty solved that for her by lingering after class.
“How’s it going?” Laura asked her when the other students had rushed off after casting a few disparaging looks in Misty’s direction.
“It sucks, if you want to know the truth,” Misty said. “Hardly anybody’s talking to me. All they do is whisper and point when they see me coming.”
Laura regarded her with sympathy. “I know that must be hard, but it’ll get easier. In a few days they’ll forget all about you and move
