Catching Fireflies (28 page)

“A little,” she conceded. “But I have to admit there’s a part of me that is very happy to finally have a social life worth talking about.”

J.C. caught the teasing note in her voice and chuckled with her. “Yeah, that’s a new one to me, too. It’s not half as bad as I expected it to be.”

“Just one thing, though, J.C.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m always going to be more concerned about what you’re thinking than I am about what people are saying.”

He considered that and thought he heard a faint need for reassurance behind the softly spoken words. “What I’m thinking is that we should continue this conversation in person. Is it too late for me to come over?”

“I think it’s the best idea you’ve had since you called,” she said without even the slightest hesitation.

“Then I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Great. And, J.C.?”

“Yes.”

“Bring your toothbrush and clothes for work.”

“And that’s the best idea
you’ve
had since I called.”

He had no idea yet where this was going, but getting there was certainly turning out to be an unexpected delight.

17

A
week after everything broke at school, Misty stood in the doorway of the kitchen, openmouthed with surprise at the sight of her mother standing at the stove fixing breakfast. It was the first time she’d been up and dressed and looking like her old self in weeks, much less cooking a real meal.

“Pancakes?” Misty said, sniffing the air appreciatively.

“With warm maple syrup, just the way you and Jake like them,” her mother confirmed. “Is he up yet? I thought I heard his shower running. You two need to be out the door for school shortly.”

“Jake’s up,” Misty said. She hesitated, then added, “I was gonna ask you, though, if I could stay home today.”

Her mother turned away from the stove and studied Misty with a concerned expression. “You feeling okay?”

Misty shrugged.

Diana’s face softened with understanding. “You’re afraid of what the talk’s going to be like at school today,” she guessed, then shook her head, her expression filled with regret. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you stay home. It’s going to be all the harder to go back now, isn’t it?”

“Well, duh!” Misty said with feeling. “By now Annabelle’s had time to call all her friends and get them on her side. I’ll be, like, some kind of pariah.” She gave her mother a pleading look. “I know Annabelle getting suspended was supposed to fix things and send, like, this huge message, but come on, Mom. It’s bound to be worse than ever. Please let me stay home, just one more day. I’ll go tomorrow.”

“Sweetheart, it won’t be any easier tomorrow. It’s always better to face your fears sooner rather than later. Look what happened to me. I refused to admit to myself that your father was going to leave me no matter what I did to try to hold on. I made all of you miserable for weeks, rather than facing the reality and figuring out how to deal with it.”

“It’s not even close to the same thing,” Misty insisted. “Everyone doesn’t hate you.”

“And no one hates you, either. Annabelle was obviously jealous, and she won’t be in school, anyway. And Betty Donovan and Laura Reed are not going to let another student bully you,” Diana said with confidence.

Misty rolled her eyes. “Come on. They may be motivated to protect me, but they have their own problems now with Mrs. Litchfield spreading all sorts of rumors about them and threatening to get them fired.”

“You’re their top priority,” her mother said firmly, setting pancakes in front of Misty along with the pitcher of warm syrup. “I truly believe that.”

“But they can’t be everywhere at once to protect me. Please, Mom, let me stay home. I’ll bet you could get Dr. Fullerton to give me a note.”

“I’m very grateful to him for how he’s handled all this, but I don’t think asking him for a note when you’re perfectly fine is a good idea. It didn’t work very well last time you tried it, did it?”

“Yeah, but he knows more now and he really gets what’s going on at school. Seriously, Mom, way more than you know.”

“I’m glad you have his support, but here’s how I see it. Your job is to go to school, make good grades and get into your dream college. You can’t let this situation ruin that for you. If you do, you’ll regret it.” She held Misty’s gaze. “Do you want a girl like Annabelle to have that much power over your future?”

When she looked at it that way, Misty shook her head. “No,” she conceded reluctantly.

“Then going back to school and facing everyone is your only option. I know you’re strong enough to do that. You’ve shown me just how strong you are by dealing with so much on your own.”

Misty felt a tiny hint of satisfaction at her mother’s praise. “You really think I’m strong?”

Her mom smiled. “The strongest girl I know. Would you like me to drive you to school today?”

Misty regarded her with horror. “And let everyone think I’ve turned into this huge baby? No way. You just said I’m strong, so how would that look? If you’re sure I can’t stay home, I’ll walk like always.”

“I’m sure,” Diana said firmly. She gave Misty a stern look. “And don’t get any ideas about taking a detour that might take, say, six or seven hours to get you there. Ms. Reed and Ms. Donovan know they’re to call me immediately if you’re not in class. We were in touch about my decision to let you stay home. They know that ends today.”

Misty regarded her mother with a weird mix of approval and disappointment. “I’m really glad you’re getting your act back together, Mom, but you picked a really sucky time to do it.”

At the sound of her mom’s laugh, Misty grinned, too. Maybe things would be back to normal soon for all of them.

She poked at the pancakes on her plate, which were suddenly tasteless. “Mom,” she asked hesitantly, “are you and Dad okay?”

“If you mean are we finally communicating without me wanting to rip his heart out, yes,” Diana said in a resigned tone. “But, sweetheart, the breakup of a marriage is tough on everyone, even your dad. It’ll take a while for all of us to figure out how this new arrangement is supposed to work. The one thing that should never be in doubt is that your dad loves you and Jake to pieces. He’s behind you a hundred percent. If you need him, all you have to do is give him a call.”

“I just don’t want you to feel bad if I do,” Misty told her.

“The divorce is between me and your dad, not you and your dad. You are never to feel bad about loving him or needing him, okay?” she said, pausing to give Misty a hug, then murmuring half to herself. “We’re going to be fine. All of us are going to be just fine.”

Misty was almost ready to believe it.

* * *

As it turned out, the get-together Paula had planned with her friends had been delayed until Monday. She set Erik’s coconut cake masterpiece—a freshly baked one he’d made just this morning to replace the one she’d had to cancel—in the middle of her dining room table, along with a bowl of fresh fruit and her best teacups. She’d had to wash those to get off the dust that had accumulated in the years since she’d last used them.

The collectible chintz cups had always made her smile with their cheery, if mismatched, floral designs. Because of Paula’s botanical artwork, Maddie had bought her the first one. She’d found it at a garage sale when she was maybe eight. Each year after that first successful gift, given so tentatively, she’d searched and found a different one for Paula’s birthday until there were a dozen or more in the cupboard. Now they were among Paula’s greatest treasures.

She wasn’t sure what to expect when Liz, Flo and Frances arrived, but she was happily surprised to see Frances looking both strong and suitably indignant.

“The minute Liz told me about your call, I was eager to do whatever I can,” Frances told her. “That poor child,” she murmured with a shake of her head. “And for it to be someone with all of Annabelle’s advantages who’s been tormenting her…” She sighed. “I just don’t understand young people these days.”

“There was always bullying,” Liz reminded them. “Back in my day a lot of it came from racial prejudice, but these days with that internet readily available for whatever slur someone happens to think of, well, that’s new and downright dangerous, if you ask me. It gives people with all sorts of crazy ideas a platform to spew them out there for everyone to see. No one bothers to separate fact from fiction.”

“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.”