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  She drew in a deep breath, then added pointedly, “Of course, I think he already had a pretty good handle on that concept, because that’s what he did with you. For years, he put you first.”

  Annie flushed with guilt at Maddie’s criticism, but she still couldn’t stop herself from retorting, “And then he stopped. Let’s not forget that, Maddie. He didn’t have some one-night stand with one woman. He was having flings with women in every city with a National League team. It just so happened that Trevor’s mama got pregnant. Ty stopped worrying about me and my feelings a long time before that happened.”

  Maddie’s burst of anger fizzled out. “Okay, okay,” she said wearily. “I know you’re right. What he did to you was lousy. I just can’t help thinking about the way it used to be. Every time I turned around, the two of you had your heads together. Even when you were little, when Ty thought most girls were an annoyance, he had a soft spot in his heart for you. As for you, you always thought he hung the moon. I remember my heart aching for you because you were so obviously crazy about him, long before he started thinking of you as having girlfriend potential. When you two finally got together, it was as if my prayers had been answered. I knew things were the way they were supposed to be.”

  She sounded so nostalgic, Annie sat down and regarded her with sympathy. “I wish it were the way it used to be, too, but I can’t change what happened, Maddie. I can’t forget it, either.”

  Maddie shook her head sorrowfully. “You two apart, it’s such a waste.” When Annie remained silent, Maddie sat up straighter. “Okay, obviously you didn’t come in here to talk about my son. What did you need?”

  Annie hesitated, afraid her reason would be too telling, especially after the conversation they’d just had. Still, it was important. “I’ve been doing some research,” she began, phrasing her words very carefully.

  “On?”

  “Some equipment that might be helpful for people with shoulder injuries.”

  Maddie’s expression brightened, but she was wise enough not to connect Annie’s idea directly to Ty. “You have the information with you?”

  Annie reached in her back pocket and pulled out the pages she’d printed off the computer over the past few days. She handed them to Maddie. “I know this stuff is expensive, but we could start with just one piece, see how much use it gets.” She pointed to the page on top. “I think this one, which helps with range of motion, should be the first one we consider. We don’t have anything comparable.”

  Maddie gave her a knowing look. “How many clients do you have at the moment who might benefit from this?”

  Annie swallowed hard. “I don’t have any right now, but we both know that Elliott does.”

  Maddie nodded. “That’s what I thought. It’s for Ty.”

  “He won’t be the only person who’ll ever need it,” Annie argued. “Women hurt their shoulders playing tennis or lifting kids all the time.”

  Maddie grinned. “Nice save. How about this? I’ll consider the equipment, if you’ll reconsider working with Ty. I might even make him buy the machine, since he’ll be the primary beneficiary for the time being. That way I won’t have to try to squeeze the money out of the budget and explain it to your mom and Helen.”

  “You’re trying to manipulate me,” Annie accused.

  Maddie didn’t flinch. “Yes, this time I am,” she admitted. “He’s my son and he needs you.”

  The outright request wasn’t unexpected, but still, Annie sighed heavily. “I’ll think about it,” she said eventually. “I’ll give you an answer in a couple of days.”

  “Perfect. We can discuss it again as soon as Ty’s back in town.”

  Annie would have left then, probably should have left then, but she stayed. “Would you tell me something?”

  “If I can.”

  “Why did he come here for rehab when he could have had a whole team of top-notch doctors and therapists in Atlanta, along with every piece of top-of-the-line machinery on the market?”

  Maddie smiled at the question. “Do you really need me to answer that?”

  “He wanted to be home,” Annie said, half hoping that was all it had been.

  “He wanted to see you,” Maddie corrected. “There’s not a doubt in my mind about that. The rest of us, we’re just the icing on the cake.”

  Annie wanted so badly to believe her, but doing that, having hope…she wasn’t sure she dared.

  Helen walked to the door with her client, then turned to find her longtime secretary regarding her wearily, a fan of pink message slips in her hand.

  “Your mother,” Barb said succinctly.

  Helen took the half dozen or so pieces of paper and asked, “What on earth did she want that was so important? I’m sure she talked your ear off about it, whatever it was.”

  “I believe she’d like you to pick up some shampoo. She doesn’t like the brand you use. And then there’s the soap. It’s too harsh for her skin. And since you’re going to the store, anyway, it would be nice to have some chocolate-dipped macaroons. They’re her favorite.”

  “Did you tell her shopping lists aren’t in your job description?”

  “I thought maybe the parameters of my job were changing,” Barb said tartly, though her expression was filled with amusement.

  Helen sighed. “I’ll tell her she can’t call here all day long.”

  “Hold on a minute. I didn’t say I minded chatting with her,” Barb protested. “I’m sure she’s bored to tears cooped up in that house all day long. Has she been in touch with any of her old friends?”

  “Not that I’m aware of,” Helen said. “I’m not sure how many old friends she still has around town. She had coworkers, but she didn’t have a lot of spare time to spend with other people.”

  “Well, she needs some distractions, and trust me, Letitia Lowell is not going to provide them. I know I told Erik she’s a good caregiver and she is, but she has the personality of a tortoise…slow, steady and dull.”

  “We didn’t hire her to provide entertainment,” Helen said.

  Barb gave her an impatient look. “I know that, but try to imagine being stuck in the house all day long with nothing to do and no way to get away from the tedium. You’d be calling Erik every ten minutes.”

  “True,” Helen admitted. It had been hard enough in the first weeks after Sarah Beth’s birth, when she’d taken time off from work. Even though she’d been able to pack up the baby and visit friends, she’d almost gone stir-crazy before she’d finally been able to come back to work at least part-time.

  “Did she belong to a church here in town?” Barb asked. “A lot of them have people who visit members of the congregation when they’re confined to home.”

  Helen’s expression brightened. “Actually, she did go to the Methodist Church. Right before she left she mentioned something about joining their seniors group. I think she might have gone to a few of their activities.”

  “Well, find out and call some people. In the meantime, if you’ll let me take a break, I’ll go pick up those things she wanted and drop them by.”

  “You are not her personal shopper,” Helen protested.

  “I know that, but I could use some things, too, so I can kill two birds with one stone.” She grinned. “And I can do it on your time.”

  “If you’re sure you don’t mind, go,” Helen told her. “I’ll answer the phones.”

  On her way back to her office, she checked her schedule and saw that Sarah Price was due in for a two o’clock appointment. It was after that now. Helen thought about the fact that a couple of years ago, a client who wasn’t prompt might have had to wait weeks for another appointment. These days she was determined to maintain a more rational pace. That didn’t mean that having a few unexpectedly free minutes didn’t make her antsy. Apparently, she and her mom were more alike than she’d thought. Neither of them knew how to fill free time.

  When Sarah finally arrived, Helen tried to reconcile the harried young woman who rushed in filled with a
pologies with Annie’s stalwart friend from high school. Obviously her life had taken a stressful detour.

  “Sarah, how are you?” she asked, giving her a hug.

  “Believe it or not, I’m a whole lot better than I was when I got back to town a few weeks ago,” Sarah said with a halfhearted grin.

  “Come on into my office and tell me why you’re here,” Helen said.

  “Actually, I was thinking maybe I should reschedule,” Sarah told her. “I found a sitter at the last minute, but I don’t really know her. I probably shouldn’t stay.”

  “Sounds like cold feet,” Helen said.

  Sarah stared at her blankly. “What do you mean?”

  “Just that you came in here with an excuse all ready for not going through with whatever made you set up the appointment in the first place.”

  For an instant it seemed Sarah might argue, but eventually she sighed. “You caught me. Annie kind of talked me into coming to see you, and then I had second thoughts.”

  “Is this about a divorce?” Helen asked, her tone a lot more gentle than it might have been a couple of years ago. Since marrying Erik, she’d discovered the dynamics of a marriage could be incredibly complex, and the prospect of ending it was never as cut-and-dried as she’d previously assumed.

  Sarah nodded.

  “Do you want the divorce or is it your husband’s idea?”

  “That’s the thing. Nobody’s mentioned it yet, but I just know it’s coming. I’m pretty sure Walter’s already seen a lawyer. I guess what we’re doing right now is a trial separation, though nobody called it that, either. I want to be prepared.”

  “Do you want to fight it?”

  “I did. When I first came home for this break to get myself together, I wanted to do whatever it took to save my marriage.” She lifted her chin and met Helen’s gaze. “Now I want to do what’s best for me and the kids. I don’t think that’s going back to Alabama and my marriage.”

  “Do you want to initiate proceedings?”

  Sarah looked startled by the question. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve been so busy worrying about what would happen when Walter—he’s my husband—filed and insisted on full custody of Tommy that I never for one minute thought about taking charge and going after what I want.”

  “Which is?”

  “I want to stay in Serenity and raise my kids right here, both of my kids,” she stressed.

  Helen jotted down some notes. “Are you saying that you think your husband’s only going to try to get full custody of your son?”

  Sarah nodded. “Pretty archaic, isn’t it? His whole family just wants to be sure there’s a son to inherit the family business.”

  Helen was appalled. “You’re kidding me! He would split the children up, basically reject your daughter?”

  “I can’t swear to it, but that’s what he’s been hinting at for months now. It’s like he wants to divvy up the kids the same way he’d split the china and silver between us.”

  “Not going to happen,” Helen said direly. “I’ll see to that. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, the fact that he would even consider such a request is grounds to declare him an unfit parent.”

  Sarah’s expression turned hopeful. “Then we could fight him? We’d have a good case?”

  “Absolutely.” She met Sarah’s worried gaze. “Sweetie, I do not want to push you into doing anything you’re not ready to do, but if you’re certain that a divorce is the next step, I would encourage you to establish residency back here again as quickly as possible, make sure all the utilities are in your name, register to vote, get the house in your name, if you can. Get a job, even if it’s part-time. Then file here, before he can file over in Alabama. You want this fight on your turf, if at all possible.”

  Sarah looked a little overwhelmed by the lengthy list of instructions.

  “Thank you so much, Ms. Decatur,” Sarah said. “I’ll think about everything you said. I’ll be back as soon as I’ve made a decision.”

  “It’s Helen. And don’t wait too long, Sarah. Think about what you want, about what’s best. If you decide you want to fight for your marriage, there are some counselors I can recommend.”

  Sarah gave her a rueful look. “As if Walter would ever agree to see anyone. He thinks I’m the only one who needs to change.”

  Helen cringed. How often had she heard those exact words? And ninety percent of the time, the assessment came from the men most in need of help.

  “How long is he expecting you to be away?”

  “Until I’m fixed,” Sarah said, her tone wry.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m supposed to lose weight, learn how to manage the kids and figure out how to run a household to the high standards of the Price family. I’m not sure there’s a time frame long enough for me to accomplish all that to his satisfaction.”

  “Which makes divorce a near-certainty, then, doesn’t it?” Helen said.

  Sarah sighed. “I suppose it does.” She shook off the hesitancy, then said, “I know it does.”

  “Then make sure it’s on your terms,” Helen told her. “And I’ll be honest with you, from the very little bit you’ve already told me, I’d say you’ll be well rid of him.”

  “Annie says the same thing.”

  Helen seized on that. “Has she ever met him?”

  “No, she’s just going by what I’ve said.”

  “Too bad. It would be nice to have her as a witness.”

  “The only people who know Walter well are in Alabama and they’ll all take his side,” Sarah said. “His family practically owns the town we live in.”

  “Then all the more reason to file here.”

  “I know you’re right. It’s just such a huge step, you know.”

  “I do know, and only you can make the decision. Just think about the consequences of waiting around until he acts.”

  Sarah stood a little taller then and a hint of resolve stole over her face. “I’ll be back tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

  “Call me first thing in the morning and I’ll see that we fit you into the schedule,” Helen said, relieved that she’d apparently gotten through to her.

  Over the years she’d discovered that there was an early balancing act to be done with a prospective new client. She never wanted to tip the scales in favor of divorce if there was any chance at all of reconciliation, but she was experienced at recognizing the signs when divorce was inevitable. This was one of those times.

  “It’s going to be okay, Sarah. I promise you. When I go into court, I fight to win.”

  Sarah didn’t look entirely convinced, but she did look more at peace than she had when she’d first arrived.

  After she’d gone, Helen sat back and thought about the conversation. For years the women—and sometimes men—she’d fought for had been her own age or older. They were, more often than not, divorces that hit as part of a midlife crisis, when one person or the other suddenly decided they needed to make a dramatic change. She’d dealt with cheaters and abusers, as well.

  Sarah was the first client she’d handled from the next generation, someone still at the age when the future should have been at its brightest, the glow of marriage still incandescent.

  Saddened by the meeting, she reached for her phone and dialed Erik’s cell.

  “Hey you,” he said, the warmth in his tone immediately cheering her. “What’s up?”

  “I just needed to hear your voice,” she admitted.

  “Tough case?”

  “One of Annie’s friends,” she told him. “She’s much too young to be a married mother of two, it seems to me, much less already talking about divorce.”

  “Not everybody waits around till they hit forty to think about getting married the way you did,” he reminded her.

  “Well, they should. I’m not sure it’s possible to understand just how rare and wonderful a good relationship is until you’re at least that old.”

  “So you appreciate me,” he teased, his voice dropping.
“Does that mean what I think it does?”

  Helen laughed at the hopeful note in his voice. “I’ll fix Flo an extra cocktail tonight so she’ll sleep soundly. She should be out for the night by the time you get home.”

  “Should I bring home some champagne?”

  “No need,” she told him. “All I need is you.”

  “Then isn’t it a good thing that you have me,” he said. “Always.”

  Helen sighed happily. “It’s a very good thing.”

  In fact, right this second she couldn’t imagine anything better.

  10

  Ty paced back and forth in Jay’s office waiting for the attorney to get off the phone. Just before the call had come in, he’d informed Ty that Dee-Dee had surfaced again, but they’d been interrupted before he could fill in the details.

  By the time Jay eventually hung up, Ty had worked up a full head of steam.

  “What did she want?” he demanded.

  Jay regarded him blankly. “She? I was talking to Gus Davis,” Jay said.

  “Not Gus, dammit. Dee-Dee. You said she’d been in touch again.”

  “Settle down, Ty. I know this will upset you, but you have to think about what’s best for Trevor.”

  “In other words, she wants to see him again,” Ty said, his heart sinking. It was exactly as he’d feared. Out of the blue, she suddenly wanted to be part of their son’s life again. If she could be counted on, maybe, just maybe, that would be okay. His greatest fear, though, was that she’d breeze in, Trevor would get attached to his mom, and Dee-Dee would lose interest. He had to prevent that at all costs.

  He fought against the tide of dismay washing over him. “Why now?”

  “She claims her life is more settled now. She’s engaged and expects to marry this fall. She wants a relationship with her son, and her fiancé…” He glanced down at his notes. “The fiancé’s a guy named Jim Foster and he’s backing her on this. I don’t know anything about him, but she made him sound like a pillar of the community.”