Read Online Where Azaleas Bloom by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online Page A

morning.”
    “Well, I’m solvent,” Nate assured him. He hesitated, then said,
“Actually, I was thinking of coming home for the weekend. Is that okay?”
    “You know it is,” Mitch said eagerly. “You don’t even have to
ask.”
    “Um,” Nate began, suddenly sounding nervous, “would it be okay
if I brought someone with me?”
    Mitch stopped in his tracks. “Since you’ve hauled half a dozen
friends home with no notice, I’m guessing this is a female sort of someone.”
    “Yeah. Her name’s Jo, short for Josephine, if you can believe
it. Does anyone name their girls that anymore?”
    “Obviously, some parents do,” Mitch said. “I’ll look forward to
meeting her.”
    “Okay, so here’s the deal. I need to know if you’re gonna freak
out if she stays in my room.”
    Mitch sucked in a deep breath and lifted his eyes heavenward.
“How about a little help here, Amy?” he murmured, trying to think how she would
handle this. He knew as well as anyone that a twenty-one-year-old was likely to
be sleeping with anyone he was dating seriously. And he had to assume this was
serious if Nate wanted to bring the girl home. And yet he wasn’t sure he was
quite ready to sanction such behavior under his roof.
    “Sorry, pal. Not acceptable.”
    “But, Dad,” Nate began.
    “Your mom always had firm rules about this sort of thing,”
Mitch reminded him. “You knew them when you went away to college. What you do at
school is up to you, but in our house guests stay in the guest rooms.”
    “It’s not like she’s a guest exactly,” Nate said. “I wanted to
tell you this when we got there, but I guess I’d better do it now. We’re
engaged.”
    Mitch felt the sudden, unexpected sting of tears in his eyes.
More than ever, he wished Amy were alive for this moment. She’d know what to
say, how to react. He, however, had to force his enthusiasm. Nate was so darn
young. His life hadn’t even started yet.
    “Engaged, huh?” he said, trying to inject an upbeat note into
his voice. “Congratulations, son. I mean that. I wish your mom were here. She’d
be so excited for you.”
    “I know,” Nate said quietly. “It’s kinda hard knowing she’ll
never get to meet Jo, give her a stamp of approval, if you know what I
mean.”
    Mitch smiled. “I know exactly what you mean.” Amy had always
been careful about sharing her opinion of the girls their sons had dated, but
they’d known anyway. She’d been terrible about hiding her feelings. And those
feelings had clearly influenced both Nate and Luke. The lousy choices had never
lasted long, even though she’d kept her mouth clamped firmly shut.
    “So, now that you know about the engagement, can she stay in my
room?” Nate asked.
    Mitch was still struggling with the idea of his son being ready
to make such a huge commitment. The sleeping arrangements seemed minor all of a
sudden.
    “How about we talk about that when you get here?” He wanted to
see for himself just how committed the two of them seemed to be. Or maybe he was
just trying to postpone the inevitable—admitting that his son had grown up on
him.
    “Okay, Dad,” Nate said, conceding the point. “See you tomorrow
night.”
    “Drive carefully.”
    “Always,” Nate replied.
    There’d been a time when Nate might have rolled his eyes at the
admonition. Luke, too. But since Amy’s tragic accident, none of them took
anything for granted when it came to driving. Mitch knew one thing with one
hundred percent certainty—neither of his sons would ever drive drunk. And even
sober, they’d drive responsibly and defensively. He hated the way they’d had to
learn that lesson, but he had to admit he was glad they’d taken it to heart.
    Now he just had to pray that Nate had taken to heart everything
Amy and Mitch had taught him about the responsibility that went along with love
and marriage.

5
    “I heard she might have to apply for food
stamps,” a woman shopper at Raylene’s boutique said. Her entrance