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

set off the
bell that would have let Lynn know she was there. Her voice, unfortunately, was
plenty loud enough to carry to Lynn in the back room, stopping her in her
tracks. Lynn knew she should make her presence known, but instead, flushed with
embarrassment, she waited to see what might be said next.
    “You’re kidding!” her companion responded. “Isn’t Ed playing
golf at Pinehurst or someplace like that this week?”
    Lynn felt a chill. There was no doubt at all that they were
speculating about her and the financial mess she was in. How was she supposed to
go out there now and wait on them? Unfortunately, Raylene had just left for the
bank and Adelia was off today. She had no choice.
    She drew herself up, plastered a smile on her face and walked
out front as if she hadn’t just overheard the two women talking about her.
Worse, as soon as she saw them, she recognized them.
    “Good morning, Alicia. How are you? And you, too, Kelly
Ann?”
    Both women, who’d been in school with her and now had kids
about the same ages as Lexie and Jeremy, blushed furiously.
    Alicia recovered first. “Lynn, I had no idea you were working
here,” she said.
    “Apparently not,” Lynn said wryly. Unable to stop herself, she
felt compelled to add, “Unless, of course, you set out to embarrass me.”
    As soon as she’d uttered the bold comment, Lynn formulated an
apology, but to her astonishment, Kelly Ann walked over to her and gave her an
impulsive and apparently sincere hug.
    “Don’t you dare think a thing like that,” Kelly Ann admonished.
“If anyone in this town ought to be embarrassed, it’s that no-account husband of
yours.” She said it with unmistakable and obviously heartfelt disdain.
    Lynn regarded her with gratitude. “I appreciate the sentiment,
but please, if you hear people talking about what’s going on with us, try to
quiet them down. I don’t want the kids to hear this kind of gossip. The
situation is tough enough on them as it is.”
    “We’ll put a stop to it,” Alicia promised, obviously eager to
make amends for her careless comments. “I just wasn’t thinking. You know me. If
I know something, I tend to blab it. I’ll watch it from here on out. I know how
I’d feel if it were me people were talking about and my kids overheard it.”
    “When did you start working here, hon?” Kelly Ann asked,
thankfully changing the subject.
    “Just a couple of months ago, part-time. Raylene has Adelia
Hernandez working full-time. I fill in on weekends or when either of them is off
during the week.”
    “Does Raylene have you on commission?” As soon as she’d asked,
Kelly Ann turned pale. “Is that too personal? I was only asking because I
thought maybe we could make up for being so thoughtless before.”
    Lynn nodded. “Salary, plus commission,” she confirmed.
    “Well, then, Alicia, we need to whip out our credit cards and
get busy,” Kelly Ann said cheerily.
    Lynn, who hadn’t bought so much as a cheap T-shirt for herself
since the separation, watched in awe as the two women quickly spent more money
than she made in a month.
    Kelly Ann stood back and surveyed their purchases with
satisfaction as Lynn put everything into bags. She gave Lynn a wide grin.
    “That ought to make up just a little bit for us coming in here
and being so insensitive,” she said.
    “I appreciate the sales,” Lynn said. For once it didn’t seem to
matter whether the purchases were made out of guilt or pity. She simply focused
on what a nice boost they’d be to her paycheck.
    “Do you have a regular schedule?” Kelly Ann asked. “If you do,
we’ll make sure to come in when you’re working.”
    “No. I’m usually here three days a week, but I’m never sure
which days those might be. It depends on when Raylene or Adelia need to be off,”
Lynn said. Even though she was picking up more hours from Mitch, she added, “And
if you happen to hear of anyone else looking for someone part-time or full-time,
let me