Somebody to Love(71)

“I most certainly am.” Maggie smiled.

“Shouldn’t you be doing something other than working?”

“Nah,” Maggie said. “It’s a low-key thing. How are the flowers coming? Have you started?”

“They’ll be beautiful,” Parker said. She hoped that was true. Lavinia hadn’t seemed too concerned over what they were making.

Maggie checked her watch. “Oops. Gotta fly. I have to pick up my dress in an hour. I ate so much last night, I’m not sure it’ll fit.” She waved and bopped into the kitchen. The woman seemed perpetually happy. Then again, with tall, dark and smokin’ as her fiancé, why wouldn’t she? Plus, she was a twin, which Parker had always thought would be so cool. A brother, too, Chantal’s husband. Nice, to have siblings. Or so Parker imagined.

“She’s back there cleaning,” Althea said incredulously, craning her head. “She’s getting married tomorrow, and she’s cleaning!”

“She seems pretty laid-back.”

“Hey, Parker, guess what?” Georgie said, stopping by their booth. “I got a tux. I’m the best man. For Malone.”

“I heard that, Georgie. That’s really great. Are you nervous?”

“A little bit. I’ve been practicing.” He solemnly pantomimed reaching into his pocket and handing over the ring.

“Looks like you’ve got it nailed,” Parker said.

“Thanks! It’s a nice day, isn’t it? Well, I have to mop the kitchen floor. Bye!”

“Bye, pal.”

Althea was frowning. Sort of. Must be time for another shot of botulism if Parker could read her expression. “Parker, how do you know all these people?” she asked.

“Small town, Mom.”

“Well, you fit right in, don’t you?”

Parker paused. “I guess. Lavinia helps. I’m related to her, can’t be too bad, that sort of thing.”

Althea shrugged.

“So what’s going on, Mom?” Parker asked gently, taking a sip of her milk shake.

Her mother didn’t answer right away, choosing to examine her water glass for smudges. Finally, she spoke. “I thought you inherited the Pines.”

“So you said.”

“And I thought you might be able to loan me some money.”

Parker’s head jerked back.

Her mom sighed and nudged a cherry tomato with her fork. “Parker, I know it seems like I’m well-off, but the truth is, I’m not. Maury is, and the shriveled old bastard keeps me on a budget. A small budget. He wants me to look good, so things like clothes and jewelry, that’s fine. Anything else, anything that’s just for me, forget it.”

“I thought you were really happy,” Parker said. “Bliss incarnate and all that.”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “No. I was embarrassed. Fourth husband, you’d think I could get it right. But it turns out that he has control issues, in addition to that bowel thing. Honestly, I should be getting hardship pay.”

Parker set down her burger, appetite gone. “Why don’t you leave him, Mom?”

Althea blushed. “I’m sixty-two years old, honey. I need to stay married. How would I support myself? Really?”

Parker swallowed, her eyes stinging. “I wish you’d told me earlier. I would’ve given you money, Mom.” She reached across the table and held her mother’s hand. Crap. Two months ago, she could’ve given her mother as much as she needed. Not anymore.

“I was holding out hope that Maury and I would be happy again. I was in denial, whatever.” She paused. “Aunt Julia told me years ago you were going to inherit her place, and for whatever reason, I thought she meant the Pines. You know I never kept in touch with them once you were out of high school. Then Lavinia called me and said you’d been in jail, and I really did want to help. But I also thought…well. I thought I could leave Maury and start over.”

“You’d really leave him, Mom?”

“I think he’s going to divorce me for a younger model, and with that prenup he made me sign, I don’t have much.”

“Oh, Mom. I’m sorry. I can’t help there. But you have three ex-husbands, Mom. Didn’t you save anything? And what about the Harrington money?”

Another huge sigh. “The Harrington money was gone before I was born. All that was left was the memory of what it was like to be rich and a little set aside for my education. At least there was that. And when this all happened with your father, and I heard about your trust fund, I wanted to kill him, because I know how you gave all your book money to the World Wildlife Fund—”

“Save the Children.”

“Same thing. So now we’re both stuck, it seems.” Althea sighed and rubbed her forehead. “At least you’re young. Ish. You could probably get Collier to marry you by the end of the year. He’s clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed. Me, I’ll have to look for someone even older than Maury.”

“You could always…” Parker’s voice trailed off.

“I could always what, dear? Become a party planner?”

She had a point. Althea had never worked, outside of the tremendous efforts she put into husband hunting and wrestling Father Time. “I don’t know, Mom. We could figure something out.”