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It was almost dusk when Maddie walked through the wrought-iron front gate of the monstrosity of a house that had been in the Townsend family for five generations. According to Helen, Bill had reluctantly agreed to let her remain there with the children, since the house would one day be Tyler’s. Staring up at the massive brick facade, Maddie almost regretted winning that point. She would have been happier in something cozier with a white picket fence and some roses. The upkeep on this place could bankrupt her, but Helen assured her she’d made provisions for that, too, in the settlement.

As she opened the front door, she braced herself to deal with her mother. But when she walked into the family room at the back of the house, it was Bill she discovered sitting on the sofa with Katie napping in his arms and the boys lounging in front of the TV, their attention riveted on a show she was pretty sure she’d never allowed them to watch. She immediately stiffened at the sight of some sort of extreme-fighting competition.

One thing at a time, she warned herself. Getting rid of her soon-to-be ex was her first priority.

Before she opened her mouth, though, she allowed herself a long hard look at him, something she hadn’t dared to do earlier. His blond hair was still thick, but there were a few silver strands she’d never noticed before, and an unhealthy pallor beneath his tan. The lines on his face, which once had lent character to his handsome features, made him look tired now. If it was still her business, she’d have been worried about him.

She reminded herself of how furious she’d been a few hours ago. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, reclaiming her earlier anger. “And where is my mother?”

The boys, used to her neutral tone and careful remarks about their father, regarded her with surprise. Bill merely frowned his disapproval.

“She left when I got here. I said I’d stay till you got home. We need to talk,” he said.

“I said all I have to say to you at Helen’s office,” she retorted, standing her ground. “Do I need to repeat it?”

“Maddie, please, let’s not start a scene in front of the kids.”

She knew he was less concerned about that than about having to face any more of her justifiable outrage. Even so, he had a point. Tyler was already looking as if he might leap to her defense. He’d felt compelled to do that too many times lately. He’d been stuffing down his own feelings in an attempt to be supportive to her. It was too much of a burden for a sixteen-year-old boy who’d once idolized his dad.

“Fine,” she said tightly. “Tyler, Kyle, go upstairs and finish your homework. I’ll fix supper as soon as your dad leaves.”

“Mine’s done,” Tyler said, not budging, his expression defiant.

“Mine, too,” Kyle said.

She gave them a warning look that had them scrambling to their feet.

“I’ll take Katie,” Tyler offered, picking up his sleeping sister.

“Goodbye, boys,” Bill called after them.

“Bye, Dad,” Kyle answered. Tyler said nothing.

Bill stared after them, his expression sad. “Tyler’s still furious with me, isn’t he?”

“Can you blame him?” she replied, incapable of dealing with Bill’s injured feelings.

“Of course not, especially with you feeding his resentment every chance you get,” he responded.

“I do not do that,” Maddie said heatedly. “As much as it pains me, I’ve done everything I can to keep them from hating you or seeing how badly you hurt me. Unfortunately, Ty and Kyle are old enough to reach their own conclusions and to see through whatever charade I put on.”

Bill immediately backed down. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ve tried. It’s just so frustrating. The kids and I used to be so close, but now Katie’s the only one who acts as if nothing’s changed.”

“Katie adores you,” Maddie said. “She’s six. Even after all these months, she doesn’t fully understand that you’re never coming back here to live. The boys know exactly what’s going on and that their lives will never be the same. Katie just cries herself to sleep every night when you’re not here to read her a story and kiss her good night. Not a day goes by when she doesn’t ask me what she did wrong and how we can fix it and when you’re coming back for good.”

She thought she caught a hint of guilt on Bill’s face, but then the polite mask she’d gotten used to seeing lately returned. She tried to remember the last time his eyes had lit up at the sight of her, the last time he’d actually met her gaze at all. Sadly, she couldn’t. She suspected it was long before he’d announced he was leaving her, most likely in the early days of his affair with Noreen. How had she not noticed such a dramatic change?

“Would you sit down, Maddie?” he said irritably. “I can’t get into this with you looming over me.”

“Into what? Surely there can’t be more bad news. Breaking up our marriage and our family pretty much covered all the bases, didn’t it?”

“You know, Madelyn, sarcasm doesn’t become you.”

“Well, pardon me all to hell!” she snapped, blaming the margaritas for her lack of inhibition. “Sarcasm is pretty much all I have left.”

His gaze narrowed. “You never used to swear.”

“Until recently, I never had anything to swear about,” she told him. “Would you just say whatever’s on your mind and leave? As I understand it, this is no longer your home, so I’d appreciate it if you’d call before coming by again.”

He gave her a defeated look and for an instant, she almost felt sorry for him. He’d made his choice, he was getting everything he wanted, but he didn’t seem all that happy about it. Before she could allow herself to remember the way she’d once loved him, she steeled herself and sat on the edge of a chair opposite him.

“I didn’t want things to turn out like this,” he said, meeting her gaze for the first time in weeks. “I really didn’t.”

Maddie sighed. “I know. Things happen.”

“If it weren’t for the baby…” His voice trailed off.

Maddie’s temper stirred. “Don’t you dare say that you’d have stayed with me if it weren’t for Noreen getting pregnant. That demeans her and me.”

He stared at her blankly. “How? I’m just trying to be honest.”

“It suggests you’re only with her because of the baby and it says you think I’d take you back after you cheated on me if there weren’t a baby to consider. You had an affair, Bill. I’m not sure I could have forgiven that.”

“Maybe not right away, but we might have fought harder to get back on track, to keep our family intact.”

“Okay,” she agreed reluctantly. “Maybe we would have, but that ship has pretty much sailed.”

“Can you at least promise me you’ll do what you can to help me fix things with the kids? I miss them, Maddie. I thought after all these months things would be better, but they’re not. I’m running out of ideas.”

“What you’re running out of is patience,” she retorted. “You wanted everything to fall neatly into place the instant you said goodbye to me, but unfortunately kids’ emotions can’t turn on a dime. They’re hurt and angry and confused. You’re going to have to work to change that. I can’t just wave a magic wand and make it okay. I agreed to let you have as much time with them as you want. What more do you expect?”

“An advocate,” he suggested.

“It’s one thing for me not to say anything negative about you to the children,” she told him. “But I’m not going to be a cheerleader for dear old dad.”

“Did you know that Tyler has flatly refused to set foot in my new place as long as Noreen is there? What am I supposed to do, ask her to leave? It’s her apartment.”

“Ty didn’t say anything to me about that,” she said, just a little pleased that her son had taken such a stand. She knew, though, that he and his father needed to mend fences. Bill had always been an important part of their oldest son’s life. Despite his busy schedule, Bill had never missed a ball game, a school conference or any other activity that meant something to Tyler. Sixteen was the worst possible age to have that kind of supportive relationship disrupted.

“I’ll talk to him,” she offered, backing off her refusal to become Bill’s advocate. She would do it for Ty’s sake. “But,” she reminded Bill, “he’s sixteen and has a mind of his own. I can’t force him to do anything. You may have to give it some time, work a little harder to win him back.”

“I’d appreciate anything you can do.” He stood up. “Well, that’s all I really wanted.”

“Okay, fine.”

“And to say one more time how sorry I am.”

She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and blinked hard to keep them from falling. Just in case one escaped, she turned away. “Me, too,” she said.

She kept waiting for him to leave, but she wasn’t prepared for the quick brush of his lips on her cheek before he strode out of the family room and out of the house.

Now the tears fell unchecked. “Well, damn you all to hell, Bill Townsend,” she muttered, hating that the quick, careless kiss had meant anything at all.

“Mom?”

Swiping at her tears, she gazed up at Tyler, who was studying her worriedly. “I’m okay,” she assured him.

“No, you’re not,” he said, then added heatedly, “I hate him for what he’s done to you. He’s such a lying hypocrite. All that talk he used to give me about how you’re supposed to treat someone you care about was just a crock.”

“Ty, he’s your dad. You don’t hate him,” she chided. “And what he told you is the way it’s supposed to be. People who care about each other should be kind and supportive and faithful. Unfortunately life doesn’t always follow the rules.”

“You can’t make me love him,” he said, his tone unyielding. “I heard what he asked you. He wants you to convince me he’s not a jerk.”

“He loves you. He came over here because he misses spending time with you.”

“I’m not the one who left,” Tyler said bitterly. “He is. Why should I go out of my way to see him, especially when she’s around all the time?”

Maddie moved to the sofa and held out her hand. “Come here.”

He hesitated, then came closer and awkwardly took her outstretched hand.

“Sit here beside me,” she said. When he was seated, she turned and met his gaze. “Ty, you’re old enough to understand that things don’t always work out with grown-ups just because we want them to. It’s not anybody’s fault.”

“Are you telling me that Dad having an affair and getting Noreen pregnant is as much your fault as it is his?”

Her lips curved in a small smile at that. “Well, no, I can’t say that, but obviously things weren’t good between your dad and me or he wouldn’t have turned to her.”

“Did you know they weren’t good?”

“No,” she told him candidly. In hindsight, the signs were there, tiny fissures so small she could be forgiven for missing them, but at the time she’d thought their marriage was as solid as anyone’s could be.

“Then it was all his fault,” Tyler concluded, still being fiercely loyal to her.

As much as she wanted to agree with him, she was determined to be fair. “Spend some time with him, Ty, just the two of you. Listen to his side of things,” she encouraged. “You’ve always been so close. Don’t lose that.”

“He’ll just make a bunch of excuses. I don’t want to hear them.” Ty regarded her warily. “Are you going to make me spend time with him?”

“I won’t force you to, no,” she said. “But I will be disappointed in you if you don’t at least try to meet him halfway.”

“Why?” he asked incredulously. “He walked out on you, Mom. On all of us. Why do we need to be fair?”

“He didn’t walk out on you, Kyle and Katie,” she said quietly. “He isn’t divorcing you. Your dad loves every one of you.”

“Man, I don’t get you,” her son said angrily, yanking his hand away and standing up. “How come I’m the only one in this house who sees Dad for the scumbag he is?”

“Tyler Townsend, don’t talk about your father like that!” she said.

His gaze locked with hers, then eventually faltered. “Whatever,” he mumbled and stalked out of the room.

Maddie watched him go, her heart aching. “Damn you, Bill Townsend,” she said for the second time that night.

The old Victorian house on the corner of Main and Palmetto Lane was at the western fringe of downtown Serenity. Not that there was much of a downtown anymore, Maddie thought as she stood with Helen and Dana Sue. The hardware store had stuck it out, as had the drugstore with its old-fashioned soda fountain, but Willard’s Grocery had been empty for a decade, ever since a superstore with discount grocery prices had opened twenty-five miles away on the outskirts of Charleston. It had quickly become evident that residents would rather drive all that way for a bargain than pay a few cents more to keep a local merchant in business.

The white paint on the Victorian was peeling, the shutters were askew and the porch sagged. The lawn hadn’t been cut in ages and most of the picket fence was broken. Maddie dimly remembered the place as it had been when old Mrs. Hartley was alive. Yellow roses had tumbled over the white fence, the porch and sidewalk had been swept daily and the shutters had gleamed with dark green paint.

Mrs. Hartley, who must have been in her eighties by then, had sat on the porch every afternoon with a pitcher of iced sweet tea and welcomed anyone who happened to walk by. More than once, Maddie had climbed onto the swing hanging from the porch rafters and eaten sugar cookies while her grandmother had visited with the elderly woman. Nana Vreeland and Mrs. Hartley had been witness to most of the changes in Serenity through the years, and Maddie knew she’d absorbed their love for the small town with its friendly people, old white clapboard churches and acres of green space with a small lake in the middle that was home to a family of swans. Free summer concerts in the bandstand by the lake drew everyone in town on Saturday nights.

Despite Serenity’s charm, a lot of people Maddie’s age had been eager to leave and never come back, but not Maddie or Bill. They’d never wanted to live anywhere else. Nor had Helen or Dana Sue. The slower pace and sense of community meant something to all of them.

“Boy, this place brings back a lot of memories,” Maddie said at last. “What a shame that none of Mrs. Hartley’s kids wanted the property or made any effort to take care of it.”

“Their loss is our gain,” Helen said briskly. “We can get it for a song.”

“I’m not surprised,” Maddie said. “Are you sure it’s safe to go inside? Looks to me as if all sorts of critters might have taken up residence in there.”

Dana Sue nudged her in the ribs. “Do you think we’ve forgotten about your terror of spiders and snakes? Helen made sure the real-estate agent had it all swept out last week. There’s nothing in there but the resident ghost.”

“Oh, please,” Maddie said. “How can there be a ghost? No one’s died here.”

“But wouldn’t it be fabulous if there were a ghost?” Dana Sue persisted. “Just think of the PR value. There’s nothing a Southerner loves quite so much as a good ghost story or bragging rights to having one up in the attic.”

“I’m not sure having a ghost would be much of a recommendation for a health club,” Helen said. “What if it appears in a mirror one day? It could scare twenty years off someone’s life and pretty much destroy the place’s reputation as a fitness mecca. I’m not sure even I could win that lawsuit.” She met Maddie’s gaze. “Ready to go inside?”

“Sure. Why not?” Maddie said, still trying to see what the two of them obviously saw in the run-down house. Even her memories of the way it had once been didn’t help her to envision it as a thriving spa.

Not two minutes later, though, once she’d stepped across the threshold and into the sunlight pooling on the old oak floors, her pulse began to race a little faster. The downstairs rooms were huge. The windows were dingy, but even so they let in streaming rays of sun. With pale yellow walls and white woodwork, the spa would be cheerful and welcoming. The floors could be brought back with sanding and a good coat or two of polyurethane.

When she reached the dining room, which faced the back of the property, she realized that the French doors and tall windows opened to a wooded lot with a small stream trickling through it. Treadmills set up to face that way would give the illusion of walking or running outdoors. Wouldn’t that afford women a sense of serenity while they exercised?

Dana Sue latched on to her hand and tugged her into the kitchen.

“Can you believe this?” she demanded, gesturing around her. “The appliances are old and the cabinets are a mess, but the room is huge. Just imagine what we could do with it.”

“I thought the idea of this place was to make people forget about food, not to feed them,” Maddie said.

“No, no, no,” Dana Sue chided. “It’s supposed to give them a place to make healthy choices. We could set up a counter over here and a few small tables in that area by the door. We could even open it onto the back patio and add a few tables outside.”

“Can you cook and serve in the same space?” Maddie asked.

“There won’t be any cooking done here, except for whatever classes we offer. I’ll cater the salads from the restaurant kitchen. We can get a professional refrigerator or display case for those. And we’ll offer smoothies and other drinks. Can’t you just imagine what fun it would be to work out with a couple of friends, then sit out there gazing at that stream and eating a chicken Caesar salad and drinking mineral water. You’d leave here feeling a thousand percent better, even if you never lost an ounce. And if we offered a hot tub and massages, oh, my gosh…” She sighed rapturously.

“That sounds great for someone who has all morning or all afternoon, but won’t the people who can afford what you’re talking about be working?” Maddie asked, continuing to play devil’s advocate.

“We’ve thought of that,” Helen said. “We could offer daylong or half-day packages for women who want to be really pampered for a special occasion. But we could also have a half-hour workout and lunch deal for someone who only has an hour-long break from work. And there are so many bedrooms, we could even convert one room to a nursery and hire a day-care worker so moms could exercise in peace.”

Maddie regarded them with surprise. It was beginning to seem they had an answer for everything. “You’ve really given this a lot of thought, haven’t you.”

Helen shrugged. “What can I say? I hate Dexter’s place and I really need to work out. I might as well create someplace I’ll enjoy going.”

“Me, too,” Dana Sue said. “If I own a place like this, though, I’ll have to stay in shape. I’ll be happy. Doc Marshall will be happy. Even my daughter will stop commenting about the bulge around my middle.”

“You do not have a bulge around your middle,” Maddie said indignantly. “That’s ridiculous!”

“Compared to my daughter, I’m downright obese,” Dana Sue insisted. “To tell you the truth, I think Annie’s taking the whole dieting thing to extremes, but every time I try to talk to her about it, she freaks out. And I can’t get her near a scale to prove my point.”

Helen regarded her with alarm. “You don’t think she’s anorexic, do you? Lots of teenage girls are, you know.”

“The idea scares me to death,” Dana Sue admitted. “I watch her like a hawk to see what she’s putting in her mouth, and she seems to eat okay. Maybe she’s just burning it all up. Some people are just plain lucky to have high metabolisms.”

Helen exchanged a worried look with Maddie.

“Dana Sue, don’t ignore this,” Maddie said gently. “It can be really dangerous.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Dana Sue snapped in a rare display of temper that proved just how worried she was. “I was there when Megan Hartwell collapsed at the prom, same as you. She nearly died, for goodness’ sake.”

Maddie backed off. That night had been one none of them would ever forget. It was the first time they’d seen what an eating disorder could do to someone their age. Heck, back then no one had even acknowledged there was such a thing as an eating disorder. Before that, Megan Hartwell’s dieting obsession had just been a joke among them. If Dana Sue’s daughter did have a problem, surely Dana Sue would recognize it and deal with it without Maddie or anyone else nagging her.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

Dana Sue gave her a hug. “No, I’m sorry for biting your head off.”

“Okay, let’s try to focus on this place,” Helen said briskly. “Maddie, now that you’ve seen it, what do you think?”

“I think it’s a very ambitious plan,” she said cautiously.

“Not for us,” Dana Sue said. “We can do anything we set our minds to. We are, after all, the Sweet Magnolias. Everyone at Serenity High knew we were destined to succeed. They said so in our yearbooks.”

“They also said we were most likely to raise a ruckus and land in jail,” Maddie said.

Helen grinned. “Okay, so it was a toss-up. But we’ve all stayed on the straight and narrow. And we have succeeded.”

Dana Sue nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Maybe you two can claim success,” Maddie said. “Helen not only made it through law school, but she’s built an incredible practice all over the state. Dana Sue, you’ve created a restaurant that’s as good as anything in Charleston, and that’s saying something. What have I ever done?”

“You put your worthless hubby through med school, managed a home and raised three great kids. That’s nothing to sneeze at,” Helen said.

“I just don’t know,” Maddie said. “This would be a huge time commitment and I really need to pay attention to the kids right now. They need me.”

“We know that. We probably understand your priorities better than any other boss would,” Dana Sue told her.

Maddie knew that was true, but she still wasn’t ready to say yes. There was one significant consideration she couldn’t ignore. “I’d be terrified of messing up and costing you a small fortune,” she admitted.

“If I’m not worried about that, why should you be?” Helen asked.

Despite the reassurance, Maddie couldn’t seem to shake the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was getting in way over her head. “How big a hurry are you two in to do this?” she asked.

“I took out an option on the property yesterday for thirty days,” Helen said.

“Then give me thirty days to make up my mind,” Maddie pleaded.

“What will you know in thirty days that you don’t know right this minute?” Dana Sue argued.

“I’ll be able to do some cost projections, some market analysis, take a look at what’s being offered in other towns in the area,” Maddie began.

Helen grinned again. “I told you she’d focus on all that sensible stuff,” she said to Dana Sue.

“Well, it’s important to know exactly what’s involved,” Maddie retorted. “And I want to look at the job market while I’m at it. I should see if there’s something I’m better suited to do.”

“In Serenity?” Helen scoffed.

“I could be qualified for lots of things,” Maddie said, though without much conviction.

“You are,” Helen concurred, “but not a lot of folks are going to offer you a partnership in your own business based on your résumé.”

“I have to look,” Maddie said stubbornly. “I have to be sure that this is the right thing for all of us. I’d never forgive myself if I just said yes and you wound up blowing a small fortune because I was incompetent or hadn’t done my homework.”

“I respect that,” Helen said. “I really do.”

Maddie met her gaze. “But? I hear a but in there.”

“But you haven’t taken a risk in over twenty years, and look where that’s gotten you. I say it’s high time to just throw caution to the wind and do what your gut tells you to do. You used to trust it.”

“So?” Dana Sue prodded. “What’s your gut saying, Maddie?”

Maddie gave them a rueful smile. “It’s saying yes,” she admitted.

“Well, hallelujah!” Dana Sue enthused.

Maddie shook her head. “Don’t get too worked up. From what I can see, my gut hasn’t been reliable for some time now. Up until a few months ago, I thought I had a good marriage.”

“Don’t blame your gut for that one,” Helen said. “Blame Bill for being an excellent liar.”

“Maybe so, but I think this time I’ll be more comfortable if I do a little research before taking the plunge. Come on, guys, thirty days. Is that so much to ask?”

Her friends exchanged a look.

“I suppose not,” Dana Sue said reluctantly.

“I bet she’ll be ready in a week,” Helen told Dana Sue.

Maddie frowned. “What makes you so sure?”

“I looked at the want ads in this morning’s paper,” Helen said. “Trust me, you won’t beat our offer.” When Maddie started to respond, Helen held up a hand. “It’s okay. You need to see for yourself. I understand that.”

“Thank you,” Maddie said.

“Just in case, though, I think I’ll go ahead and start on the partnership paperwork,” Helen said.

“Keep on being so smug, and I’ll turn you down just to spite you,” Maddie threatened.

“No, you won’t,” Helen said with confidence. “You’re way too smart to do that.”

Maddie tried to remember the last time anyone had complimented her on her intelligence, rather than her baking or hostessing skills. Maybe working with her two best friends would be good for her. Even if this health-club idea went belly-up, she might walk away with her self-esteem bolstered in a way it hadn’t been in years, to say nothing of the fact that they were bound to share a lot more laughter than she’d had in her marriage for a long time now. She ought to say yes for those reasons alone.

Because she was suddenly tempted to do just that, she gave Helen and Dana Sue quick hugs and headed for the door. “I’ll call you both,” she promised.

And, she vowed, not one minute before her thirty days was up.