For a tiny, fleeting instant, Laura almost felt sorry for Mariah. It must be awful to realize that there was little to nothing she could say or do to rescue Annabelle from this mess of her own creation. The town’s darling was about to be a pariah at only seventeen. Once again, she wondered if Annabelle wouldn’t be better off at a school far from Serenity where she could have her own fresh start.
“Knowing that Misty has all this support is great,” Laura said, choosing her words carefully.
Sarah frowned. “Why don’t you sound happier?”
“Because Laura’s afraid it could wind up with the rest of us getting caught up in doing a little bullying of our own to get even,” Annie guessed. “Am I right?”
Laura nodded. “What Annabelle did was horribly wrong. Mariah’s just being a mom. She’s trying to defend her daughter. I’d hate to see everyone gang up on them.”
“How can you possibly take their side?” Sarah asked, her expression incredulous.
“I’m not,” Laura insisted. “Far from it. But bullying is bullying. Would we be one bit better than Annabelle if we turn right around and try to demonize her? She needs to be punished, taught a lesson, one from which she’ll hopefully emerge as a more thoughtful, considerate young lady.”
“Eternal optimist,” Raylene said with a shake of her head. “I’m not that hopeful for a major transformation, not with Mariah defending her behavior wherever she can gather an audience.”
“And you should hope that the town stays solidly against her,” Sarah warned. “Because you and Betty are going to need that support to keep your jobs. Ugly doesn’t begin to cover what that woman is capable of doing.”
“But the school board has been fully informed about what actually happened,” Laura said confidently, though for the first time she felt a little twinge of anxiety. “They’re not going to let Mariah target us, or, if she does, I’m certain they’ll defend us.”
“I’m just saying, it wouldn’t hurt to have community support on your side,” Sarah said. “Last I heard Mariah was ranting about going to the state, because the local board and the school administration are obviously biased and incompetent.”
“It’s just ranting,” Laura repeated.
“It is,” Sarah agreed. “Until she finds some idiot with more power than sense who’ll listen.”
“Call Helen,” Annie advised.
“She’s already all over this,” Laura said.
“She’s all over it for Misty’s sake,” Annie said. “Now you need to be sure she’s prepared to defend you.”
“That’s crazy,” Laura protested, still unwilling to believe things would go that far.
“No,” Sarah said. “That’s Mariah. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s managed to get her way, even when every single person in town knew she was wrong. You know that, Laura. You’ve certainly heard the stories. Call Helen. Maybe you’ll never need her, but don’t let Mariah pick up a full head of steam before you have Helen there to cut her off.”
Laura nodded reluctantly. “I’ll call her.”
Annie held out her cell phone. “Now.”
“You really think it’s that urgent?”
All three women nodded.
“We really do,” Raylene confirmed.
Laura looked into their somber expressions, drew in a deep breath and made the call.
16
J.C.’s thoughts hadn’t strayed far from Laura all day, despite the steady parade of patients through his office. He’d just sent the last one on his way when his nurse cornered him.
“I thought you ought to know that Jan accepted Bill’s offer today. She’ll be moving to Serenity right after the holidays.”
J.C. nodded. “Bill and I discussed it before he hired her. I think she’ll be a great addition to the practice.”
Debra surveyed him with obvious disappointment. “I suppose it was too much to hope that you’d be more excited.”
He chuckled. “You know perfectly well that I was never interested in Jan. Nor is she one tiny bit infatuated with me.”
“Of course she is,” Debra scoffed. “Why else would she be moving here?”
“She told me she was anxious for a change of scenery and being part of a small community. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you the same thing.”
Debra waved it off as if it were nonsense. “Well, of course she’d say that to you. Is she supposed to come right out and tell you she’s coming because you’re hot?”
J.C. nearly choked. “She said that? Jan actually said those exact words to you?” he asked, imagining some very awkward times ahead.