“You have no idea what it means to me to know that you are on my side,” she told them. “I never would have asked you to back me up.”
“You didn’t have to,” Annie said. “You’re one of us. When somebody targets one of us, they take on all the Sweet Magnolias. Right, ladies?”
Margarita glasses were lifted into the air amid a chorus of confirmation.
Tears stung Laura’s eyes at the show of support. “Thank you.” She turned to Helen. “But do you really think Mariah’s threats need to be taken so seriously?”
“I’d rather not take chances,” Helen said. “Not that she has a leg to stand on, but if she’s the first one out there with a message and she spreads it loudly enough, there are going to be people who believe it, if they haven’t already heard the other side.”
“We could hold a rally,” Sarah said eagerly. “If we do it in the square, Travis and I can cover it live on the radio. That kind of publicity will stop Mariah in her tracks.”
Raylene lifted a brow. “Are you sure you’re not just a little bloodthirsty because you think Mariah tried to make a move on Travis?”
“I know she did,” Sarah corrected. “And I might have overreacted just the teensiest bit at the time, but that is not why I think we should do this. We want to get public sympathy on our side, and we need to do it fast. Isn’t that what you just said, Helen? This is the best way.”
Laura shook her head. “If you all want to hold a general rally against bullying in our community, I’ll be there, front and center. But not if this is going to turn into some us-against-them thing. I’ve told you before, that’s its own kind of bullying, and I don’t want to resort to it.”
“But it could be the only way to counter Mariah,” Annie argued. “Fight fire with fire.”
“And be no better than Annabelle or, for that matter, Mariah herself,” Laura insisted, shaking her head. “No. I won’t let you do it. Whatever you all want to do—and believe me, I appreciate so much you wanting to do something—it can’t be something that will make the situation worse and maybe even get Misty’s name dragged through the mud all over again. We need to remember that she’s the reason I got involved in the first place. She’s been through enough.”
“But you know she’s going to want to help,” Raylene said, “especially after the way you were so supportive of her.”
Maddie nodded. “Diana called me earlier. I know her from the spa and from school because Misty and Katie are so close. She asked me if I’d heard about what Mariah is up to and wondered how she could help. I told her I’d get back to her once we had a plan.” She gave Laura a sympathetic look. “I really admire you for thinking about Misty first, but if you ask me, it’s time now to worry about yourself. And as much as it pains me to say it, after the ordeal Betty Donovan put Cal and me through, Betty should be doing the same.”
“I agree,” Helen said. She studied Laura intently. “Are you totally opposed to Sarah’s idea?”
She considered the question carefully before responding. “Not if the theme of the rally is an anti-bullying message,” she said. “I’d even be happy to speak at something like that. I imagine Betty would, too.”
Even as she spoke, she warmed to the idea. Turning to Maddie, she said, “Your mother mentioned she might be able to convince Frances Wingate to speak to the parents about bullying.”
Helen’s eyes lit up. “That would be awesome. Is she able to do it? Frances is amazing, and there’s no one who grew up in Serenity who escaped a knee-knocking, terrifying lecture or two from Frances while they were in school.”
“I’ll say,” Dana Sue said with a shudder. “More than my share, I’m afraid.”
“Because you were rebellious,” Maddie teased.
“And you were a saint?” Dana Sue countered. “Please.”
Helen laughed. “Let’s not go there. I think we can all agree that the three of us were thorns in Frances’s side back in the day. Bottom line, she’d be the perfect person to remind this entire community of its moral compass. I’m liking this idea of an anti-bullying rally better and better, especially if we can get her help.”
Laura turned to Maddie. “Your mother said she’d work on it.”
Maddie nodded. “Then she will. I’ll give her a nudge, though I doubt it’s necessary. She seems to have taken up this cause eagerly. The activist side of her is a new one to me.”