by Judy Baer
That’s when he’d decided that whatever Lily wanted, Lily would get.
* * *
“You’ll have the room next to Lily’s,” Tyler told Hannah as he began his tour of the house. “She insisted upon it. There’s a dressing room and bath between the two rooms, so you can use the adjoining door to get into her room if she needs you at night. If she isn’t feeling well, you might want to leave both doors open so you can hear her. Otherwise, there are monitors in each room you can turn on at night.”
His proximity was unnerving her. His cologne was crisp and masculine combined with the sharp sweet scent of soap. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the experience.
Her eyes sprung open. Enough of that!
“Is she a restless sleeper?” she inquired, switching her thoughts from him to his grandmother.
“Not once you convince her to go to sleep. It usually takes me several games of Scrabble and begging for mercy before she agrees to go to bed.” He paused on the landing between the stairs that led to the second floor. “Lily’s a handful, Hannah. Like I’ve said before, my grandfather doted on her. He felt it was his purpose in life. She’s not accustomed to not having her own way.”
“We’ll be fine. I like a challenge,” Hannah said bravely.
“Then you should have a great deal of fun with my grandmother.”
* * *
Hannah’s new room was filled with sunshine. It had pale yellow walls, soft yellow sheers on the windows, a white coverlet decorated with yellow flowers and accents the color of tender green shoots peeking from the ground in early spring. It was larger than she’d expected, with room for not only the queen-size canopied bed, but also a love seat and chair, a desk and a small entertainment center hidden inside an armoire. The bathroom was equally pleasant with white subway tile, a claw-footed tub and a mirrored vanity for putting on makeup.
“This is lovely,” Hannah said softly. She was touched that he’d chosen such a room for her.
“It’s one of the larger bedrooms. I’m afraid that Danny’s room is quite a bit smaller.”
“Danny? He can stay in here with me. All we need is a cot or mattress.”
“Lily wouldn’t hear of that. Come. I’ll show you his room. Then you can say hello to Lily.”
She followed him down the hall to a room that was surely a little boy’s dream. Painted balsa wood airplanes of all types hung from the ceiling, flying over a double bed. In one corner was a foosball table and in another a towering stack of plastic bins filled with Lego.
“Danny will stay here? This looks like it was put together just for him.”
“It was, in a way.”
She cocked her head to look at him.
“This was my bedroom when I was Danny’s age. I put every one of those airplane kits together and convinced my grandfather to hang them. He liked Lego as much as I did, so we rarely went shopping without coming home with another kit. Danny can build the Capitol Building here in Denver, the Denver Art Museum and probably the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs with all those.”
Hannah sat down on the bed and put her hands to her mouth.
“What’s wrong? Do you want him to have a television? I suppose I could...”
“No, of course not. I’m just astounded at how perfect this suits us. Danny will be over the moon! God is good.” Tears stung at the backs of her eyes. She hadn’t realized just how tense she’d been until this moment. She hadn’t trusted God nearly enough.
* * *
He studied her but said nothing.
She wasn’t acting the way he’d anticipated. He wasn’t sure what it was he had expected, but it wasn’t this. She looked about to burst into tears. Lily had said the little boy would enjoy his old room, but this?
What made Hannah St. James tick? He’d assumed that Lily would chase her off even faster than she’d run off the others, but now he was beginning to wonder. Maybe it wouldn’t happen that way. Hannah seemed more desperate for a job than the others he’d hired. That vulnerability brought out feelings in him that he hadn’t felt for anyone but his family. He shook it off, chalking it up to exhaustion.
“Do you want to say hello to Grandmother?”
She wiped away a tear that had slipped onto her cheek and stood up. “Yes, of course. Excuse me for getting teary-eyed. My son will love this. He’s such a good little boy and I haven’t always been able to give him all I’d like. I’m happy that he’ll be able to stay in this wonderful room while we’re away from home. Danny has been my best buddy since his dad died and I can hardly wait to see his face when he sees these airplanes.”
Being a jobless widow was certainly enough to explain her desperation for a job and her determination to see it through. Maybe she would be the one who’d stick it out.
Lily was waiting for them.
“Finally! I thought you were never going to bring her to me, Ty.” Lily clapped her hands together with obvious glee. “We’re going to have such fun!”
“Fun? She’s here to take care of you, Gram, not play games.”
“My foot is broken, not my sense of humor. Don’t be a rain cloud, Ty, darling. Those other women you hired were kind but such duds. I can tell already that Hannah will be a live wire compared to them.”
He glanced at Hannah, who was staring at Lily wide-eyed. It was probably just sinking in, all that he’d told her about his grandmother’s unquenchable energy and unreasonable demands. He hid a smile. Poor Hannah. Only she didn’t know it yet.
Hannah moved close to Lily and took her hand. “We will have fun, won’t we? My son Danny is going to love you. Thank you for allowing me to bring him to your home.”
“I love little boys. I raised Ty, you know. He was a dream child. I can hardly wait to meet your son.”
“Then I’d better go home and start packing.”
When Ty turned to look at Lily, she was beaming like a lighthouse.
Chapter Four
The next few hours was a flurry of throwing clothing, personal items and other bare necessities into suitcases. She’d have to return later to get the rest. As she packed, it occurred to Hannah that she’d thrown very little away in the past seven years. She had clothes that she knew she would never wear again, but Steve had liked them.
She’d heard Trisha come in earlier and decided to go tell her the news about her job. Hannah was at Trisha’s door before she realized her sister hadn’t heard her in the hall. Had Trisha known, she probably would have cut short the phone conversation she was having. Her voice was clear as it carried through the half-closed door.
“It’s the only thing I can do, Emma.” Trisha’s voice was firm as she spoke on the phone. “I have to drop out of school after this semester. I know my sister says I shouldn’t, but that’s what she always says. If I’m not in school, I can get a full-time job instead of the little part-time thing I have. Besides, I’m sick of having no money to spend. I’m young. I want to have some fun even if my sister doesn’t seem to remember what fun is.”
Hannah cleared her throat.
“Listen, Emma, gotta go. Why don’t you and Jane come over here?” She turned to her sister. “Did you hear that?”
“I heard enough. You can’t mean what you said.”
The younger woman’s dark eyes flashed. “I totally mean it. I know I’ve never had a ‘real’ job or a handle on money but...”
“You have never been a burden to me, Trisha. I am so proud of you that I can hardly stand it. You only have three semesters to go. You can’t quit now or you’ll waste all that time you spent and my money. I won’t have it.”
“I’m taking this decision out of your hands, Hannah. I’ve made up my mind. Your agency couldn’t make it. How are you going to find work when Family Affairs couldn’t find it for you?
“You’ve cared for Danny and me all alone ever since Steve died. You’ve paid the mortgage, raised the two of us and sacrificed everything so that we’d be okay. If I had extra money, the first thing I’d do is buy y
ou a new wardrobe. You have a dynamite figure. With your amazing hazel eyes and beautiful auburn hair, you could be gorgeous, sis.”
“No, thank you. And my clothes are fine.” Instinctively, Hannah glanced in the dresser mirror.
The woman who looked back had her long curls pulled back in a clip because she’d skipped haircuts the past few months. She wore clothes that had once been attractive but were now hanging loosely on her frame. She could have used a little more makeup, too, blush especially, to counteract her pale cheeks.
“I have news that might change your mind.”
Trisha stared at her skeptically. “I doubt it.”
“I took a job today.”
Shock registered on Trisha’s face.
“I’ll be caring for an elderly woman who fell and broke her foot. She’s a delight. I’m very fortunate to get this position. It means that there’s no need for you to quit school.”
“What’s the catch?” Trisha narrowed her eyes. “There has to be one. I thought there weren’t any jobs out there.”
Hannah took a deep breath. “I have to start today. And I’ve agreed to move into their home to care for this woman.”
“Move? What about Danny? What about me?”
The doorbell rang and she heard the front door open before she could comment. Emma and Jane, no doubt.
The girls had grown up together, attended grade school, high school and now college together. Sometimes they could finish each other’s sentences and often found themselves shopping separately but purchasing exactly the same outfits.
“What’s up?” Emma inquired. “You guys look serious.”
“My sister found a new job,” Trisha said.
“Congratulations!” Jane turned to Trisha. “Now you can stay in school.”
“Sometimes I think you’d do just about anything for me and Danny, Han. I don’t know about this. It’s awfully sudden.”
“I’ll have you know that this is a very good job. The pay will actually be higher than I was getting through the agency because they won’t be taking their fees out first. It’s caring for an elderly woman with a broken foot. She’s cute as she can be and very interesting. I think we’ll enjoy each other.”
“But you’ll be moving! That’s huge.”
“Move out of here?” Jane looked shocked, as if Hannah had announced that they were losing their home.
“It’s just temporary, girls. I plan to take Danny with me. Trisha will continue to stay here. I’d be paying on this house anyway, whether Danny and I are here or not.”
She studied the girls appraisingly. “Trisha told me that you two are planning to move out of the dorm to get a place of you own. Maybe you could move in here for a while and take your time finding a place. By the time I want to move back in, you will have found something you really like.”
“You mean we could live here?” Jane turned hopeful eyes to Hannah. “We’ll pay rent, just like we would if we were renting anywhere else.”
“Plus, this place is nicer than anything we could find. And we’d be with Trisha,” Emma pointed out. “We’ve always wanted to room together, but, of course, Trisha has had to live at home.”
Now it was Hannah’s turn to gape. With barely a blink, her problem had been solved. She loved these friends of Trisha’s. They were Christian, well-mannered and responsible—her dream renters. And Trisha wore an expression of pure joy. Hannah hadn’t realized until that moment how much her sister had missed not being able to do some of the things her friends had done.
The girls jumped to their feet and hurried upstairs, probably to decide how to divvy up the bedrooms.
Hannah continued to sit at the table and allow the wonderment to wash over her. Wasn’t this just like God? Solving problems in the most unexpected ways?
Praise You, Lord, and thank You.
Now she could quit worrying about Trisha and the house. The mortgage wouldn’t be a problem once the girls’ rent started coming in.
* * *
“I look like I’m moving out for years,” Hannah said wryly as Trisha carried her duffel bag into the entry and put it with the suitcases piled there. “How busy can one little old lady keep you?” Trisha asked.
Hannah thought about Lily’s sparkling eyes and determination. “She’s nearly run her grandson into the ground. I’m not sure she’ll be any easier on me.”
“About this guy who hired you,” Trisha began, “what’s he like?”
“I admire the concern he has for his grandmother,” Hannah said vaguely. “He’s kind and compassionate with her.” The fact was, she didn’t know much about him at all.
“Which reminds me, while I’m gone don’t forget that you’re in charge of writing checks to pay the mortgage and utilities. I put your name on the account along with mine. It’s time you started taking on some financial tasks around here.” Sometimes Hannah worried that she, by shouldering so much responsibility, had deprived her sister of valuable experience in running a household. “The bill from the garage for fixing my car should come soon, too.”
“Sure. No problem. Should I start carrying your things to the car?”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Hannah said as she sorted through books on the bookshelf in the entry. She grabbed a few she’d been meaning to read and put them in a large tote. “Mr. Matthews is coming to pick these things up.”
“Whoa, a real gentleman!”
Hannah glanced out the window. Tyler Matthews, his dark hair ruffled by the breeze, was getting out of a Land Rover so shiny and black it looked as if it were made of patent leather. He wore jeans and a pale blue golf shirt that did nothing to hide his muscled chest and well-developed biceps.
“I see he’s here to pick up my things now.”
“He’s your new employer?” Trisha gasped when she looked out the window. “No wonder you took the job! If I were you, I wouldn’t move back home at all. He’s gorgeous! You haven’t dated in forever. Maybe...”
“Erase that from your mind right now,” Hannah ordered sternly. “Do you think I’m so unprofessional that I’d even consider such a thing? Tyler isn’t interested in me. It’s Lily he’s concerned about, and his business, which he’s been neglecting. I’m a means to an end for him and vice versa. He’ll get to tend to his business and I’ll get you through school and that’s it.”
Trisha picked up a sweatshirt with puppies on the front that Hannah had laid on a chair and held it up. “When did you turn into a stodgy old lady, Hannah? You’re beautiful, you’re funny and you’re smart. Get rid of the puppies. Put on a little makeup and kick up your heels. That’s what I’d do.”
Hannah had no doubt of that and it concerned her a little.
“If my heels leave the ground, I’ll fall onto my face.”
“Suit yourself,” Trisha said with a sigh. “But for the record, I think you’re crazy...”
The doorbell rang.
“...to pass that up without a fight!”
Hannah gave her sister a dirty look and opened the door.
Tyler did look good, standing there in the sunlight, no doubt of that. He flashed her a relaxed smile. “Ready to go? My grandmother is chomping at the bit to have you come.”
Hannah stepped aside to reveal the stack of suitcases. “Ready as I’ll ever be except that I haven’t told my son yet. Danny went to a friend’s house after school. He’s going to have a big surprise waiting for him.”
Suddenly, Trisha brushed by her, hand out. “Hi, I’m Hannah’s sister, Trisha.”
“Nice to meet you.” Tyler smiled at the girl and Hannah could see her sister melt. “Thanks for being willing to share her with me.”
“Anytime. She’s all yours.” The way Trisha said it made Hannah want to blush.
“We’d better get going.” Hannah picked up a suitcase.
Tyler took it out of her hand, grabbed another bag and took them to the vehicle, where he tossed them in as if they were feather-light.
“You can follow me.” Ty slid into the Land Rov
er.
Hannah turned to Trisha. “I’ll be back to pick up Danny when his friend’s mother drops him off.”
“I want to see the house this hunk comes from,” Trisha said wistfully.
Hannah smiled and intentionally stepped on Trisha’s toe.
“You can’t stop me, Hannah,” Trisha whispered. “This is the guy for you.” She backed up quickly before she could get stepped on again. “Mark my words.”
This is the guy for you. Hannah was surprised at the shiver of anticipation that statement produced in her.
“Your sister seems nice,” Ty commented as they drove away. “She looks a little like you but she’s not a redhead.”
“Trisha and I are very different. I suppose some of that comes from being more like a mother than a sister to her.”
“You’ve taken a lot on those not-so-big shoulders of yours.”
Hannah smiled at the oblique reference to her size. “Believe me, I’ve wished they were bigger many times, but it’s forced me to turn the load over to God.” She wasn’t sure how that statement would go over with him. She had no ideas of his faith or values.
She glanced at him. He was smiling softly, just as he did for his grandmother.
“You sound like Gram.”
The way he said it made her feel like she’d received a stamp of approval. Her shoulders sagged in relief.
Still, by the time they got to the Matthews mansion, Hannah had a roaring headache. She had enough anxiety about this job without Trisha’s ridiculous comments, which continued to niggle at the back of her mind.
At least there was one down and only one to go, Hannah thought. Danny loved their house. Like her, it was his only tangible connection to his father. It had been easier than she’d expected with Trisha, but her son might not embrace the change quite so readily.
There was another hurdle too, she thought, a high one—making Tyler Matthews’ home her own.
