we’ll give it a try.” Sam put his hand on Elisa’s back to urge her toward the front door. For a moment she was all too aware how long it had been since a man had touched her. She and Sam had not said one personal word to each other since he’d ushered her into his car fifteen minutes ago, but she had been only too aware of him.
Cissy led them inside. No one was downstairs, but judging from the sound of voices, the second floor was occupied.
“She’ll cry when I leave to get Ms. Henry,” Cissy warned.
“I’ll come and find you if it gets too bad,” Elisa promised.
Cissy took off as if she couldn’t get away fast enough.
“She’s a good mother,” Sam said in a low voice. “Conscientious, thoughtful, patient. But this is a lot for a young woman her age to handle. I hope she finds friends in Phoenix to make her feel at home. Reese isn’t much for conversation yet.”
Elisa murmured endearments to the little girl in Spanish. Reese cooed right back. “See?” Elisa said. “No one’s spoken to her in the right language. She just told me she prefers enchiladas to mashed peas.”
She smiled at Sam when he laughed. His eyes were warm, and he reached out to fluff Reese’s hair.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Could you live here comfortably?”
She’d only had a chance to glance around, but she nodded. “It’s a lovely house, filled with character.”
“At one time it was filled with trash. That’s one of the things you’ll have to watch out for if you move in. Helen has a fondness for collecting. It took Nancy and Tessa a whole summer to get the house in shape.”
“They did a good job.” The living room where they stood was tastefully decorated in an uncluttered country style. She had not lived anywhere so inviting in many years.
A woman with short blond hair appeared on the stairs. “Sam?”
“Come down and meet Elisa.”
She came down the steps at a fast clip. She was dressed casually, but Elisa recognized good quality clothing. She was moving through middle age, but she was a woman who clearly took care of herself.
“Nancy Whitlock,” she said, thrusting out her hand in greeting. “Helen’s daughter.” They exchanged the requisite remarks before Nancy turned to Sam and spoke in low tones.
“I’m sorry we weren’t in church yesterday, but you can see what we’re up against here. I hope you explained to Elisa that Mama probably isn’t going to go for this?”
“I did.”
“I’m sorry,” Nancy told Elisa. “They invented ‘stubborn old coot’ to describe my mother.”
Sam defended Helen. “She just wants a say in her life. I think she might consider Elisa. She practically ordered me to hire her at the church.”
“Good thing you did, then, or you’d never hear the end of it.”
Elisa brought them back to the real point. “I like your mother, but if she doesn’t want me here, I don’t want to be here.”
“That’s a good start. As long as she thinks you’re listening to her, she’ll be a lot more cooperative.”
A noise on the stairs announced Helen’s arrival. She was not spry, but she managed the steps with little difficulty. “Nobody told me we had company.”
“I was just coming to get you,” Nancy said. “Did you finish packing the baby’s things?”
“I did, but I can’t say I’m happy about it.”
“They’ll be back.”
“Well, at least it’ll be quiet here for a change.” Helen nodded at Elisa, then at Sam. “You two here for a reason?”
“Do I need one? Couldn’t you use a good minister every now and then?”
“If we had one in the vicinity.”
Nancy poked her mother in the arm. “I can hear the devil stoking up his bonfires, Mama. For heaven’s sake!”
“She doesn’t like a thing I say,” Helen told Elisa.
“Maybe not, but I think she likes you.”
Helen’s lips twitched. “Nancy’ll go back to Richmond soon enough, I guess. We can get along until then if we have to.”
“Helen, I wanted you to know I hired Elisa the way you told me to,” Sam said.
“What are you all standing around for? Sit down and I’ll get coffee. There’s a pot warming in the kitchen.” Helen gestured to Reese, still contented on Elisa’s hip. “You’re spoiling her.”
“I hope so.”
The corners of Helen’s mouth twitched again.
Once she’d gone, Nancy’s shoulders slumped. “Well, she likes you,” she whispered. “I can’t tell you how much better we’d all feel if you were here. Sam says you work at Shadyside, too?”
Elisa nodded.
“Mostly Mama just needs company and somebody to bar the door if she tries to start a recycling center in the living room.”
Helen returned with a tray of mugs, and a pot of coffee with cream and sugar, which she set on the table. “Nobody’s sitting down!”
Taking a seat, Elisa tried to pull Reese up on her lap. The baby decided she’d had enough togetherness and wriggled free, sliding off the sofa and starting toward the stairs. Helen reached her before Elisa could even stand.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she said, scooping the baby into her arms. “Cissy!”
Cissy appeared at the head. “Well, I got a break. It was nice, too. Unusual.”
“Oh, stop complaining. We can keep her down here, but you’ll need to bring the baby gate down.”
“No thanks, I’ll just bring her up with me. Tessa says she’ll hold her while I finish packing my clothes.” By the time the speech was finished, Cissy had arrived to whisk the baby away.
Helen made herself at home in a flowered armchair. “So you just came to tell me you got smart and hired Elisa? Or maybe you have another idea in that holy head of yours?”
“We won’t ask you to spell holy.” Sam poured coffee for Elisa and passed it to her. He held out the pot toward Nancy, who shook her head, as did Helen.
Without fanfare, he moved on to the reason for their visit. “Elisa is looking for a place to live. It’s that simple, Helen. Her roommate’s getting married and needs Elisa’s room. You know how little rental housing there is in the area.”
“I know all about your plan. You people think
