up when Frank passed away,” Troy replied.
By that time everyone had finished eating and the children asked to be excused to go watch television. “I insist on helping with the cleanup,” Troy said.
“And I insist you don’t,” she replied. “Why don’t I make you a cup of coffee and you can sit and talk to me while I handle the cleanup?”
“Okay, if you insist,” he replied easily.
Minutes later with a cup of coffee before him, Troy told her a little bit more about his business. His father had bought him his first lawn mower when he was ten years old and had encouraged him to become a little entrepreneur.
“I never thought about doing anything else,” he said. “I love working outside and helping people transform their landscaping from something ugly into something beautiful.”
“It’s always nice to love what you do,” she replied.
“I take it you love what you do.” He eyed her over the rim of the coffee cup.
“Most of the time, unless I get a crazy client. I’ve got a man now who is sending me dozens of nasty texts and emails a day over a project.”
His eyes widened. “Why?”
She put the leftover chicken in the refrigerator and then turned to face him. “I agreed to build a web page for him and then realized halfway into it that it was going to be a pornographic site, and so I backed out of the deal. I refunded the initial money he gave to me and thought that would be the end of it, but he’s been harassing me for weeks now.”
“Have you called the police to report him?” Troy asked.
“Oh no, it hasn’t risen to that kind of a level. It’s just a nuisance.”
“I know it’s just you and the kids here. If anything does ever get out of hand with him just remember I’m right next door.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. You don’t happen to know a good exterminator, do you? I think we might have a mouse problem. The kids and I are hearing some rustling behind the walls at night.”
“Actually, I do. Mike the Mighty Mouseman.”
She grinned. “Is that for real?”
He laughed and shook his head. “It’s for real. He’s a friend of mine. We went to school together and have remained good friends. Do you want me to give you his number?”
“Please.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and punched in the number he rattled off.
“Let me give you my number, too,” he said. He pulled out his cell phone. “And I’d like yours, if that’s okay. It’s always good to have a neighbor’s phone number.”
They exchanged phone numbers and he returned to drinking his coffee. “You should like the neighborhood. It’s a quiet one.”
“After living in a noisy apartment complex, quiet is good,” she replied.
“Most of the people are older and have lived here for years. I haven’t met many, but the ones I have met have been very nice.”
“That’s good to know,” she replied. “I guess the house on the other side of me is empty. I noticed a moving van there last week and then a for-sale sign in front of it the other day.”
He nodded. “The Fosters. They were an older couple. They decided the house was too big for the two of them.”
“They are big houses,” she replied. “I don’t know what to do with half the space I have here.”
“I’m using a couple of rooms upstairs strictly for storage.” He finished the last of his coffee and then rose from the table. “I guess I’d better get out of your hair. This has been very pleasant. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thank you for coming,” she replied. “It’s always nice to know your neighbors.” Together they walked to the front door. It had been pleasant. It had been a long time since she’d had an evening of adult conversation, and it hadn’t hurt that he was so darned easy to look at.
Two hours later she sat on the edge of Katie’s bed to tuck her in for the night. “No sneaking into your brother’s room in the middle of the night,” she said, and swiped a strand of long dark hair away from Katie’s face.
“But what if I wake up in the middle of the night and I think maybe he’s having a nightmare?” Katie’s gray eyes darkened. “I don’t ever want Sammy to be scared.”
“And I appreciate you looking after Sammy so well. But your brother will call to me if he has a nightmare and gets scared,” Eliza said, “and all princesses need to stay in bed and get their rest through the night.”
“And I am a princess,” Katie replied firmly.
“Absolutely, you’re my little special princess.” Eliza leaned over and kissed her daughter on the cheek. “Good night, sweetheart.”
“Night, Mommy.”
Eliza rose from the bed and turned out the overhead light, then walked across the hall into Sammy’s bedroom. His twin bed was pushed against one wall and his dresser was against another. There was nothing on the floor to impede him in his world of darkness.
He knew how many steps to the bathroom and how many to the top of the stairs. She had wanted to put his bedroom downstairs, but he’d insisted he wanted to be up here where his sister’s room was. He was such an amazing little guy, and she was blessed to be his mother.
Sammy never complained about any nightmares. Eliza had a feeling Katie sometimes had bad dreams and went into her brother’s bedroom for comfort.
She sat on the edge of his bed and he smiled. “Are you ready for sweet dreams?” she asked.
“As long as the mice stay quiet.”
“We’re going to take care of those noisy, pesky mice very soon,” she replied. “In the meantime I want you to have sweet dreams and I’ll see you in the morning. It’s Saturday so you can sleep in if you want.”
“I think I might want to,” he replied.
She kissed him and then with final good-nights said, she left his room and headed for her own.
This big old house still didn’t feel like home to her, but it would just take more time. At least Sammy had adapted easily, and initially that had been her biggest concern. As she changed into her nightgown, her thoughts filled with Troy Anderson.
Lordy, but the man was hot and he’d seemed to be genuinely nice. He’d been especially good with Sammy, not talking to him like he was stupid or raising his voice like Sammy was deaf as well as blind.
She got into bed and shut off her light. It had been nice to have a man to share a meal and pleasant conversation. Still, it didn’t matter whether he had given her dancing butterflies or not. She’d felt those same kind of dancing butterflies when she’d first met Blake and that had certainly ended badly.
She
