it a try.”
“I’m considering sending Olivia. Do you think she’ll like it?”
Tracy would know more by day’s end. The folder Gladys had given her contained more than paperwork to fill out. It bulged with information on the program, including copious notes the former supervisor had kept for each week of the previous summer.
“I’ll make sure she likes it,” she said. “I can watch out for her.”
“You must appreciate children.”
Tracy wondered. At least she had never actively disliked them. Sherrie’s little girls even made her question her decision not to have her own.
“I like Olivia.” She was pretty sure that was true, although she’d seen little of her. “Now Marshall Egan’s son? Not so much.”
“If he’s as pushy as the father, I can understand.”
She found herself lowering her eyelashes and tossing her head. Hot as she was, and drenched with sweat, Lee was still looking at her like something good to eat. Desire trickled through her, along with hunger to have a man in her life again. And this time, one for whom she was more than a mannequin to dress up and show off. There had been a lot of bling in her marriage to CJ, but after the first few months, very little zing. She would not make the same mistake twice.
He moved closer; then he reached across the space dividing them and stroked his thumb just under her eye. Whisper soft. “It looks like you picked up some pollen out here.”
She smiled slowly and was sorry when he dropped his hand. “What time would you like to come on Monday?”
He didn’t move away. “About seven? That’ll give me time to get home and get things organized here.”
He was always thinking about the women in his life. That was an excellent recommendation.
The front door of the cottage opened, and Alice stepped out, reaching for the ever-present broom before she saw Lee and Tracy. Dragging her feet a bit, she moved toward them.
“Lee, I forgot to ask…for a little cash.”
As his mother-in-law approached he stepped back from Tracy. “We talked about this,” he said gently.
“When?”
“Earlier.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “You don’t remember?”
“I guess not.” Alice looked confused.
“Don’t worry. Olivia was talking a mile a minute. She probably distracted you.”
“There’s a sale…in the paper. I want to buy a few clothes.”
Lee looked distressed. He glanced at Tracy. “Alice, I think you need to conserve.”
For a moment she looked taken aback. Then she straightened her shoulders and said with surprising dignity, “Fred took care of me.”
Lee looked defeated. “Yes, he did. But we’ve talked about this, remember? The stock market’s taken a beating, and there were some…irregularities? I guess that’s the best way to say it, some strange withdrawals before I took over your account that I’m checking into. So you’re going to have to take it easy on spending for a while. Do you really need whatever it is?”
“Better to buy on sale.”
He reached in his pocket and pulled out a wallet. Then he counted out several twenties. “I don’t want to take anything more out of your nest egg this month. Will this help?”
She looked bewildered. “Fred made good money. Good investments.”
“A lot of people all over this country are in the same boat,” he said sympathetically. “But look, together we can turn this around, Alice. I don’t want you to worry. We’ll get you back on your feet. Meantime, take the money, okay?”
When she didn’t reach for it, he took her hand and put the bills in her palm, folding her fingers over them. “Buy something pretty. You deserve it.”
Alice wandered off, looking dazed and unhappy. Lee looked troubled. “This is my fault. Karen helped her with finances, and in the months after she died, I should have jumped in. But I was so numb, I just didn’t realize Alice wasn’t coping. By the time I did…” He stared up at the house. “I don’t know where the money went. After her stroke she sold some of her best investments, put the money in places she shouldn’t have. Some of it just disappeared.”
Tracy felt sorry for both of them. “She’s lucky she has you. What would she do if she was here on her own?”
“We’ve got each other. She’s a great old gal. We’ll get through this.”
They agreed to Monday at seven; then, with a wave, Tracy started back toward her own house. When she arrived, she found Janya sitting on her front steps.
Surprised, she wondered if the young woman had come to complain about the