Mrs. Natalie Phelps had every one of her faculties about her, but she wasn't above acting like she was forgetful or declining mentally if it helped her get away with something.
I also loved her to pieces.
She reminded me a great deal of my grandmother—pragmatic, nosy, assertive, but, beneath it all, a caring soul. She loved hard, but she often dispensed tough love because she was of the mind that a swift kick in the pants could knock the sense into someone, or the doubt out of them.
Spending time with her was bittersweet as my grandmother had been dead for nearly five years and I missed her like crazy.
"You're looking a little peaked, darlin'," Mrs. Phelps said. "Are you coming down with something?"
I shook my head, cursing the fact that I hadn't put on a light touch of make-up to hide the paleness of my cheeks and the circles beneath my eyes. I rarely did it because I'd rather use that time to sleep or study, but I should have made an exception today.
"I didn't get a good dinner last night and I woke up dizzy and sick to my stomach this morning. I think my blood sugar was too low."
She set her cup to the side and frowned at me. "I've told you time after time that you work too hard for such a young woman. You have plenty of time to get your degree. You shouldn't work yourself into an early grave for it."
I had no idea why, but my eyes welled up at her words. Maybe because they revealed exactly how much she cared about me.
Or maybe it was because I was so stressed out and I knew I would be for at least another twenty-three months.
Either way, I looked down at the floor, blinking rapidly, until the tears faded.
"You have to take care of yourself, Lyria Prescott," Mrs. Phelps admonished. "I am so proud of all you've accomplished in your short time here on this earth, but there's more to life than professional success. You're young. You should enjoy this time as a person and not just as a student. Work a little less, study a little less, and live a little more."
I managed to meet her eyes once mine were dry. "I will, Mrs. Phelps. I promise. I just...well, you know how hard I've worked and for how long. This is so important to me. Men, dating, marriage, children. All those things can wait a couple of years. I know that I will regret it for the rest of my life if I don't do this now."
I could see that Mrs. Phelps wanted to argue with me, but she finally just pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Anywhere in particular you want me to start on today?" I asked.
She picked up her coffee. "No, dear. Just give it a quick clean, please. The ladies are coming over to crochet later."
I nodded and left the kitchen. Mrs. Phelps kept a basket of cleaning supplies in the hall linen closet, so I grabbed it and headed toward the master bathroom. I preferred to start with the bathrooms and get them out of the way because I hated cleaning them.
I'm sure it was because I almost always ended up cleaning the bathrooms at our house growing up and with four brothers, well, even with three bathrooms and a twice-weekly cleaning rotation, they were always gross. So gross.
Reason number twenty-three not to keep a man around. No way was I cleaning up after another one. I'd done enough of that when my brothers lived at home.
Considering my stance on cleaning bathrooms, it was unbelievable that I cleaned houses as one of my jobs, but it paid surprisingly well and I could listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I worked. While my hands were busy, I could learn something.
Speaking of audiobooks, my professor had included a recommended reading list in her syllabus, so I'd purchased a couple of them using my Audible membership.
I took the wireless earbuds my parents had gotten me last Christmas out of my pocket and stuck them in my ears. A few moments later, I was listening to the narrator read the introduction as I set about making the bathroom sparkle.
Two hours after I arrived, I took one last swipe at the kitchen floor with the Swiffer mop and dropped the used cloth in the trashcan. The house smelled like lemons and fresh air. That was one thing I did enjoy about