of an elephant in her coloring book. "That's beautiful."
"It's a phant."
"It's a terrific phant. Prettiest phant I've seen all day." Because
Aubrey's nose just seemed to demand it, Anna gave it a quick kiss.
"I'm nearly done." Nerves danced down Grace's spine. Anna looked so
professional in her business suit. The fact that her hair was tumbling
out of its pins only made her seema professionally sexy, Grace
decided. "I finished upstairs, and in the kitchen. I didn't knowa I
wasn't sure what you'd like, but I made up a casserole--scalloped
potatoes and ham. It's in the freezer."
"Sounds great. I'm cooking tonight." Anna rose and jiggled her bag
cheerfully. She nearly stepped out of her shoes but then stopped
herself. It didn't seem right to start cluttering things up when Grace
was still in the middle of cleaning.
She'd wait until later.
"But I won't get off early tomorrow," she continued. "So it'll come in
handy."
"Well, Ia" Grace knew she was a little sweaty, a little grimy, and she
felt miserably outclassed by Anna's crisp blouse and tailored suit. And
oh, those shoes, she thought, doing her best not to make her survey
obvious. They were so pretty, so classic, and the leather looked soft
enough to sleep on.
Her toes curled in shame inside her frayed white sneakers. "The
laundry's nearly done, too. There's a load of towels in the dryer. I
didn't know where you wanted me to put your things, so I folded
everything and left it on the bed in your room."
"I appreciate it. Catching up after a couple of weeks away takes
forever." Anna caught herself before she squirmed. She'd never had a
housekeeper in her life, and she wasn't quite sure of the proper
procedure. "I should put these away. You want something cold to drink?"
"No, thanks. No. I should finish up and get out of your way."
Curious, Anna thought. Grace had never seemed cool or nervous before.
Though they didn't know each other well, Anna had felt they were
friendly. One way or the other, she decided, they had to come to terms.
"I'd really like to talk to you if you have the time."
"Oh." Grace ran her hand up and down the metal wand of the vacuum.
"Sure. Aubrey, I'm going in the kitchen with Mrs. Quinn."
"Me, too!" Aubrey scrambled up and raced ahead. By the time her mother
caught up, she was sprawled on the floor, intently creating a purple
giraffe.
"That's her color this week," Grace commented. Automatically she went to
the refrigerator and took out the pitcher of lemonade she'd made. "She
tends to settle on one until she wears the crayon down to a nub, then
she picks another."
Her hand froze on the glass she'd been about to take from a cupboard.
"I'm sorry," she said stiffly. "I wasn't thinking."
Anna set her bag down. "About what?"
"Making myself at home in your kitchen."
Aha, Anna thought, there was the problem. Two women, one house. They
were both a little uneasy about the situation. She took a plump tomato