Once the waitress walked off, Iris turned to Henry Dale. “This is such a cute place. Have you been coming here long?”
He thought about it. “Thirty years at least. The food is good, and they make you feel at home.”
When her food arrived, it looked positively scrumptious, a full-on comfort feast. Eli eyed her fluffy biscuits with a hint of envy, and she offered him a bite. It surprised her when he opened his mouth instead of taking the fork, but she mentally shrugged and fed him. He seemed to enjoy it so much that she almost fed him another forkful just to see that sparkle in his eyes.
“That’s amazing,” he said.
She grinned. “I know, right? Have you had this before?” she asked Henry Dale.
“Sure have. Never had anything here I thought was bad. It’s all a good bet. Just depends on what you’re craving.”
As they were finishing their meals, Iris’s phone rang, an unfamiliar number. If this is Lily or Rose trying to trick me—no, I doubt they’d bother. She answered on the second ring with a tentative “Hello?” Because honestly, when her phone rang these days, it just generally gave her a bad feeling.
“Is this Iris Collins?”
“It is. Who’s this?”
“Oh, thank goodness!” The bright and cheerful voice definitely didn’t belong to any of Iris’s relatives. But it was a bit familiar.
Where have I heard this woman before?
“This is Sally Carruthers. My son, Bruce, gave me your information. He said you’re looking for a roommate?”
Right, the hardware store. Iris put the face with the voice and name straightaway. Bubbly, white-haired woman with the rainbow sweater and a smile sweet enough to put cherubs to shame. “I am! We repainted the room recently, you can stop by to see if you think it would be a good fit.”
Normally, Iris would insist on meeting elsewhere for the first time, but this wasn’t a stranger exactly. She was talking to Bruce’s mom. Not that people’s moms couldn’t be criminals, but still.
“I could be there later this afternoon if that’s convenient,” Sally said at once.
“We’ll be home in about an hour.” She figured it was best to give some leeway.
“Fantastic. I’ll see you around three then. Bye for now!” Sally sang.
“Sounds like we have an interview,” Eli said.
“I hope that’s okay. You and Henry Dale need to agree as well. If you don’t like Sally, I won’t move forward.”
“As long as she leaves me alone, I don’t need to like her,” Henry Dale said.
Just from the brief impression, Iris suspected Sally wouldn’t be quiet or reserved, but maybe it would all work out. Quickly, she signaled for the bill and paid for it before Eli could grab it. Luckily, she’d read that inclination beforehand. She really couldn’t accept anything else from him without feeling awful.
It didn’t take long to drive home, and she even had time to get the couch and love seat neatly covered and tied off. The pre-owned couch covers smelled like detergent, and the woman had promised that they had been laundered before being packed away. Amazing what a difference hiding those random patterns made. Now the pops of color from the knit throws and the flowered pillows looked cozy and charming. The neutral walls and the elegant wallpaper improved matters as well, as did the white wainscoting.
“I love this room now,” she said to Eli.
“It’s so much better,” he agreed.
Henry Dale offered no commentary; he just tried to retreat to the shed, but Iris grabbed his arm. “Oh no, you don’t. We’re talking to Sally together.”
The old man mumbled something unintelligible and likely uncomplimentary, but he still took a seat on the sofa, wearing a resigned look. They didn’t have long to wait, as soon Sally arrived in a flurry of exuberant knocks. Iris answered the door and waved her in, confirming her initial impression. Again today, Sally was dressed in a bright floral dress adorned in scarves, the same lime-green Crocs, and her hair was a silvery cloud.
Smiling, Iris performed the introductions. “I’m Iris. This is Eli. And Henry Dale. There’s one room available on the second floor and two rooms on the third. They’re not large, but—”
“Let’s take a look, shall we?” Sally cut in. “First I need to see what’s available to know if I can envision myself here. Everything else follows.”
* * *
Eli stayed with Henry Dale while Iris gave the older woman a quick tour.
Neither one of them showed any sign of breaking the silence. For his part, he was a bit nervous about bringing in someone else. A new person could upset the balance, and Eli didn’t love change at the best of times. Change usually meant his life being turned upside down and ensuring that it got worse.
“What do you think?” he asked eventually.
The older man shrugged. “Hard to say from a look, though she seems chipper.” After a pause. “I don’t much care for unfounded optimism.”
“What do you mean, unfounded?” Eli wanted to know.
There was a lengthy pause, as if Henry Dale was considering whether he ought to answer. “Look at her situation. It’s no better than mine.”
“How do you know so much about Sally Carruthers?” Eli asked.
“Small town, coffee klatch. I go for cheap coffee and crullers, get the gossip for free. When Sally left Howard, it was all anybody could talk about for months.”
“Huh,” Eli said. “I never knew you went to senior gatherings.”
Henry Dale snorted. “You don’t know everything about me, not by a long shot. Anyway, I feel a bit sorry for Howard. Sally is a handful. As I was saying before you cut me off, I might even argue her situation is worse than mine because she left her husband and her family, and for what?”
“That’s for me to figure out,” Sally said crisply.
Oh damn.
Heat washed Eli’s face, as it seemed they’d been caught gossiping. Well, Henry Dale had been talking about her, and he hadn’t shut it down. “Right.”
Do I need to apologize?
Iris came in right after, and since she didn’t know what’d happened, she moved the conversation along. Thankfully Sally allowed it. “So that’s the house. The only thing I didn’t show you is the basement with the washer and dryer.”
“Those are all the same,” Sally said, waving a hand as she took a seat opposite Iris. “The rest of the house is charming. I love the bathroom, so much personality.”
This lady reminded him a bit of Gamma, and that was a big plus in his book. Her energy shone with similar light. He listened as she and Iris discussed which room she’d prefer, the terms of the rental, and so on.
“You can have any of those rooms,” Iris was saying. “But we do need to have a house meeting about it as well.”
“Oh good, I was afraid I had to decide here and now. I do tend to be impulsive, but I wanted to give this a little thought.”
“That’s a good idea,” Henry Dale said.
Judging by his frosty tone, the old man was hoping Sally would pass. Eli considered speaking up, but Iris was already on it. “Keep an open mind, okay?”
When Iris patted Henry Dale’s shoulder, he sighed, but he didn’t say anything else.