“That's right.” She held his gaze, attempting to weigh his reaction. “To stay at her boardinghouse, they can't practice sinful lifestyles of their past and they must earn their keep by tending to the rooms of the other guests, but they ain't making a lot of money. Few folks are willing to hire women with shadowy pasts and no husbands to show for their young'uns.”
Noah released a long breath and ran a hand through his soft brown hair. It bounced almost back into place, except for a few random sprigs here and there. Kizzie pulled her gaze from the tiny shift in his hair, her cheeks a little warmer than they were a few seconds before.
She didn't need to be thinking about Noah Lewis’ hair or his eyes or his smile any more than anyone else's, but for some reason, his face was the only one that kept causing a whole lot of trouble in her thoughts and her cheeks.
And it would only lead to a heap more trouble to her heart.
Girls like her didn't aim for boys like him.
Well, they might aim for them, but they didn't win them.
“Are they good workers?”
“They are.” He actually entertained her suggestion? Maybe he wasn't as afraid of his brother as she thought. “All of ’em. And I've heard two talk about having work experience in a cotton mill too.”
“But don't they have young children?” His shoulders fell. “We can't manage the ones we have, Kizzie. It's putting those small ones in danger every day. Adding more will only pose greater risks.”
“Well …” She drew out the word, steepling her fingers as she spoke. “I have an idea about that too.”
“Why did I even doubt you?” He laughed, giving a helpless shrug. “Go on.”
Her lips twitched, and the gaslight glimmered in his hazel eyes, drawing her closer. “Is there a room free in the mill somewhere? Not large, but well ventilated, with windows?”
“What are you plotting?” he asked, matching her position.
“I have two half days of the week that I'm not working at the store, and one full day. What if I work those days to watch the children in the mill? It would keep the younger children away from danger but also keep them close to their mothers for tending.”
“What about the other days?”
“I think I could get Molly to take two or three of them, and maybe one of the other girls at the boardinghouse too. She's good with young'uns.” She nodded, working through the idea that had been forming over the past few days.
“There are two twelve-year-olds who work alongside their mothers at the mill, but perhaps they could alternate.”
He was not only embracing her idea but adding to it.
“Aren't they in school?”
He shook his head. “Both struggle with academics, so their parents felt they would do better to start learning a skill, so they've worked at the mill.”
After what Victoria said about Noah, the plight of those girls hit Kizzie in the heart. Maybe she could give them a few tips when she worked with them.
“And I feel certain Mother would love to help.”
Her jaw slacked. “Do you think she'd be willing?”
“I think she'd be highly offended if we didn't ask her.”
Kizzie laughed and released a sigh. How refreshing it was to speak together as equals and come up with solutions together, like a real partnership. “Oh, I like her a whole bunch.”
His gaze held hers, all warm and welcoming with that smile. “The feeling is mutual.”
And then the realization weakened her breath. Was Noah Lewis sparkin’ her? Even just a little? “I'm glad.”
“I've heard of something like this in one of the other mills in a nearby town. It proved considerably helpful. If we could get the village school in working order, we could move the children there.” He tapped the table. “But I don't have a lot I could pay those watching the children.”
“Iwon't need anything. And your mama won't.” She firmed her lips with her resolution. “That would cost you less.”
He narrowed his eyes as if in doubt.
