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They sat in the kitchen, and Liz dished out small pieces of the chicken enchilada casserole. Sheila had even brought sour cream and guacamole. It was cheesy and delicious with just a hint of spice. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn’t living here; with the way neighbors brought over food, she’d certainly gain some weight.
“I was hoping that you were moving in.” Sheila had been disappointed when Liz explained that she was only cleaning out her father’s house and that it would soon go up for sale. “Ever since the kids went to college, it’s been kind of boring around here. I used to drive them to soccer and friends’ houses, so now I have a lot of time on my hands. I could use someone my age to liven things up.”
Liz liked the idea of that. She’d spent the last decade focusing on her kids and then, when they went out on their own, on her marriage. Fat lot of good that last part had done her. She didn’t really have any close friends. For the rest of her life, she wanted to focus on herself and having good friends to spend the time with.
“It is a nice neighborhood. What about the other neighbors?” Liz asked. Even though Bunny had already given her the lowdown, she wanted Sheila’s impression.
“Emma is such a darling, and her little daughter, Avery, is so cute.”
Liz forked off a small bite from the casserole on her plate.
“I give her a lot of credit, raising that kid all on her own, and she’s doing a great job. Her ex-husband is kind of a jerk.”
“Aren’t they all.” Liz noticed Sheila’s coffee mug was empty. Had they been talking that long? She stood and pointed at the coffee pot. “More coffee?”
“That would be great.” Sheila slid her mug across the table. “And Mrs. Svenson is very sweet. She’s over ninety, you know. I could sure use some help with her. We try to help her in the yard, and I check on her quite frequently to make sure she hasn’t fallen or anything.” Sheila laughed. “It won’t be long before someone’s doing that for me!”
They talked their way through another cup of coffee. Liz wasn’t surprised to discover that they had a lot in common. They discussed everything from their careers to their kids to the benefits of living in Lobster Bay.
When she finally showed Sheila out, Sally was pulling into the driveway in her work truck.
The handywoman wasn’t anything Liz had expected. She must’ve been in her seventies but looked thin and spry. She had a long gray braid wound up around her head. Her face was tanned, and her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence.
“This looks like a fairly easy job,” Sally said. “I’ll have to measure the space to give you a quote.”
“Of course. When do you think you could start?”
“You’re in luck. Mrs. Oberman’s granddaughter had her twins early, so she put off the work I was going to do on her sunroom next week. I could start right away.”
Liz smiled. “That’s perfect. Guess we better get measuring, then.”
