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“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 shetook a seat opposite Iris. “The rest of the house is charming. I love the bathroom,somuch 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.
Sally stood. “I’ll take a copy of the rental agreement to look over and let you know in a couple of days.”
“Perfect. You have my email and my number if anything comes up. And tell Bruce we said hello.”
That brought a proud smile to Sally’s face. She’d apparently been on the verge of leaving, but she joined Iris on the sofa, bringing up the gallery on her phone to show off pictures of Bruce and his family without being asked. Eli circled behind the sofa to dutifully admire the chubby babies who grew into sturdy children with each swipe of Sally’s screen. Honestly, her grandkidsweresuper cute.
“I have other grandchildren too,” Sally was saying. “ButMegan is older. She’s my daughter’s daughter, and Kim is a lot older than Bruce.”
Henry Dale sighed. “Is there a reason for us to know any of this yet? We’re not even sure if you’re moving in.”
The older woman scowled at him. “Do you need areasonto be friendly?”
This time, Eli intervened before Iris had to. “I enjoyed seeing those pictures. Thanks for sharing them.”
Sally bestowed on him a radiant smile. “You’re sweet. I already know I’ll likeyou. Do you like cheesecake squares?”
Eli blinked. “Uh. Maybe?”
“Anyway, I was on my way out. I’ll be in touch.”
It felt like much longer than forty minutes had passed. Weirdly it was like being released from a time-warp spell when Sally sailed out the front door, as if the normal passage of moments had resumed. Henry Dale grumbled beneath his breath, and this time nobody stopped him when he stomped off to the shed.
“They’re going to clash,” Iris predicted.
