Lila could have kissed her for making this so easy. Busying herself with the tap, she said, “I met him for the first time in my life last Saturday.”

Helen’s brows dashed up as she handed Lila a plate. “Last Saturday? Oh my. I had no idea.”

“Why would you?” Lila asked congenially. She thought but didn’t add, When Ford has done his best to give the exact opposite impression? “The company I run with my sisters is contracted through the Auditory Guild to provide Emily with a service puppy and training through the end of the year. Given how closely we work with our families, we like to focus on building easy rapport.”

“In that short a time, though?” Helen asked. The disbelief in her tone was evident even over the sound of the running water. “You must work quickly.”

On the contrary, Lila was incredibly slow. Slow to think and slow to act, careful never to step anywhere the ground might be unstable. And it was unstable here, that was for sure. She turned off the tap and gave Helen her full attention.

“It was a tough job for us to get in the first place, and there are some fairly high stakes involved if we want to keep it,” she said carefully. “And we do want to keep it, very much. So you can understand why the relationship between me and Ford is strictly a professional one.”

“Ohhh,” Helen breathed. She followed it up with a grin and a wink. “Right. Strictly professional. Now I understand.”

Lila fought an inward groan. Unless she was mistaken, Helen understood very little.

“My sisters will tell you the same thing,” she protested with a glance at the pair of them in the living room. They might find this whole situation hilarious, but like her, they wouldn’t lie if asked a direct question. “Until last week, I’d never even heard of Ford Ford, let alone—”

Directly behind them, the phone rang. Lila would never presume to answer the telephone in someone else’s house, but Helen had no such qualms. Drying her hands on a dish towel, she reached for the handset and held it to her ear. “You’ve reached the Ford residence. This is Helen speaking. How may I help you?”

She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and said in a low voice, “It’s okay. I work part-time as a receptionist in a dental office. I’m used to this.” She paused as a low male voice sounded on the other end of the phone. Lila couldn’t make out all the details of what was being said, but it was only a few seconds before Helen’s brows went up and an amused smile flickered across her face. “Yes, just a moment, please.”

She held the handset out to Lila. “It’s for you.”

“For me?” Lila echoed.