Cassidy put her hands on her hips. “Who are you?”

“Laura Fry.”

“So…you live here now? Frankie was your father?”

“Oh my God! No! He married my mother.”

“Oh. Stepfather then.”

Laura Fry actually clenched her teeth. “No, he was not my stepfather.” She shook her head. “What is it you want?”

“I want you to stop mowing. Isn’t this something you could do during the week when I’m not here?”

“So I should rearrange my schedule to suit you?” She gave a rather sweet smile. Condescending, but sweet. “I am very busy during the week. Very busy.”

“So there’s no compromise?”

“Compromise? Your yard people come very early on Fridays. Very early. Daybreak. It’s impossible to sleep in.”

Cassidy glanced at the house, guessing the bedrooms were upstairs. Their two houses weren’t that close together. But…

“So you’re suggesting I reschedule them?”

“After ten would be great.”

“Ten? You sleep until ten?”

“Oh, no. I’m usually up by dawn.”

“Then…?”

“Quiet time. Coffee on the porch. Birds. Quiet. No mowers.”

“I see. Okay. So if I agree to that, you’ll stop mowing on Saturdays so I can have my quiet time?”

Laura Fry nodded, smiling quickly in her victory. “Deal.”

Cassidy stuck her hand out. “Deal.” Their handshake was firm, but brief. “I’m Cassidy Anderson, by the way.”

“Okay,” Laura said as she started up the lawn mower again.

Cassidy stepped out of the way as the mower buzzed around her. At least the woman waited until she was past her before engaging the blades. So she was going to stop mowing, right? Their deal started today, not next Saturday. Right?

She blew out a frustrated breath, then turned and headed back to the road. The woman was wearing cutoff jeans. When’s the last time she’d seen that? She chanced a glance at the house. It looked different than she remembered. Oh, the paint was still chipped and faded, but it looked inviting. All of the flowerbeds were stuffed with flowers. The grass was trimmed along the edges of the sidewalk and around the trees. If she hadn’t seen this woman mowing she would assume they had a yard service too. Although her own yard service did not do flowers. Maybe she’d ask them to plant some for her. After she asked them to start coming at ten instead of seven.