“I’ll go tell everyone that we’re done for today. Mr. Harry and Daddy are setting up the last of the beds right now. Why doesn’t Jody have one?” Tabby followed behind her with the vacuum in her hands.

“Because we haven’t bought one for her, but we will. Tonight will be the last time she has to sleep on the sofa,” Mitzi answered. “She only moved in with us over the weekend.”

“We heard y’all talkin’ about it, but we weren’t eavesdropping, we promise. That man should be tortured.”

“Oh, he will be,” Mitzi chuckled. “Fate will bite him right on the butt.”

“I hope so. Jody is too sweet to be treated like trash.”

Jody was on the phone when they put their load down in the kitchen. “I’m calling the café and telling them to get a table ready for nine.”

“Great. I’m going to run up and see what they’ve got done.” Mitzi was halfway up the stairs when she met Graham coming down. Two big people passing in a narrow space left no room to do it without touching. She could almost count his thick eyelashes through the lenses of his glasses that had slid down slightly on his nose. His hand grazed her bare arm as he reached to push them up. Her shiver had nothing to do with the cool air flowing from the air conditioner vent right above her.

“I understand we’re all going to the café for supper?”

He was close enough that his breath reached to that soft spot on her neck, creating even more moisture on her palms. She caught a reflection of herself in his glasses and bit back a gasp. She’d sweated off every drop of makeup. Stray red hair had escaped her ponytail. Good Lord! Had her deodorant failed her, too?

She forced a smile. “My treat for all the help.”

“You might regret that. We’re not a bit bashful when it comes to food.” He grinned.

“Neither are any of us. We’ll just hope that the café doesn’t run out,” she teased.

He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you again for taking my girls under your wing. I’ve never seen them this happy.”

“Thank you for letting them take me under their wing,” she said. “They’re proving to be great help, but I wish you’d let me pay them.”

“Let’s keep it simple. You teach them to sew, and they can do whatever you need done to help out around here.” He moved his hand and headed on down the stairs.