She looked around the bedroom—it was very economically designed—a queen-size bed on a wooden frame, a small foldout desk, an armoire, tiny closet, two bedside chests with drawers and more drawers in the wooden platform under the mattress. She touched the wood of the headboard—again it was rich and fine. It reminded her of the home she had grown up in—the furnishings were tasteful and expensive. She sat down on the bed. The mattress was firm. When she stood again, she smoothed the comforter.

She stayed a little bit longer than she intended. She looked in the bathroom—it was large and comfortable. She sat in the living room facing the TV. She opened and closed the shutters behind the sofa. Well, there was no question about it—she would love to live in such a place. She’d lived in larger homes and apartments, but they were invariably in poor repair in bad neighborhoods. Often, she shared them with roommates to cut the rent. Her first few years on her own with Charlie had been very difficult—there was school and a job and a baby who had frequent bouts of upper respiratory illnesses. Then things calmed down a bit but the past five years with the recession, scarce jobs and rising costs had been difficult. She and Charlie had lived in some real dumps, that little trailer taking the cake.

But this—this beautifully decorated, compact little loft—was not only lovely and comfortable, it was right in the center of town, two doors down from the deputy sheriff’s office where Seth Sileski worked. It was not really a place to raise a family but it would be so ideal for a single woman and her son.

Too bad it was impossible. Even if it was priced reasonably it would be hard for her to afford. The furnishings alone made it even more valuable. And Lin Su had already made a decision—she wouldn’t negotiate with Grace. Over the years, she’d become a fierce haggler. Even used-car salesmen quaked when they saw her coming. But Grace was her employer. She might take care of Winnie but she knew she worked for Grace.

She went back downstairs. Grace was still busy at her worktable, constructing an arrangement. Lin Su handed her the key. “Grace, it’s very beautiful. It’s small but so expertly arranged.”

“You should have seen what I started with—a completely unfinished attic, full of junk left behind by Iris’s mother. She was the last owner of the flower shop, and when she had something she didn’t know what to do with, she shoved it upstairs and it never came down again. Iris and I had a field day poking through her stuff. Not much was worth keeping.”

“Did you do it yourself?” Lin Su asked.

“I only helped. I had to hire tradesmen—there wasn’t even a bathroom up there! But the plumbing was in the right place. I painted, papered, sanded, but no way could I install a tub or toilet. And that arch? That was indulgence—I really didn’t need a door that closed for just me.” She clicked her teeth. “I suppose that could be a problem with a fourteen-year-old son.”

Lin Su laughed a little. “I think he’d like it if I didn’t live with him at all. Boys his age resist mothering. But we manage. Our trailer didn’t offer much by way of privacy—one pocket door to the bedroom and a pullout screen to close off the bathroom.” She shrugged. “It was manageable. But, Grace, I’m not sure we can make this work.”

“Ah,” Grace said. “Just too small? Not enough storage space?”

“Grace, it’s beautiful. It’s first class. I’m afraid I have a tight budget. But I’m sure something will...”

“Lin Su, I wasn’t thinking of charging rent! If it works for you, use it!”

“Now wait,” Lin Su said suspiciously. “You can’t mean to just loan it to me.”

“Why not? I didn’t charge Ginger rent.”

“But she worked for you!”

Grace laughed. “And who do you work for?”

“But I don’t work in this flower shop! The loft is part of the flower shop!”

“You could help me with the electric bill, but I use so much more than the loft ever uses. Does a third sound fair? It could be as high as a couple hundred dollars. It’s the refrigerated flower case—it’s a big energy suck. Maybe we should say a fourth? But even though that’s a lot, you’ll save on gas over time. Not much of a drive to your job.”

“But, Grace, the furnishings alone...”

“You like the furniture? Oh, I’m so glad! This is the lucky result of two people who have had their own homes combining households. Troy and I took what we wanted from each apartment. It left some nice things in the loft so it’s ready to live in. Of course, if you have your own things and it gets too crowded, we’ll just store some things.”

Lin Su took a breath and reminded herself—gratitude and humility. She had been honest with Winnie about the break-in, the destruction. “After last night, that isn’t going to be a problem.”

“Oh, Lin Su, was the loss terrible?”

“Actually, no,” she said, giving her head a little shake. “The things we really need, we took. I’ll drive back over there in the next day or two to make sure there isn’t anything important that I forgot, but all things considered, we were very lucky. And thank God Charlie wasn’t home while I worked!”

“Well, if you choose to live upstairs, I can promise you Charlie will be safe when he’s at home. I’ll be in the shop until closing. We have as many issues as any small town but it’s pretty safe around here. If you have any concerns you can always talk to Seth. He’s such a wonderful deputy—I just love him.”

Lin Su just shook her head. “You all have been so generous.”

“Generous is good,” Grace said. “But really, I don’t happen to see it that way. You’re better than the best nurse my imagination could conjure up. And I think Charlie is very good for my mother. They’re like best pals. I suspect they have secrets and plots but don’t let on. Winnie needed someone like Charlie right now—he’s completely honest all the time and Winnie gets a little more life in her when Charlie’s around. And Charlie doesn’t take any of her shit. Refreshing. Between Charlie and Mikhail, Winnie is kept human!”

“And the women come to her house for tea or a drink,” Lin Su said.

“She’s never had that kind of life,” Grace said, shaking her head sadly. “She’s always been somewhat apart from the mainstream of life. Oh, she had friends, don’t get me wrong. But where are they now, these society women Winnie socialized with for years? They don’t visit and rarely call. Winnie needs to feel family right now and that’s exactly what she has. We’re an odd family—me, Troy, Winnie and Mikhail—but people act as if we’re perfectly normal. If you and Charlie can be part of our strange little family it would make me so happy.”

“You really do so much for us. You’ve only known us three months!”

Grace laughed a little wildly. “By the time I knew Troy for three months I was pregnant! I have pretty good instincts. So? You want the place?”

Lin Su nodded. “I’ll treat it with great care.”

* * *

Charlie was not as thrilled about the use of the loft as his mother was, but then he didn’t crave independence for his family, just for himself. He liked staying with Blake right next door to Winnie, Mikhail, Grace and Troy. He couldn’t see any reason why his mom wouldn’t take Blake up on his offer to give them the two bedrooms in his upstairs for a while. For some reason she had a hard time accepting a gift like that from Blake.