Page 25 of Falling for Brody

Rhea found her seat opposite of Chip and looked on as her son beamed at the older woman. "What are you eating?"

She looked down at her plate. "Meatloaf. They make a really good one here. It’s hard for me to make it for myself these days."

She looked sad for a moment and Rhea looked down at her own hands. She hadn't thought about it, but at Missus Hardy's age, her hands looked frail. It might be an issue.

Chip looked at her and then back at the older woman beside him. "My mom can help you."

If.

A moment of silence fell over the table at Chip's insistent words.

Missus Hardy looked as if she could blown over like a feather.

And then she smiled.

"Dear me, my young man. That is certainly the sweetest offer, but I'm sure your mother doesn't need any extra work."

Beside him, Rhea leaned in toward his former teacher. "I'm happy to help. I love to make meatloaf. I used to help my grandmother make it along with other dishes. I've just been a little busy the last year or so."

Chip nodded. "It's okay, Mom. You've been busy."

The waitress came over and Brody recognized Karen since he'd seen her there so many times. She took their orders and moved away toward the kitchen, casting curious looks behind her.

Chip looked at his mom. "Maybe we can find a place near Missus Hardy, Mom."

Missus Hardy looked up from her plate and set her fork back down. "What's this about finding a place?"

Rhea was hesitant at first, but he could understand. The four places that they'd visited were... not right for them.

There was just one other available place on her list and if he remembered correctly that house was falling apart at the seams. He wasn't all that eager to take her there knowing that it was going to be crossed off her list as soon as she saw it.

That was why he'd really leaned into the idea of lunch.

He wanted to figure out something before he took them to the final address.

And seeing Missus Hardy was a wonderful extra.

He still remembered what it was like being in her class and wished that she was still teaching because he knew that Chip would love it too.

"... that's why we're looking for a place to rent."

Brody watched something pass over Missus Hardy's features, but Karen arrived with their food and the topic faded into the background.

Every once in a while, he saw Missus Hardy looking at each of them, but he had no idea what the dear older woman was planning.

She'd surprise everyone just a little while later, proving she was still looking out for children, even though she was retired.

CHAPTER5

The restof lunch passed with a lot of laughter and stories about Brody when he was growing up.

It was a lot of fun and Brody had a good sense of humor. He even offered his own addendum to a story that Missus Hardy told about him.

He had no problem making fun of himself.

A trait that Rhea had difficulty with. She was always trying to prove herself to others. Making a joke about herself was... harder than she liked and she was always worried that her attempts at humor would fall flat.

Sooo flat.

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