Andrea nodded to her oldest daughter as she pushed away from the table. Suzanna watched as the girl, bordering on adolescence, dipped her head without a hint of complaint. “Yes, Mama.” She took up her plate, adding her silverware, and rose from the table. “May I take yours, Miss Wilton?” Suzanna couldn’t help but smile. She’d assumed such well-mannered children were all but extinct. “You may, but how about if I help you? I can rinse, and you can load. Would that be okay?” Kelsey looked at her mother, who nodded, and then smiled in her sweet, shy way. Suzanna’s heart puddled. The lovely twelve-year-old drew her in without pretense. Kelsey cleared the rest of the dishes while the other children scooted off to put their clean laundry away. Suzanna helped Andrea put the leftovers in the refrigerator and then moved to the sink to work beside Kelsey. “Mama!”
